2017

Polarization: A View from the Front Lines with John King

CNN chief national correspondent, analyst and anchor of Inside Politics John King offers his thoughts and insights on the increasing polarization of the US electorate. King will provide insights from the front-line of the national debate, historical context and thoughts on where we might go from here. He will then be joined by psychologist Phil Kraemer Ph.D. and artist Hannah Drake for a broader conversation offering differing perspectives on this issue and the fact that any possible "solutions" are fraught with many complex and very deep issues that go far beyond simply political differences. Conversation moderated by Tom Eblen.

The Science of Whiskey

Eric Simanek, chemist, chair and director of the IdeaFactory at Texas Christian University (TCU) comes to IdeaFestival 2017 to discuss his amazing and wonderfully illustrated book entitled Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey, a guidebook for bourbon lovers. The story begins with the Big Bang and travels through photosynthesis, bubble caps, oak speciation or a mechanistic enzymology. Simanek reveals the elegant beauty of whiskey production often masked behind the science and engineering.

To Innovate: Start at Crazy

Designing and executing "moonshot" ideas involves asking the right questions, stimulating nonlinear (some might say crazy) thinking and understanding the difference between incremental and transformational strategies.

At IdeaFestival 2017, collaboration experts The Rise Group will lead a high-energy exercise surrounding the process of solving the complex challenges faced by individuals and organizations in their relentless quest to stay relevant and innovative.

The Trash-Based Economy of the Future

Anshu Gupta founder of the India-based nonprofit, Goonj, is one of India’s leading social entrepreneurs. At IdeaFestival 2017, he will discuss how Goonj is creating a parallel economy which is not cash but trash-based, where huge quantities of old re-usable material (cloth) become a valuable resource. Gupta is a 2017 Curry-Stone Design Prize Social Change Circle Honoree and recipient of the prestigious 2015 Ramon Magsaysay Award in India. 

Visual & Transmedia Artist Lars Jan

In partnership with 21C Foundation, we welcome Lars Jan to IdeaFestival 2017. Jan, the son of emigres from Afghanistan and Poland, is a visual artist, director, writer and the founder of Early Morning Opera, a genre-bending performance + art lab whose works explore emerging technologies, live audiences and unclassifiable experiences. His original works have been presented by the Whitney Museum, Sundance Film Festival, BAM Next Wave Festival and many others. Just this summer, his climate-change themed installation – Holoscense – created a sensation in Times Square. He is on faculty at CalArts and is a TED Senior Fellow.