Nov. 6-15
Various locations
First, you are forgiven for being confused about what exactly the Spirit & Place Festival is. With a theme that changes each year and with more than 40 events (which often sound like graduate theses, i.e. “An Eye to the World: Photography as Transformation” and “The Geography of the Sacred: How We Sanctify Space”), it’s very easy to be confused.

Combine that with the fact that events are held at dozens of different locations and you’ll understand why an alleged refocusing of the Spirit & Place Festival this year hasn’t helped much in the clarity department.

Still, there are lots of promising events—if you are willing to search for them. Opening weekend includes “Ordinary Space to Sacred Place,” a Nov. 6 discussion of ways to transform your environment, held at St.Luke’s United Methodist Church. Panelists include singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer and former Mayor Bart Peterson. Want something a little more experimental? “Caddy! Caddy! Caddy!” is choreographer/dancer Oguri’s response to the writings of William Faulkner. It’s Nov. 7 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Toby Theatre.

The $3 Bill comedy troupe lightens things up with a.MUSE.ment@theLibrary on Nov. 9 at the Central Library. Also on the 9, bestselling author Bill McKibben visits IUPUI to talk about sustainable communities.

And local city-planner types have high hopes for “Pecha Kucha: The Next Indianapolis,” a Nov. 12 event described as “Fight Club meets PowerPoint.” Presenters will compete for $10,000 grants to pay for projects that turn various Indianapolis locations into more inspiring places. It’s at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

For details on these and other Spirit & Place events, click here.