Across Indiana

I. This proof of the possible bug. You move like me full of holes. And by the following corporate sponsor. The Arts Council of Indianapolis dance music theatre and experience it all at NPR dot org. The celebration crossing at the Indiana State Museum now through December 30 First an opportunity to chat with Santa right the elysées trail and reminisce at the historical holiday windows programs and details at Indiana museum dot org. It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays everywhere you go. So welcome to a special across Indiana celebrating some of the ways we losers celebrate this season. Well look at an old tradition given and an orthodox fan. Well also watch the intricate step by step process that restored one of the Indianapolis as Christmas cards to its original glory.

You get to see them so intimately. King on them he had to see every little Kravis that was current and will see how some whose are caring for the less fortunate. At this time of year. Greetings in the holiest of Hanukkah is the most joyous of Kwanzaa and a very Merry Christmas to you all. Welcome to this sanctuary in Zionsville and if you're not quite in the mood for the holidays I believe it will be after you stop in here. Everywhere you look. The walls are decked with the paintings of artists. Nancy you know well we'll take a closer look at some of them in just a minute but first even as we celebrate the season our thoughts turn to those who are less fortunate and don't have a home and a hearth to share. That's our first story this trip it's about a group that puts a very human face on the problem of homelessness in Indianapolis and in so doing it tries to build a bridge of trust that can lift even the neediest of those among us to a safe haven.

Fifteen hundred. Fifteen hundred people that don't have an address. Fifteen hundred people. It's easy to categorize these individuals and put them into the same stereotypical box.

What is easier is simply taking the hand of someone at risk of being homeless and giving them someone or something to trust. There's an organization right here in Indianapolis that's taking the idea of trust and turning it into a way of rebuilding lives. It's called trusted mentors and their focus is simply to stabilize. And that. Means that you can stabilize the life of their children. You can stabilize the life of the saying goes trust is something that is done. But in order for a homeless individual to trust they have to be given the opportunity to write. And on the flipside trust is not easily obtained from somebody who is homeless or at risk of becoming so. Many have spent years trusting the wrong people. A situation that ultimately ends an overwhelming disappointment.

When we put in trust into the word because trust is essential. Not just in the mentoring relationships but in moving out of homelessness requires trusting yourself trusting other people knowing who to trust. The goal of trusted mentors is to match a mentor with a mentor so carefully that in the end its a beautiful friendship. Such is the case with Shailene and Debbie. A two year mentoring relationship that has turned into something remarkable for her as my mentor has been a blessing to me. I'm a strong believer in God and he puts things. People in places you know in front of you that is going to you know help you. And Debbie is one of those people that God is so you know it's all a blessing. And it's not just the mentee who stands to gain from the partnership. I just enjoy spending time with her and her family her mom her stepdad. I feel part of their

family and. Would do anything for her. Jennifer is also a mentor. Never imagined how fulfilling mentoring would be quite a laugh until the week a lot of time goes I live alone. Just last. Week. In our lives we need people in our lives and you never know where you're going to find. People in your lives sometimes we go too hard. And really. Being of service has been a positive thing has opened up a lot of doors for. This excess of trusted mentors not only relies on the mentoring relationship but also the partnerships with 12 local agencies and service providers. One such resource is threshold. An organization that tracks and documents the chronically homeless and gives them a place to call home. Residents like Gary. Find the resources they need here and work with a mentoring program

to foster change. People in the mentoring program sometimes come from a fairly dark place and some are ex-offenders who are trying to change their lives one day at a time. That change can come in the form of a job. And that's where we're forcing becomes a building block for these individuals were a little bit different because they work with ex-offenders but ex-offenders are one of the populations where where they're at higher risk for re-entry and for them not necessarily because they want to but because life situations are really hard and because those circumstances are so different and the need for simple encouragement is so great. The mentoring relationship becomes very important. I was back on the right track but I still needed some women there to kind of push me and make me move along because sometimes when you're doing things and you think you can get things

back I want to slack up. So Jennifer I mean the goal is you know she let me know that you know you're not going to do a bit more of this is going to push me and I love her for that. And I see this relationship almost like. Our almost can't live without. In her face and that's. That is for me. If I didn't. Try it. If she did not. Come with. The kind. I want made. Jane Jamieson joins us now she is our tour guide for our time here today at the sanctuary. And Jane people watching right now cannot help but notice this very large painting behind us let's start with that.

