INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Administration Building, Suite 136 355 N. Lansing Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-2896 317-274-7711 Fax: 317-274-5457

GIFTED TRIO COME TOGETHER FOR PROVOCATIVE CONVERSATION AT SPIRIT & PLACE

INDIANAPOLIS - The Polis Center at IUPUI will sponsor a conversation with three nationally known thinkers during the sixth annual Spirit & Place Civic Festival.

Photographic exhibits of life among Indianapolis' Hispanic community and a presentation on alternatives to western medical treatments also will be part of the annual celebration of the arts, humanities and religion.

The festival, managed by The Polis Center at IUPUI, features a tapestry of events sponsored by 110 local organizations. The events, which include concerts, dance, discussions, exhibitions, films and retreats, take place at more than 50 venues throughout Central Indiana. Many are free of charge.

Under this year's theme, "Crossing Boundaries," the 12-day festival, which runs Nov. 2 - 13, seeks to strengthen Indianapolis' cultural assets by stimulating collaboration, building community and inviting action for the common good.

"Crossing Boundaries can mean how we think about religion and races that are unlike our own, or about the mental boundaries that prevent us from being fully human or part of a community," said Sallyann J. Murphey, producer of the festival's Public Conversation forum. "We can also think of crossing boundaries, literally, such as visiting a part of Central Indiana you've never been to before."

The Public Conversation is the centerpiece of the annual festival. This year's event features Harvard professor Cornel West, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley and Rabbi Harold Kusher. It will be held from 4:30 - 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Murat Centre, 502 N. New Jersey. The event is free; no tickets are required.

West is a renowned scholar of race, religion, and pop culture. Kusher has written about healing wounds, and Smiley speaks of the comedy and tragedy of community. The three provocative thinkers will hold court on wide-ranging topics about crossing boundaries.

"Attending this event (will be) like eavesdropping on three thinkers having a spontaneous living room conversation, an exchange of ideas from people with very different angles," Murphey said.

Schools and programs at IUPUI are also sponsoring the following Spirit & Place events:

· Nov. 8 - 13, State House Rotunda, South Atrium, 200 W. Washington St. "Bridging Cultures, Crossing Boundaries," a documentary exhibit featuring photographs taken by local Hispanic youth to chronicle life in their communities. A photo collage showcasing Fiesta 2001, the largest Hispanic festival in Central Indiana, will also be displayed. Co-sponsored with Fiesta Indianapolis.

· Sunday, Nov. 4, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., IUPUI University Library, Lilly Auditorium, 755 W. Michigan St. Novelist Jane Smiley, author of "The Greenlanders," "Thousand Acres," "Moo" and "The All-true Travels and Adventures" will discuss her works. Co-sponsored with the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library.

· Monday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, 600 W. 70th St. Rabbi Harold Kushner speaks on the topic of his new book, "Living a Life that Matters," which has been on bestseller lists. Co-sponsored by The Center on Philanthropy at IUPUI, Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, and other organizations.

· Wednesday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Indiana Medical History Museum, Amphitheater, 3045 W. Vermont St. "Expanding the Borders of Medical Education in Indiana" traces the 1903 move by the founders of the Indiana University School of Medicine to cross the boundary from haphazard medical instruction to professional, standardized medicine. Features historian Elizabeth Van Allen. Presented by IU School of Medicine at IUPUI and the Indiana Medical History Museum.

· Sunday, Nov. 11, 1 - 4 p.m., Riley Outpatient Center, Ruth Lilly Learning Center Auditorium, 702 Barnhill Drive. "Eastern Medicine Approaches to Health & Disease." Five diverse practitioners from Tibetan, Chinese and Asian Indian medical traditions will demonstrate their approaches to medical treatment. Presented by the International Tibet Independence Movement and the Pain Integrative Center of Wishard Hospital/IU School of Medicine.

This year's Spirit & Place festival features 96 events from 110 religious congregations, arts and civic groups, up from 53 events and 60 sponsoring groups last year. The celebration is also two days longer than last year's festival.

The growing number of sponsoring groups is a direct reflection of the festival's success in giving organizations from different sectors and neighborhoods within the greater Indianapolis community opportunities to meet and collaborate on projects of common interest, said Polis Executive Director David Bodenhamer.

"Various organizations have seen in Spirit & Place an opportunity to meet their missions and to expand their audiences, as well as, to contribute something of substance to the community at large," Bodenhamer said.

The Polis Center initiated the Spirit &Place festival in 1996 as part of its Project on Religion and Urban Culture.

While most Spirit & Place activities are geared toward adults, a number of kid-friendly events also are offered.

For a complete listing of 2001 festival events, log on to www.spiritandplace.org, or call The Polis Center at (317) 274-2455. Schedules are also available at local Marsh supermarkets.

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