Collection
The Art of the Story
![How Does a City Tell Its Story: Nashville](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null3342fa89-6e76-441a-b19e-fd73ff1783e6/48152835586_83f97196e2_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=404%2C0%2C711%2C1065&w=400)
“Music City” didn’t look to its stars to reboot Nashville’s story; instead it went to its heart and soul – it’s mostly unknown songwriters who have written some of our biggest...
![Does Great Art Speak for Itself?](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null1c5f99c4-252f-40a1-a0cd-9b4fad496c83/48152793336_fc250b3779_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C126%2C1600%2C899&w=400)
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 us...
![On the Eve of Departure: objects, places, stories](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null03813371-34ad-4b83-a433-e317ad209288/48146191202_afc5d41e91_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C21%2C1599%2C900&w=400)
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 c...
![Next Generation Storytellers: The August Wilson Monologue Competition](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null7ed9ebe2-962d-4fdf-bb65-728377722dcd/48144522701_764c9cad6e_h.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C102%2C1600%2C899&w=400)
How do you preserve a legacy? How do you make it thrive? For over a decade, August Wilson’s landmark ten-play Century Cycle has been the basis for not only award-winning produ...
![Rita Moreno: American Icon](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/nulleaba3480-c9c3-418b-96d3-157bc22660f9/Rita-Moreno-aif19.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=600&q=80&rect=895%2C0%2C962%2C1440&w=400)
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 ha...
![Heavy: Author Reading and Q&A](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/nullf945b362-97b6-4acc-910a-487d1dd90035/Heavy_aif19.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C2560%2C1438&w=400)
In his new memoir, Kiese Laymon writes about growing up in Jackson, MS, and charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing, and...
![The Artistry of Edmund de Waal](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null7953f823-9e74-4c83-bae3-fed28abd4c49/de_waal_aif19.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C0%2C2560%2C1440&w=400)
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 Residen...
![The Art of the Memoir](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/null008cb667-0f67-4d09-9262-fe5e1ef742bc/48133331951_ba47c2e2d6_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C172%2C8256%2C4644&w=400)
Great memoirs implicitly tackle the subject of identity, weaving together a cohesive self from a jumble of experiences, influences and, yes, imperfect memories. But what prope...
![A Thousand Small Sanities](https://aspenideasfestival.imgix.net/nullef5a8fce-4774-47cc-8ad4-412906d8f55f/48127312371_daf555b321_o.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=225&q=80&rect=0%2C245%2C4000%2C2251&w=400)
Where does classical liberalism come from? What comfort and lessons are we to take from our forebearers? In the aftermath of the 2016 election, acclaimed author and essayist A...