Arts
Visual
Like Photoshop, photography, or even pigment, A.I. represents new technology for creative expression that aims to close the gap between imagination and physicality. Alexander Reben will discuss A.I. and art through the lens of over 15 years of his consulting work and artistic practice, which investigates automation, algorithms, and art using play, absurdity, and humor.
For Kate Levin of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mayor Melvin Carter of St. Paul Minnesota, and Karen Brunwasser of FeelBeit (a community center that bridges divides between East and West Jerusalem), the arts aren’t just a supplement to life — they are a crucial balm to social division. Find out how institutions can harness the power of the arts to strengthen communities in th...
As the impacts of climate change become more evident on natural habitats, widespread focus on protecting these places is more critical than ever. With Hollywood finally flexing its cultural muscle to bring the climate crisis to worldwide audiences, we talk to the creatives working in both the real and imagined future worlds, with a shared mission of connecting people with...
Why is there resistance to the idea that public funds should be used for art? What does it mean for the stewardship of cultural and educational organizations and the support of individual artists? And how does the relationship between non-profit and commercial culture impact how we value the creative sector?
Herbert Bayer, a Bauhaus-trained artist and designer, settled in Aspen in 1946. Invited by Aspen Institute founder Walter Paepcke, Bayer’s legacy, spanning 30 years in Aspen, is palpable across the campus here: architecture to landscape, painting to sculpture, tapestry to wall-scape. A prolific artist and designer, often referred to as a polymath given the breadth of his a...
What if we could imagine the future we want? And invite millions to join us? For 175 years, the Smithsonian has been a window into the past and a doorway to what can come next. This November, the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building, its original National Museum, will celebrate this milestone with the exhibition, FUTURES. From climate to health care to transportation...
Artist Dustin Yellin spins tales about how the human world and the worlds of critters, plants, and rocks have always been a collection of enmeshed networks, some hidden. Touching on his multidisciplinary approach, which crosses several traditionally siloed fields, he draws attention to the ways in which everyone and everything is interconnected despite various physical, ec...
Like all institutions operating these days, museums have had to fundamentally shift to respond in real time to a global pandemic, a reckoning around racial justice, and a crisis around the very idea of truth. We often mistakenly think about museums as places for dusty relics. But on the contrary, they have an important job to do in helping us to contextualize what is happe...
Talking Heads co-founder and Arbutus creator David Byrne joins Ford Foundation President Darren Walker for a lively conversation about art and life and the role of artists in trying times. “Music can unite people,” says Byrne. “It can make people feel that they belong, that they’re not alone.” Evoking Dr. Martin Luther King, Walker calls Byrne one of “America’s firefighter...
We are often told great art speaks for itself. In practice, though, helping visual art find an audience usually requires a skillful narrative. How should we understand this use of storytelling, and who does it best? Does surging interest in contemporary art present special opportunities and responsibilities for developing appreciative audiences? What are key strategies and...
Revered artist and 2019 Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence Edmund de Waal describes his work: “I make things and I write about them. How objects come into being, how they are collected, passed on, lost, stolen and recovered is at the heart of what I do.” De Waal explores why this matters and some of the connections between his family stories and most recent exhibitions and...
We're often taught that our surroundings are incidental to our well-being, but an emerging body of research shows that the physical world can be a powerful tool for cultivating happier, healthier lives. Studies show that workers in colorful offices are more alert, friendly, and confident than those in drab ones, that windows can speed healing, and children progress faster...
How are stories told – and what power and inspirations lie in ancient art forms reinvented? Internationally acclaimed artist, author, and 2019 Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence Edmund de Waal discusses his creative process and works. From interventions and artworks exploring themes from diaspora and memorial to anxiety and the color white made for historic spaces and muse...
The Bauhaus was among the most progressive art schools in Europe in the first half of the 20th century. While it existed for only a brief period of time, from 1919 to 1933, its influence on international art, architecture, and design, as well as on educational theory and practice, is unparalleled. A key figure in the history of the school was Herbert Bayer, a Bauhaus maste...
Artist; Board Member, Aspen Institute Committee of the Arts; Principal, Henry Crown and Company
Stuart Weitzman is one of America’s most famous shoe designers, known for outfitting countless celebrities (think Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Kate Moss) but — perhaps more importantly — women across the globe who aspire to quality, class, and style. Here, he shares the lessons of his entrepreneurial adventure — which concluded with the 2015 sale of the company for $574 mil...
Creative expression takes many forms. Through history, art has provoked a range of feelings: emotion, empathy, fear, surprise, joy, compassion, anger. Now, amidst a time of national angst, where many in society might not hear the voices of those who don’t agree, a group of remarkable artists and political strategists are imagining ways that art can be used to catalyze dif...
Aspen Institute President Dan Porterfield and Festival Director Kitty Boone kick off the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival. This session features conversations with Jeffrey Goldberg, Brittney Cooper, Fred Dust, and a host of ideas that just might change the world.