Tell us a little bit about the name of that is the contract and it's probably the most widely requested question when I have a tour. I'll say you know if you have a question raise your hand before I can get that out they've always asked me about the contract. You know while she paints her experiences she paints her thoughts and I think there's a lot of fear in our society today we wake up in the morning don't even realize maybe there's something we're worried about that day. And sometimes we can walk with fear rather than walk with faith as normally most people think they represent death in this in this painting they definitely do not. The skeleton represents the fear and the angel represents us. And if you notice she's floating because fear does. Eventually float away. Fate steps in and I think something about the contract also. We normally have to go through some bad things in our life to accept the good and to realize and appreciate the good things that are happening to us. And as some would say sometimes we can live in fear or to live with fear and I think it's indicating thereby holding the hands that that there's a

relationship there with their fear they can teach us. Oh definitely. And I think we've had so many people customers have walked in and seen that painting and have seen themselves maybe they've had a relationship in their younger years that's been painful and they know that they've gotten through it they lived through the fear and now they've they've come out on the other side and you know they can feel that they're stronger because of of living in that and that experience. It's a very powerful painting probably one of the most powerful. One of Nancy's favorite paintings because she was going through some fear in her life when she painted that of course and as sacred. Place here today the sanctuary is a former church. Talk about this space a little bit it is just so special and made all the more special this time of year. Yes he was looking for a place to move she was down in park 100 for many years and we ship all around the world. And as I said this is the only place in the world we can see Nancy's Reginald's and she was looking for a space this church came available it was the first church but in science it was a Methodist church built originally nine hundred fifty four. Nancy walked in and it didn't look anything like it does now. And

she wanted to add the fireplace that she had a cord she raised the ceilings and she's got her hand in everything down to she decorated Christmas tree that we have in here today. So she bought the church and it was 11 months in renovations and when we opened the doors on June 23rd of 0 6 we had people that came from all over the world and they were lined up about three blocks down the street. So it was a magical night. And it was it was all worth it. Well Jane it seems like the outpouring of acceptance from the community is one of the things that adds to the special feeling you get when you're here at the same actuary. That's kind of a fitting segue to our next story for the holidays themselves are a time when friends family and community all get just a little close. But what if you come from a neighborhood that seen more than its share of tough times. The holidays still provide their healing magic. To unite a community. You just take a traditional Christmas favorite and make it special with a larger than life twist. We have been ruminating over this idea for a great idea for for

about a year and we saw these pear rolls. By a plant by our house and we just came up with this idea to turn him into luminaries. This was an experiment to see if we could not get a lot of people to be excited about how beautiful these barrels look and when they're when all the holes in the designs are drilled and it's illuminated from within. It creates sort of a beautiful uplifting kind of feeling in the toughest of times. Simplest idea can be exactly what a community needs to bring it together. This is King park. And it's no stranger to times 40 years ago on this spot. Robert Kennedy made his historic speech at the Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered on a cold December night. The spirit in the park is still one of healing but in the glow of a hundred points of light it's laced with a hearty cheer as people from all over the city check their worries at the gate to share a good time with friends new and old.

