SoIN Big Read at Jasteka

SoIN Big Read is a community reading event hosted each October by libraries and local organizations to promote reading and celebrate the joy of learning as a community. Jasteka has a special connection to the 2026 Big Read book, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee, as it includes passages about artworks by James Turrell (left) and Olafur Eliasson (below) whose art is on view at Jasteka. 

We invite the community to visit Jasteka to experience these artworks in person and join us for our 2026 SoIN Big Read programs listed below. 

Experience artworks by James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson, two of the artists featured in Joyful right here in Southern Indiana! Jasteka Cultural Center is home to Aaron, Elliptical Glass, one of James Turrell’s room-sized art installations that incorporate slowly changing lights to create an experience that encourages contemplation and self-awareness. Olafur Eliasson’s art explores the common ground between art and science and plays with our experience of reality. It’s common to hear gasps of “wow” in front of his large sculpture, Collective Decision, at Jasteka, and to see people pause to absorb a taste of sunlight in his painting Colour Experiment no. 52 Yellow Fade. 

We invite you to Jasteka on Fridays to view these works and more or contact us at info@jasteka.orgto schedule a group tour.

Gather with us at Jasteka to enjoy reflections on joy from some of our community’s wonderful literary artists and enthusiasts. Ranging from spoken word and hip hop lyrics to limericks and a reading from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works, there will be something for everyone. The evening will begin with an open mic session, followed by featured readers. 

Come early for Fine Art Fridays (3-7pm) to enjoy the art on view at Jasteka, including works by James Turrell and Olafur Eliasson, who are featured in the SoIN Big Read book.

This evening is co-presented by Jasteka and Clark County Reads, the non-profit organization that administers the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Clark County and presents other literacy programs. 

Free and open to the public. Reservations are appreciated.  

Creatives Connect is a free monthly gathering for those who think, make, write, or speak creatively to connect, learn, and find inspiration. Each program includes mingling, an open mic show & tell, and a featured presentation.

For the October Creatives Connect, printmaker Elizabeth Foley will lead a 30-minute Envisioning Joy workshop as an opportunity to think about and visually express ideas about joy. Through open response questions and free drawing we will explore the shapes, colors, and places of joy. The purpose of this time is to give participants a moment to pause and reflect on habits and understand for themselves what they need to have joy in their lives.

Positive emotions are often treated as pleasant extras — nice to have, but not essential. Research tells a different story.

Joy, gratitude, awe, hope, and love can broaden our thinking, strengthen our relationships, fuel creativity, and help us build lasting emotional resources.

In The Power of Positive Emotions, David Seckman, Director of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, explores what science reveals about these powerful inner states and how we can cultivate more of them in everyday life.

This is not about forced positivity or ignoring real problems. It is about learning to notice the opportunities for connection, meaning, beauty, and growth that are already around us — but that we are often too distracted to see.