guest blog by Jennifer Gebhard, Program Manager, CIRTA/Commuter Connect If you look at Central Indiana commuting over time, you’ll find that a lot of our choices for getting to work have been reactions to events and conditions surrounding us … war, for example, or economic upheaval. Now we find ourselves making another set of adjustments based on outside factors. But maybe, once this current global upheaval passes, we can be proactive about commuting rather than reactive. In the early 20th Century, most central Indiana residents traveled to work by walking, riding a streetcar or taking the int ..read more

By Chris L. The analogy of the menacing and the majestic is a common theme throughout the observation of nature – be it human or animal kingdom. A convicted felon is labeled as a “menace to society,” but a butterfly can also be a prisoner, when trapped inside a caterpillar. The allegory of a cell being a cocoon of evolution can easily get overlooked – especially when popular thought is to keep a shiv sharp…or get shiv’d by a shiver of sharks. A room full of incarcerated men were asked if they’d rather be a shark or a butterfly. These hardened criminals reacted in a mini uproar of tangible sigh ..read more

By Derrick Santistevan How do we see ourselves? As times change so do the social norms in America. What seemed taboo, out of reach, or even unfathomable is now commonplace. With the revolution of the “brand” we have had an evolution of “self”. Technology has propelled us into a time where everything matters, where our every move, word, action or lack thereof is scrutinized by others. Our need to belong, our need to adapt and our perception of how we are represented has caused us to change our sense of self. Although our sense of self is who we believe we are, social acceptance has distorted th ..read more

The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt, or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through ..read more

The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt, or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through ..read more

The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through 1 ..read more

The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt, or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through ..read more

The 2019 Spirit & Place Festival will celebrate, explore, challenge and reflect on the meaning behind revolution and evolution, creating the unique theme of R/Evolution on Nov. 1-10. Exploring the idea of change in the world, whether it’s sudden and abrupt, or gradual and unfolding, this year’s festival offers the public a chance to share in experiences that build community. Now in its 24th year, the Spirit & Place Festival continues to be Indianapolis’ largest collaborative festival that uses the arts, religion and humanities as tools for shaping individual and community life through ..read more

We’ve all heard that mental health and emotional wellness are important elements of living a happy and healthy life. But what exactly is emotional wellness? Why does it matter? And what can you do to improve it? Since October is National Emotional Wellness Month, now is the perfect time to be asking these questions and finding the answers. To start, emotional wellness encompasses your thoughts and feelings. According to an article by the University of California, Davis, it involves your ability to recognize, embrace and express your emotions – positive or negative. Emotional wellness includes ..read more

By Branden A. Branden A. is a thirty-six-year-old survivor of an eighteen-year-sentence. Newly released, he is taking the skills learned throughout his life and honed in the DOC to become a successful writer, which he perfected while in the creative writing workshop. After spending eighteen years in prison, I felt like a baby bird taking his initial flight. I now had the entire universe to explore at my own free will. It was exhilarating, a feeling of being uncaged and free, but what was I coming home to? Hired by the Indiana State Hospital within two days of release, I was making a living by ..read more