The highly successful inaugural Asheville Ideas Fest, hosted by the University of North Carolina Asheville and launched in June 2022, returns this summer for a second season. Taking place June 13-17, 2023, this year’s event will feature talks from some of the globe’s brightest minds and include panels, workshops, music and culinary arts.
To learn more about the inaugural event and to register for this season’s tickets, including an early-registrant discount, visit ashevilleideasfest.com.
This destination festival for thoughtful participants interested in creating community and open to examining their deeply held beliefs will take place in notable venues across its vibrant mountain home. Attendees will find themselves challenged this season on a wide range of topics, including pandemic response, the 2nd Amendment, and the implications of freedom of speech and social media.
Over the course of five days, headline speakers Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent; ABC news journalist Juju Chang; and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Thomas Friedman will lead conversations on topics that truly matter.
Additional speakers will offer provocative ideas on our current political discourse, recent historical research on Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address, and the future of medicine and technology.
Monica Guzman, who focuses on “political depolarization,” will present ideas on how to have fearlessly curious conversations in times of division.
Author and poet Kwame Alexander will offer his take on the importance of literature in troubled times.
UNC Asheville Associate Professor of New Media Christopher Oakley, a technologist who identified precisely where Lincoln stood when he delivered the Gettysburg Address, will discuss his new research that received a standing ovation when presented at the annual symposium of the Lincoln Forum.
And Dr. Patrice Harris, a UNC Asheville trustee and former president of the American Medical Association, and the first African-American woman to serve in this role, will moderate a discussion on the future of medicine and technology. Joining Dr. Harris will be Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric.
“Imagine a civil debate on the 2nd Amendment that includes a constitutional scholar, a passionate gun owner, and someone whose family has been forever changed by gun violence,” explained Kirk Swenson, co-founder and executive director of Asheville Ideas Fest. “This is an example of the moments for meaningful discourse that we’re creating this year.”
Swenson, who also serves as vice chancellor for advancement at UNC Asheville, sees the festival as a way to showcase the intellectual capital, as well as the workforce and thought force development, that Asheville’s University offers to the region and state.
UNC Asheville Interim Chancellor Kimberly van Noort agrees. “The goals of AIF are a natural extension of our mission and our values,” she said.
“As North Carolina’s premier public liberal arts and sciences university, we pride ourselves on being an exceptionally close-knit learning community engaged in bold exploration, courageous creativity and innovative thinking,” added van Noort.
“Our focus on developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills is part of our commitment to a way of learning that leads to discovery of real-world solutions to pressing local and global issues whatever the chosen major and field of study of our students.”
Swenson said that another AIF goal is for participants to experience some of the things that make Asheville an amazing place to live and visit.
“We’re proud to bring our version of intellectual recreation here to the mountains of Western North Carolina,” Swenson said. “In addition to addressing the big, consequential issues of our time, Asheville Ideas Fest is focused on our food scene, craft beverages, iconic venues and outdoor experiences.”
This was evident in the inaugural event.
For example, chefs Meherwan and Molly Irani cooked up a welcome feast for Fareed Zakaria, one of last year’s keynote speakers, one day after they won the James Beard Award for top restaurant in America. Fellow James Beard finalist John Fleer, owner of Asheville’s Rhubarb, also provided an unforgettable lunch for Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham and a group of guests.
Along with exquisite food, live music also complemented last year’s program.
Grove Park Inn was the venue for an evening of classical music that featured Maestro Darko Butorac and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra performing with vocalist Hannah Zazzaro at the Seely Pavilion. And Graham Sharp from the Grammy Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers played an intimate coffee-house style concert as a special treat.
“We offer a premium experience for our guests,” Swenson said, “and this year promises to be even more special.”
Vital support for the inaugural event was received from Explore Asheville, Highland Brewing, the Omni Grove Park Inn, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Biltmore Estate, Chai Pani and Rhubarb. Regional and national partners like LL Bean, JUSTIN’S Brand, South Street Partners, Duke Energy and Citizens Bank were also crucial to AIF’s success.
“The support of these corporate partners and our philanthropic supporters is the reason we were able to provide an amazing experience for our guests,” said Swenson. “I look forward to building upon that success this year.”
A $150 discount is available to those who reserve their passes by April 15, 2023. For additional information, and to register for the event, please visit: https://www.ashevilleideasfest.com.
Written by UNC Asheville.