IdeasCityWS Festival and the Marketplace of Ideas this Saturday
A guest post from Wake the Arts and Wake Forest’s Office of University Collaborations.
On Saturday, Oct. 2, the IdeasCityWS Festival comes to Bailey Park as art, tech, design, and culture lead the conversation forward. Featuring interactive exhibits from two dozen local creative organizations, we’ll engage with a range of working ideas poised to move our communities forward as we reimagine a post-pandemic Winston-Salem. Vice Provost for the Arts & Interdisciplinary Initiatives Christina Soriano asks, “Winston-Salem has so many talented artists and scientists doing important work, yet often separated from one another. How can educational institutions be leaders in bringing these communities together more powerfully?”
Here’s where Wake Forest will be participating in the Marketplace of Ideas and panel discussions: Read more
Categories: Guest Post, Inside WFU
Reminder: Outdoor festival to celebrate IdeasCityWS on Oct. 2
As a reminder, an outdoor festival marking the culmination of a year of creative collaborations between Wake Forest University, New York City’s New Museum and local community partners will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, in Bailey Park from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in downtown Winston-Salem.
A highlight of the event will be the Marketplace of Ideas – an “outdoor living room” with interactive exhibits from two dozen local creative organizations representing progressive contributions in art, tech, design and culture. Artists, entrepreneurs, designers, and inventors will display working ideas poised to move our communities forward as we imagine a post-pandemic Winston-Salem.
The celebration is free and open to the public.
Information is available on the IdeasCityWS website and will be updated as events and presenters are added.
Visit the Wake Forest News website to read the full story.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
IdeasCityWS to lead discussion on 'Scale' and helping ideas grow
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 under the banner “IdeasCity Winston-Salem.”
IdeasCityWS will host “Scale,” a Beta Bonfire discussion on scaling a business and the process of helping ideas grow, on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. Executive Director and Founder and Managing Chef of Winston-Salem-based Providence Kitchen Jeff Bacon will share his story of how he scaled his local nonprofit into a global effort to lift individuals and their communities. Meet Chef Bacon, who went from serving time in prison to helping disadvantaged people find lasting employment in the food industry in this video, “Providence Restaurant Serves Up Second Chance.”
Beta Bonfires are a series of virtual events engaging local arts leaders and entrepreneurs in timely, solutions-based discussions on how art, entrepreneurship, technology, and design can solve challenges facing mid-sized cities. The “Scale” Beta Bonfire is free and open to the public. Register here
More details are available on the Wake Forest University News website.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
IdeasCityWS panel discussion: "From the Ground Up" and workforce development
In October 2019, Wake Forest University housekeeping staff, arborists, turf crew members, locksmiths and carpenters were among nearly 70 staff members who participated in “From the Ground Up,” an original dance performance held on Hearn Plaza. Directed by Allison Orr (’93) of Forklift Danceworks in Austin, the production elevated the dedicated people whose skillful work often goes unseen. 
To commemorate the anniversary of this groundbreaking event, IdeasCityWS will host a “Beta Bonfire” panel discussion on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 5 p.m., looking back at the production through the lens of workforce development. Christina Soriano, associate provost for the arts and interdisciplinary initiatives associate professor, will moderate the virtual conversation.
Presenters include:
- Allison Orr, Founder and artistic director of Forklift Danceworks in Austin, Texas;
- John Shenette, Vice president of Facilities and Campus Services at Wake Forest University;
- Stephanie Poskin, Senior director of Wake Forest Facilities Support Services & Operations;
- Kobak Taylor, “From the Ground Up” performer and Wake Forest Facilities and Campus Services locksmith;
- Cynthia Wilson, “From the Ground Up” performer and Wake Forest custodial department team lead; and
- Matt Crawford, Senior theatre major from Austin, TX, and a student leader on the “From the Ground Up” project.
A documentary that captures the spirit of the performances is available for viewing as background for the discussion.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is available here.
Categories: Events, Faculty News, Staff News
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.
Categories: Events, Inside WFU
