Indianapolis residents can celebrate the arts, humanities and religion through the theme of “Intersection” during the 23rd annual Spirit and Place Festival Nov. 2-11.
The festival features 30 events at various locations throughout the city. Although every event is different, each one “will explore, challenge or reflect the meaning of intersection,” according to the website.
“There’s really a wide array of events and topics for the public to engage,” program manager Erin Kelley said. “We pick a theme that hopefully will resonate with the public.”
“Explore Art-Motive!” will spotlight the connection between art and automobile design and history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“This is the first time we’ve ever been there,” Kelley said.
“Explore Art-Motive!” is one of five nominees for the Award of Awesomeness, which recognizes events that exemplify key traits of the festival. The winner receives $1,000 at the conclusion of the festival. Other nominees are “Hummus and Happiness,” “The Score Awakens,” “Afroturism in Action: A Conversation with Tobias Buckell” and “Convergence: Connecting Our Shared Experience through Performance and Prose.”
Buckell, a science fiction author, will lead a discussion on reimagining a future that includes the arts, technology, science and social justice from a Black perspective 6-8:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Kephrw Institute/Renaissance Center, 3549 Boulevard Place.
“I’m a walking intersection — my whole life — and I’ve always felt really comfortable saying that,” said Buckell, who was born in Grenada, is bi-racial but looks white and lives in Ohio. “That’s the reason I’m super passionate about this. When I was younger and growing up not a lot of diverse people were allowed to imagine futures. I deeply believe that if we are not allowed to imagine our futures then someone else will and that someone else may not be an ally.”
The majority of events are free, however, a few do charge an admission fee. Those events usually offer a meal or cover the cost of art supplies, Kelley said.
A discussion about African-Americans and philanthropy will be 7-9 p.m. Nov. 6 at Christian Theological Seminary Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St. “Race Matters: Faith and Philanthropy in the African-American Community” will explore how race and philanthropy intersect and is presented by the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, Christian Theological Seminary and Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. David King, Karen Lake Buttrey Director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, hopes the conversation on philanthropy isn’t just expanded, but those in attendance leave with actionable steps to move forward and impact the communities in which they live.
“Words like philanthropy are off-putting and misunderstood in many communities,” King said. “We have an understanding of philanthropy that [it] belongs to the Bill Gateses and the Warren Buffets of the world. We want to be clear that all of us can be and should be philanthropists. It’s an important conversation to reframe the definition of what philanthropy is. It’s not just writing the big check.”
Contact Editor Oseye Boyd at 317-762-7850. Follow her on Twitter at oseye_boyd.
The 23rd annual Spirit and Place Festival will be Nov. 2-11 at various locations throughout Indianapolis. For a complete list of events, visit spiritandplace.org.
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