Welcome to Provocate, a unique platform for exploring the intersection of art and politics, global and local, learning and acting. The purpose of Provocate? To provoke you to step outside comfortable ways of thinking about your community and the world, to provoke you to imagine new possibilities, and perhaps provoke us together to discover new solutions to the daunting problems we face.

We see Central Indiana as full of smart people who want to learn more, who want to be more engaged, to make their neighborhoods and the world. A lot of people, a lot of potentially creative conversations, a lot of problems that might find imaginative solutions.

Provocate connects events, information, and organizations. This website starts by telling you about the most stimulating and challenging events in Central Indiana. Indy definitely is buzzing, every week at least a dozen talks and debates between nationally known experts, gallery openings and world-class concerts, international films and conferences. These are the major organizations that have substantial resources and the ability to plan their PR well in advance. Add to these large-scale happenings even more dozens of events on college campuses or civic clubs, events that are organized quickly to take advantage of curiosity and opportunities, by organizations without the ability to spread the word much beyond their immediate circle of members and friends.

All of this adds up. The intuition behind Provocate is that every week around Central Indiana, we have dozens of opportunities to learn, to converse, to brainstorm, to form coalitions. But no one can hope to consume comfortably so many opportunities, even if it were possible to be in several venues at the same time. So Provocate doesn’t just tell you what’s happening … it wants to help you identify the best event for you, and explains why it’s important that you take part.

Events in the real world are important. We are, after all, social creatures who experience reality differently when we are in the presence of our fellow social creatures. We learn differently with others than when we are alone, we focus our attention differently at an event than we would if we watch TV or read a book alone.

While we are social creatures who need events, we are also thinking creatures who need information. It’s sometimes important to be prepared before attending an event. Being exposed to the vocabulary of the discussion, knowing a little about the speaker and her background, thinking in advance about the crucial questions that will be addressed (and that may or not be answered) … it can make the difference between getting a lot out of an event and getting a whole lot out of it.

The events featured here really are exciting. When you leave, you are sure to want to learn more about the topic. You may want to invite an expert to talk to your class or community group. You may even want to find local groups that are trying to solve problems that may have been discussed at the event. Provocate offers a couple of ways to find out what you need to know to follow up these events. More Information sheets look at particular topics discussed at events, and suggest articles, books, and organizations that will tell you more. Global Indy Resource pages focus on what international issues mean for Indianapolis becoming a different and better city in the 21st century.