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Legendary performer and 2019 Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence, Rita Moreno has won all four of the coveted EGOT collection of awards (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) and has had a host of other prestigious honors bestowed upon her. This summer, Moreno tackles a revisit of her most iconic project with a new role in and executive producing duties on Steven Spielberg’s remake...
Across the nation, cities and metropolitan areas, and the networks of pragmatic leaders who govern them, are taking on the big issues that Washington won’t—or can’t—solve. They are reshaping our economy and fixing our broken political system.
From purple mountain majesties to cities built on coastlines, American landscapes are as diverse as the people that inhabit them. How does our relationship to the outdoors define us as individuals and as a nation? In his new PBS show “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston,” comedian and civic educator Baratunde Thurston explores this question, uncovering America’s compl...
At 28, musician Jon Batiste is considered by many to be one of the most exciting and progressive new crossover talents on the scene today.
2017 Harman Eisner Artist in Residence Jeff Koons and entertainment industry titan and former Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Michael Eisner, join in a conversation about creating wonder. From household appliances to iconic large-scale inflatables, Koons has pioneered transforming familiar subjects into captivating works of art, and democratizing access through major...
Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic Paul Goldberger shares an entirely new look at the history of baseball, as told through the stories of the stadiums where the game is played. Reminding us that baseball’s history is a mirror of our cultural history, Goldberger explores how America’s favorite pastime has shaped our cities, both physically and psychologically. Sti...
NBCUniversal News Group recently announced the honorees for its prime-time special, “Inspiring America: The Inspiration List.” NBC News’ Tom Llamas brings this conversation featuring Americans making a difference to Aspen. The panel includes environmental and climate justice activist Catherine Flowers; Susan Burton, creator of the nonprofit A New Way of Life; and actor Joh...
Two authors of acclaimed but thoroughly different memoirs of growing up in rural American communities dive into their experiences growing up in the heartland, what they think urban Americans get wrong about our rural people and places, and how they are using their platforms to address some of the most complex challenges that rural communities face today.
Although death is every bit as much a part of life as birth, we pretend it isn’t there. Perhaps it’s time that changed. The soon-to-be released HBO documentary Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America, tackles this final taboo. Join the filmmakers for a sneak peek and a frank discussion about end of life options. How might we design more meaningful deaths?
Moved by her own deep hunger to belong — to have an identity that matters and a tribe of her own — Alex Wagner, author and host of Showtime’s “The Circus,” set off on a quest to find the truth about her family history. It became the memoir Futureface, and it took her from Burma to Luxembourg, from ruined colonial capitals to high-tech genetic labs. But as she closed in on...
As passionate believers in the power of museums and their exceptionally important contributions to the lives of individuals, communities, and our country as a whole, we realize that most institutions lack demographic and cultural diversity in their staffs. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's recent Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey confirms this long-standing and distressi...
Whether it is #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite today, or whether it was All in the Family and Ms. Magazine in the past, America’s identity crises have always insinuated themselves into every aspect of our daily lives. And as politics grows more fractured and divisive, these difficult conversations have often found a more reasonable and humane airing in popular entertai...
A passion for food — growing it, cooking it, and eating it — has become one of the favorite pastimes of countless people. Did it all begin with James Beard? Learn why that claim is made in the new PBS American Masters documentary, James Beard: America’s First Foodie. Following the film, Corby Kummer, food writer for The Atlantic, will lead a panel discussion with two of Am...
While Shakespeare’s themes are timeless, it may not always be easy for 21st century Americans to see themselves in his work. Join a director, a scholar, and the 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fat Ham for a discussion of why and how the Bard still speaks to all of us.
Shakespeare is ubiquitous in literature classes and theater, but the avenues of relating to his work are not always clear to young people and modern audiences. Some, such as Shakespeare scholar and professor Ayanna Thompson, argue that his plays make sense as living, breathing, adaptable instruments that can be shaped to fit the times. Playwright, director and professor Ja...
Before signing the $1.2 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, President Biden put Mitch Landrieu in charge of executing its vision. In this role, the former New Orleans mayor oversees the biggest investment in American infrastructure in generations. With promises of generating millions of high-paying jobs, fixing supply chains, and repairing America’s roa...
When the ranks of a cultural institution or a creative field tend toward high levels of homogeneity in terms of race, class, and/or gender, what are the challenges and opportunities faced by the people who are placed in gatekeeper positions within those institutions or fields who don’t fit that homogenous mold?
Can art tackle some of the most difficult social-justice questions we face today?
The Aspen Ideas Festival team is proud to showcase the diverse writing of our speakers. Their books will be highlighted in talks at the Festival and available at the campus bookstore.
At the 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival, five of America's premier artists in classical music, jazz, and ballet bring virtual audiences works of art intended to deepen thought.