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Find your power in the next nine days

Nov 2, 2017
Spirit and Place Festival banner
The 2017 Spirit and Place Festival: Power will be held Nov. 3 to 12. Spirit and Place is a legacy project of The Polis Center, part of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Indy’s annual Spirit and Place Festival is back for its 22nd year, and this time, it’s bigger than ever. The nine-day festival will include more than three dozen events all across the city. Taking place Nov. 3-12, Spirit and Place is all about making Central Indiana a better place through encouraging innovation and collaboration between local artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, authors, scholars and the public. Education is a huge part of the mission of Spirit and Place – but don’t worry, you’ll have a blast, too.

Every year, the festival rallies around a theme. This year’s focus is “power.” Festival events will explore the relationship of power to different aspects of modern life, such as race, art, science, religion and more. For example, this year’s kickoff is a Superheroes Bash at the Harrison Center for the Arts gymnasium, 1505 Delaware St. It’s all about finding your inner might (and having a lot of fun along the way).

This year’s list of Award of Awesomeness nominees – an award given to the event that best encapsulates the festival’s theme and values – is notable. They include a Jackson Pollock-inspired collision of paint and catapults, a kinetic conversation that asks where you “stand” on the issues, yoga to live choral music, and more. 

IUPUI’s own Tunnel of Oppression will be included as part of the festival for the first time. Run by the Social Justice Scholars and other IUPUI students the last five years, the Tunnel of Oppression has become a moving campus tradition. The production uses creative means of communication, such as theater and film, to educate audiences on concepts like oppression, micro aggressions and prejudices present in today’s society. This event will be held Nov. 7, 8 and 9 in the Campus Center, with exact times available on the event page.

IUPUI’s Senior Academy has organized an event as well. “Revive civility… the Power of my Words” will take place Nov. 8 and will discuss the power of the individual to use civility to promote effective democracy. More information can be found on the festival’s website.

There are events for every member of the family, so find the ones that most interest you!

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