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A discussion about how Hollywood is adapting to an increasingly cluttered and fragmented marketplace by embracing creative business solutions. Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of animation powerhouse Illumination Entertainment, and Jeff Shell, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, will look at both the macro and micro ways that the film business is being f...

The challenges and opportunities of our times require creativity, agility, and purpose — from leaders and from institutions. How are some leaders of society’s most established nongovernmental organizations driving organizational change, and what are the benefits and risks of doing so?

The challenges and opportunities of our times require creativity, agility, and purpose — from leaders and from institutions. How are some leaders of society’s most established nongovernmental organizations driving organizational change, and what are the benefits and risks of doing so?

Journalists Michele Norris, Jose Antonio Vargas, and Amar Bakshi have all worked to create global megaphones for sharing experiences and stories that too often go unnoticed. Norris’s Race Card Project, Vargas’s #EmergingUS, and Bakshi’s Portals provide egalitarian podiums where the most difficult conversations around race, immigration, religion, and identity can happen. No...

Our drive to create makes us unique among living things. What is special about the human brain that enables us to innovate? Why don’t cows choreograph dances? Why don’t alligators invent speedboats? Drawing on their upcoming book, The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World, neuroscientist David Eagleman and composer Anthony Brandt examine the evolutionary...

Headline news was made in 2016 when the detection of gravitational waves, caused by the collision of two black holes, was confirmed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). And earlier this month, another ripple was detected! The observed ripples in the fabric of space-time validate a key prediction in Albert Einstein's theory of general relativit...

Acclaimed authors and experts Annie Murphy Paul, Sheena Iyengar, and Keith Sawyer explore the multifaceted nature of decision-making, choice, and creativity. Through their unique perspectives, this trio delves into the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and social dynamics, shedding light on how our choices and creative processes shape our lives and the world around...

Our social nature is a major driver of our creativity: We constantly strive to engage and surprise each other, our inventiveness giving us reasons to tune in. Drawing on The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes the World, the book he co-authored with neuroscientist David Eagleman, composer Anthony Brandt takes us inside Beethoven’s string quartets to examine what...

Thinking about the far-off future isn’t just an exercise in intellectual curiosity. It’s a practical skill that, as new research reveals, has a direct neurological link to greater creativity, empathy, and optimism. In this session from master game designer and acclaimed futurist Jane McGonigal, you’ll learn three practical habits that will increase the power of your imagin...

Technology has revolutionized the way we see and share beauty. From street style rocking luxury fashion houses to the changes in how and what we purchase, social media is disrupting the world of fashion. How does having the world at our fingertips make fashion more accessible and democratic? And in the process – how are we changing the ways in which we express ourselves cr...

Wharton professor Adam Grant and inspirational teacher Simon Sinek come together for a lively discussion and debate. They’ll cover what drives people at work, whether generational differences really make a difference, and the effects of the digital world on productivity and creativity.

Most of us face the desire to be creative within busy, scheduled lives. Therefore, creativity involves carving out and holding space in the midst of complex personal and professional demands and very real performance goals. This workshop frames creativity as a process of “art thinking.” If you are engaged in art as a process in any part of life, you are not going from a kn...

The festival kicks off with thought leaders sharing fresh ideas about bridging divides, having better conversations, and encouraging creativity. A conversation with Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States will follow, and the program concludes with a discussion on the late-breaking developments in Russia. Doors open at 4:30 pm.

The pandemic revealed significant weak points in the health care safety net and compelled practitioners, executives, and policymakers to acknowledge deep inequities they failed to in the past. Since then, countless initiatives have been introduced, or expanded, to rebuild a system with inclusion at its core. So, what’s working? From telehealth counseling to mobile clinics,...

Two-thirds of American workers do not have a four-year college degree. In an increasingly tech-driven economy, how can we ensure that a lack of higher education isn’t a roadblock for this huge part of the population and, likewise, that talent shortages aren’t barriers to business and economic growth? What are the most innovative ways to upskill, reskill, or next-skill work...

Nancy Andreasen is a leading neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the University of Iowa whose fascinating research into the creative mind has been informed in part by the stream of remarkable writers who gather there. She is now conducting a study that uses neuroimaging to visualize the creative brain in action, examining both artists and scientists. Her work also examines...

Scientific evidence suggests that we can change our brains by transforming our minds and cultivating habits of mind that will improve well-being. These include happiness, resilience, compassion, and emotional balance. Each of these characteristics is instantiated in brain circuits that exhibit plasticity and thus can be shaped and modified by experience and training. Menta...

In a world undeniably shaped by near-constant conflict, connectedness, and globalization, what role will culture and creativity play in making the future? How does the sharing of stories, poems, and songs change how we see our allies and, perhaps more importantly, our enemies? Foreign Policy’s David Rothkopf is joined by composer Mohammed Fairouz and opera singer and Ameri...

The Aspen Challenge presents three high school teams from Louisville and one team from Dallas who developed innovative solutions to issues that have chronically impacted their communities. See these young change-makers take to the stage to prove that entrepreneurial community solutions can be created at any age. Learn how Justin F. Kimball and Central High School Magnet Ca...

Africa is having a creative moment. Architects, fashion designers, illustrators, furniture designers, jewelers, and others are collecting a continent’s worth of influences and showcasing them on a global stage. Organizations are stepping forward to champion the notion that creativity and design have the power to fuel an economic revolution. One such organization, Design In...