IDEAS CITY explores the future of cities around the globe with the belief that arts and culture are essential to the vitality of urban centers, making them better places to live, work, and play. Founded by the New Museum in 2011, IDEAS CITY is a major collaborative initiative between hundreds of arts, education, and civic organizations. This year’s theme is Untapped Capital, with participants focused on resources that are under-recognized or underutilized in our cities.

IDEAS CITY is a four-day Festival of conferences, workshops, an innovative StreetFest around the Bowery, and more than one hundred independent projects and public events that are forums for exchanging ideas, proposing solutions, and accelerating creativity.

CONFERENCE
Wednesday –Thursday
1 -2 May

The Conference is dedicated to the exploration of Untapped Capital. It will focus on four areas where Untapped Capital can be found and put to productive use: Ad Hoc Strategies, Waste, Play, and Youth. Each topic will be discussed, questioned, and analyzed by a moderated panel of experts and innovators. The Conference commences with a keynote address by Joi Ito and culminates with a VSP (very special panel) to be announced on ideas-city.org.

WORKSHOPS
Friday – 10am to 6pm
3 May

Old School
The Old School is transformed into an educational hive for animated discussion and problem solving. IDEAS CITY and partners present a diverse lineup of workshops that explore Untapped Capital, such as how to rethink unused spaces in the city, how artists can provide vital consultation for commercial development, and how to build bicycle generators.

STREETFEST
Saturday – 11am to 6pm
4 May

Artists, architects, poets, technologists, historians, community activists, entrepreneurs, and ecologists share their ideas of Untapped Capital and invite participants to actively shape their city. “Mirror Mirror,” the winning structures of the IDEAS CITY StreetFest tenting design competition, will premiere at the Festival. This innovative, minimal-waste event takes place around the Bowery and in Sara D. Roosevelt Park, rain or shine!

PROJECTS
Wednesday – Saturday
1 – 4 May

Tapping the energy and talent of the downtown community, one hundred cultural, educational, and civic organizations present site-specific, collaborative and interactive projects, exhibitions, and performances that investigate new forms and concepts to engage the public.

Many activities will take place on the street including artists’ projections on the New Museum building.

Visit ideas-city.org for more information