Ways of Seeing, Ways of Thinking...

The Aspen Idea has always seen the arts as interwoven with the other forces in our society. At the Festival, we’ll explore the importance of design with Paola Antonelli, MOMA’s senior curator of architecture and design; the role documentary film plays in our culture with Steve James (director of the Interrupters), Diane Weyermann, executive producer of Waiting for “Superman,”executive VP at Participant Media, and Tiffany Shlain (director of Connected); our culture’s obsession with fame with Gary Carter of Fremantle Media — who brought “American Idol” to our shores; and the future of education in the arts with John Maeda (president of Rhode Island School of Design) and Aaron Dworkin (founder of the Sphinx organization).

How do the arts — in the 21^st century — serve as a catalyst for conversation in our culture? We’ll discuss “America: Now and Here” with its creator, The Aspen Institute Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence Eric Fischl. “America: Now and Here is a creative movement driven by artists that will engage the public in dialogues and events that demonstrate creativity and innovation as the foundation of the American spirit.” Read more about the movement.

We’re pleased to announce that Frank Gehry will discuss music and space; world-renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, (president of Nagata Acoustics America Inc.) will also address how sound and architecture blend.

From our Partners, The Atlantic

Did you catch Gehry’s profile in The Atlantic’s special report on “How Genius Works”? Go here to see more of Gehry’s first draft sketches.