Indianapolis is home to many festivals, but none are as unique and inclusive as the Spirit and Place Festival.
The Spirit and Place Festival looks at all the ways people define place, which could mean a neighborhood, or the whole city, and what it takes to create the spirit of that place. Through 10 days of arts, culture, religion and humanities; each program, film, lecture, art exhibit or activity serves as a vehicle to promote civic involvement.
“It’s all about mobilizing ideas and creating new connections between people and organizations,” said the festival’s director, Pam Blevins Hinkle.
Now in its 18th year, what makes this fest something to look forward to is its changing themes. This year’s theme is risk.
By understanding various viewpoints of what risk is all about, Blevins Hinkle hopes people come away with their own ability to take risks and what kinds of risks residents may take as a community to move Indianapolis forward.
To execute that goal, the festival will have 30 events and signature events happening all around the city created by community organizations. These institutions, such as the Indianapolis Public Library, Christian Theological Seminary and the Pike YMCA will showcase what risk means to them.
Ernest Disney-Britton, who is on the steering committee for this year’s Spirit and Place fest, said this is a year people are not going to want to miss.
“I think this is going to be the best year ever because the range of activities, themes, ideas and groups coming together, in particular the number of churches reengaged with the program, is really a testament to the project and the community,” said Disney-Britton.
One program is “Embracing Risk to Sustain a Neighborhood.” Peggy Daniels Lee, chair of the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis undergraduate program and is also on the festival’s selection committee was inspired to create a program that explores historic organizations and businesses taking risks.
“I’ve lived in all kinds of neighborhoods over the course of several years. When I came to Indianapolis it occurred to me there were some businesses that had run the risk of going out of business; crime; white flight; all kinds of things. What was it that caused these entities to remain in neighborhoods that had gone through ups and downs,” posed Lee.
She cites businesses such as Stout’s Footwear, Leon Tailoring Co. and the historic Madame Walker Theatre Center as examples of entities that have withstood the tests of time.
“Hopefully, at the end of the festival you will have learned something that will make you appreciate your community just a little bit more,” said Joni Collins, the executive director of the Martin Luther King Community Center. She will be on the “Embracing Risk to Sustain a Neighborhood” panel to discuss this issue.
Also, five events are competing for the title of “most risky.” In addition to having the riskiest idea, the winner will receive a $2,500 award for their creativity.
The festival will close with a signature event that includes a public conversation featuring nationally known Hoosier risk-takers who will chat with one another about the role of risk in life.
This year’s Spirit and Place Festival is all about putting one’s self out there to take a leap. Not only does the festival take various organizations looking through a variety of lenses to look at a singular issue, but the majority of these programs are free. Being that this year’s theme is “risk,” most events are more suitable for middle school-aged children and older.
Blevins Hinkle believes the Spirit and Place Festival promotes respect for diversity and inspires public imagination. She also believes it serves as a great platform to knit the community together, learn about unfamiliar topics and allows people to interact and become engaged in the wide variety of topics they choose to partake in.
“Our purpose is to be a catalyst for civic engagement so we want people to think differently and act differently on behalf of their community. Some of the events will be plain fun. We’re really looking to give the community a never seen before experience that opens their minds to a new idea or place or meet new people and share ideas,” said Blevins Hinkle.
For more information, call (317) 278-3623, or visit Spiritandplace.org.
