A&O Meetup: Spirit & Place Festival, Nov. 4-13, 2011

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest Disney-Britton

From November 4-13, 2011, A&O will Meetup daily for the Spirit & Place Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. What's Spirit & Place? It's a weeklong celebration of the sacred, spiritual and community in Indianapolis. There's nothing else like it anywhere else, so you will not want to miss it. A&O will sponsor a youth art prize as part of the celebration.

• Exhibit Title: "Beyond Dead: Youth Respond" (2011)
• Venue: Indiana Interchurch Center | IIC Gallery, 1100 W. 42nd Street, Indianapolis, IN
• Date/Time: Opening reception on Sunday at 2pm and closing on the following Saturday at 2pm. 
• Price: "Free"
• Religion: Interfaith (and skeptics too!)
• Information: (317) 755-8400

A&O organizes the details for a monthly gathering to view a religious art exhibit together that explores a religious faith. Participants provide their own transportation and admission fee (when required), and everyone gathers afterwards for a meal & dialogue following the visit. What could be simplier?

Weeks prior to the festival, a group of students from the Latino Youth Collective of Indianapolis created shrines during the October 10th in preparation for the November show at the Indiana Interchurch Center. For three hours, a dozen students were led by Michelle Gunter of the Indianapolis Arts Center in the Mexican art of shrine making.

Shrine to cousin Nano, uncle Antonio and grandmother Merced by Javier Barrera

udent leader Javier Barrera created the smallest of shrines, using a 2" x 3" Altoids candy box he created three 1" tall high depictions of his deceased relatives: a cousin, his mother and an uncle. The student artists brought photos and personal objects that helped them remember the person/s they are dedicating their shrine to honor.

Using a cigar boxes or cardboard pencil box for each participant, paint, markers, glue, scrap paper, colored pencils, brushes, scissors, craft knives, hot glue, and craft materials like ribbon, glitter, etc, the students created altars and shrines within the context of El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which will also be featured in the upcoming exhibition, "Beyond Dead: A Youth Response" at the Indiana Interchurch Cente