We thought that if we could turn this into a really large project in a big city it would be really wonderful. We first started planning it in June of this year. And so we threw around some different ideas and tried to decide if we wanted to do it in the summer time if we wanted to do it at Halloween. But because they really look like giant Christmas lights we thought that the holidays would be a better time to do it with a little help from the Indianapolis Arts Council and the Kennedy King area development he transformed his vision into a community project. But instead of just coming to see the finished product residents were asked to design and create the giant luminaries community members actually came out and drilled these white barrels in order for us to turn them into luminaries. We did one whole day of drilling barrels were all the community came in converge here at the center and everybody designed barrels and and drilled holes in the barrels and created their own luminaries. The openness of this project and the sort of like inviting all inclusiveness of it makes

people of all ages and all experiences feel that they could actually do this. But I knew any problem at all. So. So then everybody really gets to enjoy it. I. Got to be one of the one of the ones we saw people out with these. There are just lots of people working on them. Someone asked us would we like to say yes. Turns out that the people of King Parker a pretty eclectic bunch. Step back you can see just how unique each finished piece is. Peoples were fairies are known to science and some are free form some kind words a very clever clever is just coincidental that this project ended up being right now when the world the United States is kind of in a down period. It seems as though it was a perfect time for this to happen and it did. Just look out into the crowd even if it's not even because it's so cold the people still are having a wonderful time and I think it just sort of reinforced the fact that we are a neighborhood I think that with it

being there in the park to where that was exactly what Bobby Kennedy was talking about that night I think that that really brought it home for a lot of people to make it seem like AGAIN I'M NOT ALLOWED THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD This is my community. These are people I can talk to for help and I have a sense of some hope and some idea of it. I'm just not with any sort of community project for you. You go into the community and you try to bring just sort of a wonderful experience that they can take with them and remember it you know for a long time. And this was very much like that. HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE IT. You know it's very rewarding to have worked on something sort of in hearts and then you see it. All put together. Jane was standing before Nancy's latest work of art. But just tell our viewers a little bit about her history and what led to this moment.

OK the name of this painting is the burden about her Farai and yet she says when she was growing up as a child I think the biggest thing she connected to was with the animals you know animals don't judge you they love you unconditionally. And her first love of painting is animals and in turn children the bird in the butterfly is really a total. Almost a total understanding of finance you know well the little girl lying on the wagon and you've got the the dog and in all of Nancy's paintings she's got a lot and all of a lot of her painting she uses a butterfly and that is the visiting spirit. Sometimes we have folks that have passed on and we don't know that they're there but the butterfly represents that they're visiting. And the bird is always the messenger. So you've got both in this painting and you've got the the dog. The Australian shepherd dog that's looking at the butterfly because animals can almost see the visiting spirits we don't see them sometimes but the animals do. And there's a funny story about a particularly this dog and its beautiful blue walkers. That's correct. Nancy's a lady that used to work for us Carol. This is her dog.

Her daughter gave it to her as a gift and when she got the dog it had the most gorgeous blue eyes. And Carol's very favorite actor is Mel Gibson. So when she tried to decide what to name the dog and she looked at the blue eyes she named him Gibson Nancys work. She paints what she loves she paints her experiences and she's in pain for over 40 years. She started out mainly doing portraits or paint and then over the years you know it's one of her first labs and natural children and she does use models when she does her paintings. And if you see a dog and you see a bird and you see a child in that painting that's exactly what she painted something out of her imagination. But what we've come to realize is that every time she paints somebody she's painting somebody else's child too. And when people walk into the sanctuary they they see their child in her paintings and it gives them such comfort. It's a magical place and we're still trying to discover all the reasons why. Even so.

Next we're going to do a little what was once lost is now found story about an object that was always in plain sight. It's about a magnificent nativity scene carved in Italy that was inadvertently allowed to decay over the decades that it was on display here in our state. But now it's been magnificently restored to its original luster. I'm very emotional about it. I first saw this as a child.

