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Campfires

Indiana Humanities’ award-winning Campfires program pairs nature and literature to spark conversations about Indiana’s future. Something about the combination of wild places, great writing, a warm campfire and cold beer gets Hoosiers talking in fresh and surprising ways about the world around us and our place in it.

Over the years, we’ve taken Hoosiers on indelible hikes and paddling trips, sponsored the creation of original films about Indiana waterways and published an anthology of our favorite Hoosier environmental writing.

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Program Details

Upcoming Treks

Our 2024 season of Campfires has officially come to a close! Stay tuned for more information to come about our 2025 season.

Campfires Shirt

Green shirt with

 

Support Campfires, an Indiana Humanities program, by wearing a “Trek & Talk” shirt. Printed on soft Tultex cotton shirt.

Buy now

Past Treks

Originally called Next Indiana Campfires, this program was created in 2016 to help celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial. Since then, we’ve checked off some of our bucket-list experiences around the state. Here are the wild places we’ve explored so far (links take you to blog posts about the experiences):

#INSlowMoments

It can be difficult to take time for ourselves, to slow down and to find joy in the small constants in life. So we’re encouraging you to pause and connect with the Indiana landscapes that have inspired generations of Hoosiers.

We’re excited to share Campfires: Slow Moments, a program that encourages Hoosiers like you to slow down and appreciate the beauty Indiana has to offer.

To participate:

  1. Go to your favorite Indiana nature spot. Bring your picnic blanket, pup or pent-up children. Stay for a while. Look. Listen. Scout the area for the best filming location.
  2. After finding your scenic spot, take a minute-long slow video. Capture the sights and sounds. Stay in the moment—don’t worry about production value.
  3. Make sure you save the video to your camera roll. You’re in luck—slow videos don’t need to be edited or cut.
  4. Post your slow video to Instagram, tagging @INHumanities and using #INSlowMoments. Share where you filmed your video, if you’d like, or keep your special Indiana spot a secret.

Program Highlights

Book

Next Indiana Campfires: A Trail Companion

Next Indiana Campfires: A Trail Companion is a collection of 30 of our favorite readings from the Campfires series, along with a trail journal to record your thoughts and observations. This one-of-a-kind anthology is the perfect addition to your backpack. Get your copy today.

Get your copy
Film

White River Films

In 2019 the Campfires program focused on the White River watershed and the larger question of how Hoosiers relate to water. To explore these connections further, we funded the creation of three short films about the White River.

Watch the films
Video

Slow Moments

Like our Campfires series, our meditative Slow Moments films use excerpts from Indiana writers to encourage connections between nature and literature and to spark conversations about Indiana’s future.

Immerse yourself
Reading at Tom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve
Float on the White River
Drinking Upland beer around the campfire

Partners and Funders

  • Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
  • Upland Brewing Co.
  • Partners for the White River

Questions?

Contact Sam Opsahl, Program Associate:
sopsahl@indianahumanities.org | 317.616.3641

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