Ideas 2023
Innovation & insight meets conversation. Curated talks and workshops with global thinkers and doers.
We're changing our Ideas Series! There will be 3 days of summits, each having 5 events related to the topic of that day.
DAY 1: Climate & Transportation Summit • DAY 2: Tech & Democracy Summit • Day 3: Social Equity & Activism Summit
Keynote: Amelia Winger-Bearskin
Climate & Transportation Summit
Amelia Winger-Bearskin will showcase her art and science storytelling work and demonstrate how new technologies can help preserve and engage with ancestral knowledge. Attendees will discover how innovative formats can engage future generations. Additionally, Amelia will discuss how her collaborations with scientists have enriched her artistic practice.
Following this talk will be a reception and book signing event for those who purchased a Premium Ticket. Books will be available for purchase.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Artificial Intelligence
Tech & Democracy Summit
Artificial intelligence has been both idolized and demonized. Some have welcomed it into their businesses. Others fear it will destroy our lives. This lively presentation will help you take a fresh, informed, balanced look at how AI is impacting our lives now...and what we can do to ensure it will continue to be a force for good in the future. Speakers include Dr. Anat Lior, Bonnie Kaplan, and Michael Lynch. Moderated by CT Public’s Lucy Nalpathanchil.
Columbia Digital Storytelling: Blockchain Fairy Tales PART 1
Tech & Democracy Summit
Columbia University School of the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL) is a pioneering next-generation media lab that creatively integrates the arts, humanities and technology to tackle some of the world’s impossible problems.
The DSL presents Blockchain Fairy Tales, a collaborative world-building workshop. Those formerly known as the audience will become architects of the future as we explore playful worlds, contend with magical threats, and face the question: What if happily ever after is not guaranteed?
Democracy and the Struggle for the Right to Vote
Tech & Democracy Summit
Join author and award-winning journalist Ari Berman and award-winning scholar, educator, and author, Khalilah Brown-Dean, for a discussion on the history and contemporary relevance of voting rights. Berman is the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America and Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics. Brown's book Identity Politics in the United States traces the confluence of public policy, law, and institutional design in structuring political divisions.
Columbia Digital Storytelling: Blockchain Fairy Tales PART 2
Tech & Democracy Summit
Join us for Part 2 of Blockchain Fairy Tales: Now that your imagination is ignited and challenged, transform inspiration into activation. We invite you to explore the magical elements inherent in decentralization–the ability to co-create and co-author with Artificial Intelligence, to collaborate more effectively, and to create a shared vision of our futures.
Keynote: Baratunde Thurston
Tech & Democracy Summit
Talk about your consummate mutli-hyphenate! He’s the New York Times best-selling author of “How to Be Black.” An Emmy-nominated storyteller. Host of the PBS television series America Outdoors and the podcast How to Citizen with Baratunde. One of the greatest TED talkers of all time. Please join us in welcoming Baratunde to our festival to give us his perspectives on where our nation is — and where we can take it.
Following this talk will be a reception and book signing event for those who purchased a Premium Ticket. Books will be available for purchase.
Voices of Social Equity
Social Equity & Activism Summit
How we tell the stories about ourselves, traumatic or otherwise, can be used to categorize us in ways that are not always equitable. Are marginalized groups expected to share traumatic experiences when dealing with institutions of power? Join sociologist, Aya Waller-Bey, community engagement storyteller Mike Keo, and Andrus Awardee Betty Bajek to explore what’s contributing to this issue, why it hurts us all, and how we can best address it.
Driving Connections
Social Equity & Activism Summit
WORKSHOP: How do we drive connections towards a more just world? By unpacking our own narratives, we can understand equitable barriers and use our story to drive connections and motivate community action. In this workshop with Mike Keo, we will learn and discuss how effective storytelling can become the gateway to local change.
Understanding Housing Insecurity
Social Equity & Activism Summit
A world without housing insecurity. A realistic goal? Only if we better understand the inter-related array of steps that can lead to its elimination. Deepen your understanding and broaden your perspectives of this critical issue with the help of panelists Kellyann Day, CEO of New Reach, social worker Antwan Nedd, New Haven Housing Authority Director Karen DuBois-Walton, community organizer Billy Bromage, and New Reach's vice chair board member Aisha Bello.
Housing Insecurity Resource Fair
Social Equity & Activism Summit
Spend time with the people and organizations dedicated to supporting the unhoused and addressing housing insecurity. Educate yourself on the resources for support and advocacy on this critical social issue.
Participating Organizations include New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc, New Reach, Mothers and Others for Justice, and more.
