Conference
A three-day slate of symposia, lectures, and workshops with visionaries and leaders—
including exemplary mayors, forecasters, architects, artists, economists, and technology experts—addressing the Festival themes: The Heterogeneous City; The Networked City; The Reconfigured City; and The Sustainable City. Events take place at The Cooper Union, New York University, and the New Museum, Wednesday to Saturday, May 4-7.
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StreetFest
An innovative, minimal-waste, outdoor StreetFest takes place along the Bowery. 100+ local grassroots organizations and small businesses present model products and practices in a unique outdoor environment. Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
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Projects
100+ independent projects, exhibitions, and performances, which expand on the Festival’s themes, open at multiple venues Downtown, activating a broad geographic area. Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, May 8.
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The
Festival of Ideas for the New City
is a major collaboration between eleven New York City Downtown cultural institutions working together to effect change in urban centers. The Festival’s inaugural program took place from May 4 to 8, 2011, with over
200 cultural, educational, and community organizations
participating and attracting over
70,000
visitors to Downtown New York City. Rem Koolhaas kicked off the
Conference
with a provocative address on preservation and David Byrne concluded it by introducing a panel of mayors from the U.S. and Latin America. On Saturday, the
StreetFest
hosted 115 vendors composed of local artists, nonprofits, and designers who were promoting ideas rather than wares; and 100+ cultural spaces in the Downtown neighborhood stayed open late to present
exhibitions
and site-specific installations of light, sound, performance, and projection. The Festival will become a
biennial
event in New York City, with the next one taking place in
May 2013
, and international events in the intervening years. Please stay tuned and visit us again in early 2013.
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