The 20th Aspen Ideas Festival is a place for "bright minds in dark times"
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The Aspen Ideas Festival sign from 2023. Photo: John Frank/Axios
The globe's foremost thinkers, doers and leaders are gathered this week in Aspen to prove the staying power of conversation in the era of the soundbite.
Why it matters: The premise of the Aspen Ideas Festival as a place where culture shapers and soul savers mingle with decision makers and wealth builders is more important than ever as the event marks its 20th year.
Driving the news: This year's theme — "bright minds in dark times," as curator Tina Brown puts it — certainly sets the stakes, the festival's executive director Graham Veysey tells us.
- The opening session today dives into the pitfalls and promise of the moment, with a conversation about women's freedom in Iran and an interview with the most powerful woman in space, Space X president Gwynne Shotwell.
- Other sessions uplift new ideas and creative arts to give hope for the future.
What they're saying: "Being able to sustain a convening across 20 years … is a reminder that people hunger to come together to share ideas, to learn together," adds Daniel Porterfield, CEO of the Aspen Institute.
The big picture: The Ideas Festival is the most public-facing work from the institute, which launched 75 years ago as a humanistic studies venture that soon focused on "thought leading to action."
- The institute now boasts a global presence, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and its work ranging from the arts to community efforts in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley.
- The 40-acre Aspen campus is "kind of a crossroads for our programs," Porterfield says.
Zoom in: This year's festival, which goes through Saturday, June 29, is designed as a 360-degree experience that celebrates all different genres of thinkers. Among the sessions:
- A culinary exploration of plant-based foods with Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown.
- A discussion with former U.S. climate envoy and Secretary of State John Kerry about who will pay most for climate change and what's needed to stop global warming.
- A conversation with Dina Kawa, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan, about Middle East diplomacy after the Hamas attack on Israel.
- A live presidential debate watch party June 27 with a panel of experts.
Pro tip: A great part about the Ideas Festival: You can watch for free at home.
How it works: Most of the sessions are filmed and broadcast on the Aspen Institute's YouTube page a few days afterward.
- Check the schedule for the session and link to the video.
Dig in: If you can't wait, dig into the archives from the past 20 years — just search by topic.
- Or check out the "Aspen Ideas To Go" podcast to listen to excerpts from the big discussions.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show Ethan Brown is the CEO of Beyond Meat (not a New York chef).