Arts & Ideas Series

The Arts & Ideas Series focuses on how the arts deepen and broaden our understanding of contemporary issues. As with so many Institute programs, this series reflects Institute founder Walter Paepcke's vision of "the Aspen Idea [as] the cross-fertilization of minds," which, as Shakespeare knew, is a vision of how the arts enable us to "apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends."

The series of programs each year will involve Aspen Institute participants who love the arts and want to connect great artistic experiences to a deeper understanding of society and politics.

We will examine what all art forms — including theater, visual arts, architecture, film, television, music, ballet, poetry, fashion, and culinary arts — tell us about political, social, and economic ideas.

Upcoming 2008 Events

Saturday, July 12
Arts & Ideas Panel Discussion on "Enchantment in Tunes and Tales"
Part of the Arts & Ideas Series symposium, Enchantment in Tunes and Tales, this discussion will reflect on the wonders of Hans Christian Andersen and the role of enchantment and story-telling in life. Panelists Diana and Jeffrey Frank, Alan Fletcher, and James Conlon. In collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival & School.
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Paepcke Auditorium
Tickets through Wheeler Opera House, at www.aspenshowtickets.com, or by calling (970) 920-5770.

Future programs will collaborate with local organizations such as Theater Masters and Theatre Aspen for drama; Anderson Ranch and Aspen Art Museum for visual arts; Aspen Music Festival for music; Aspen Film Festival for film; Aspen-Santa Fe Ballet for dance; and the Cooking School of Aspen for culinary arts.

For more information on the series, please contact Kelly McLaughlin at 970/544-7914 or kelly.mclaughlin@aspeninstitute.org.