Wake Forest and the New Museum present ‘IdeasCity Winston-Salem’

Wake Forest University, New Museum’s NEW INC in New York City, and more than a dozen local businesses and organizations, are engaging in a unique year-long partnership called “IdeasCity Winston-Salem.”

Throughout the 2020-21 academic year, community partners will host events to explore creative approaches to improve health and wellbeing, economic development, and justice and equity for members of the Winston-Salem community.

IdeasCity, which began as a collaborative program of the New Museum, has taken many forms over the years as a platform that builds on the premise that art and culture are essential to the future vitality of cities. Winston-Salem joins a global list of cities that have hosted IdeasCity including Athens, Detroit, Istanbul, New Orleans, New York City, São Paulo, Shanghai, Toronto, and most recently Singapore.

IdeasCity kicks off in October with a series of virtual “Beta Bonfires.” The events, organized by the New Museum’s NEW INC (the nation’s first museum-led incubator), will facilitate discussions about how art, entrepreneurship, technology and design can solve challenges facing mid-sized cities.

The goal is to engage local arts leaders and entrepreneurs in timely, solutions-based discussions. Following a series of three Beta Bonfire events, NEW INC will present CAMP: A three-day intensive offering professional development workshops, mentoring, and community building. Overall, the series will engage participants in new ideas and opportunities to explore how creative solutions can help foster wellbeing in Winston Salem’s creative economic landscape.

The first IdeasCity Beta Bonfire: Rethinking Norms will be held on Thursday, Oct.  8 at 5 p.m. The event is open to all. Registration is required.

Read more at Wake Forest News.