How one might hold. With how much the Indianapolis the shop and see the windows. So. My mother always made it a point that we would visit the nativities sets in the downtown churches. So it was something of a pilgrimage. I saw the. Most nativities sets are simply treated as furniture. Many things get ding or broken. So over the course of time the figures have lost fingers ears arms limbs one sees and the angel itself from its host on the top of the ship and the arm for broken off. There was a replacement angel that was thought that stuck out like a sore thumb. It was women like old moons. They had been claiming heirs they. Had different kinds of rodent dirt that were found on the pieces. I was sick and

that's where the pain. Yes. When we conserve something we don't ever make it look like it's brand new because it's not what our job is is to make the pieces that are restored to look like they're old but in excellent condition. We don't go in at anything as such. You don't want paint to move we just use a mild stroke so and take our time with say the. Us. The staff that's in question wasn't there. We base that staff on the picture book of the Bible and how it looked in there because really what else do you have to go on. We did from Earth floors but this park was just a guess it

was just wood see educated give because where else could you have there from our shop it went to Shelley Battista and she did most of the painting. Sherry restored the painting we restored the frame and she did all of the whole interior repairs on it she did a beautiful job at. The. I. Loved working on them because you get to see them so intimately and working on them you get to see EVERY have a crevasse that was scar. I got fired up about this about 17 years ago. It's taken that long to fan the flames of interest. This came from Rome. It was about 90 years ago when it was made. It's remarkable in its ethnic diversity because at the time the Ku Klux Klan ran the city of Indianapolis and the government of Indiana. So it

was quite a social statement. They. Make sure that you do look at the details because the expressiveness of the figures is very realistic. When you think of Christmas and man being kind to man and doing great things. This is an embodiment of that. It's very rewarding to have something sort of in parts in pieces that inception and then you see. All put together you know everything I think looks really wonderful. Jane of course being in what was once a church were a very sacred space. People come here and they go through the place and they look at these paintings and they have their own personal sacred experiences even to this very day. They do they walk through those doors and what we experience a lot of times is tears. And sometimes I'll just start crying we usually have Kleenex setting around because we're learning we've

been open since 2006 but we're learning more and more that it's almost a healing place. They come in they see a particular painting maybe it strikes a chord. Maybe it looks like a child that they've lost. And instead of it being a sad thing they find it as a message from their child or a sign or something it gives them hope. All of us I think at one time or another have been through a bad experience or something that's really hurt our soul and work from what I've experienced and that's why I'm still here. You find a piece from looking at a particular painting. I think we're trying to characterize this in a way as as a transcendent place because it's not just a place to come and try said here's we're talking about something that's up looking very old. Where we used to be called no sanctuary. She wanted a place where people could sit and read a book and they could just totally have. A very relaxing day. The blood pressure. And we felt that here.

Again it's a beautiful place here for the holidays and I thank you so much for having this. Well thank you for being here we hope you come back and I will thank you. And that's it for this trip. We leave you now with the sights and sounds of the Christmas parade in Shelbyville. For every year families in a way the arrival of say. The smell of hot chocolate and cookies fill be airing every holiday season in Shelbyville Indiana. As families head to the center of town for a decorated taste of Christmas. I'm like. Any other. Besides mom dad and the kids. Several lovable classic Christmas characters are here to. Usher in the spirit of the see. The parade float stroll by and everyone lined the streets taking in the magic of the holiday season. Patiently awaiting the lighting of the town tree. But

still more importantly the arrival of a jolly guy in a red suit. From all of us on the cross and. He say. No. He's. The. Happiest of. Holidays. To you while. You are to. Be. There Christmas make my Christmas right now because I guess most everybody in.

This group or courtroom or one of my halls of oh boy we were like oh oh oh oh oh. And by the following corporate sponsors the Arts Council of Indianapolis dance music theater in order to experience it all at npr.org. The book it's beginning to look like the holidays

every where you go on a special edition of the process. We'll look at an old tradition given an orthodox new spin. Well also watch the intricate step by step process that restored one of the Indianapolis this Christmas an icon and to its original glory. And we'll see how some hooves are caring for the less fortunate at this time.