Past Events

Roundtable featuring the Honorable Ashton B. Carter, US deputy secretary of defense, in conversation with Woodrow Wilson Center Director, President, and CEO Jane Harman.

The Washington Ideas Roundtable Series is made possible with the generous support of Michelle Smith and the Robert H. Smith Foundation.

For almost 60 years, this premier roundtable has challenged leaders in every field to think more critically and deeply. The seminar is a unique opportunity to step away from the demands of the present and reflect with other leaders in moderated, text-based Socratic dialogue on the concept of a good and just society: What is it? How does it become a reality?

Join Yo-Yo Ma, one of the great musicians of our time and the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and acclaimed dancer and Aspen Institute Arts Program director Damian Woetzel, along with special guests as they discuss and demonstrate Citizen Artistry in policy and practice on the Kaye Playhouse stage.

The Aspen Arts Strategy Group, a program of the Aspen Institute Arts Program supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, convenes 30 artists, policymakers and arts administrators to tackle issues facing the arts sector, and to develop strategies on how the arts and artists can contribute to the challenges facing society through roundtable discussions, working-groups and presentations. The closed-door sessions - taking place over two days in New York City, on October 2nd and 3rd - aim to build templates for engagement, collaboration and coordination amongst artists, institutions and administrators, in realms from education to healthcare and diplomacy.

The first installment of the Fall 2012 Alma and Joseph Gildenhorn Book Series features Wall Street Journal Economics Editor David Wessel discussing his recently published book 'Red Ink: Inside the High-Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget' (Random House).