IndyTalks announces its spring season of conversing, connecting & creating
Go to www.indytalks.info to read about the 2012 schedule. The grassroots, citywide collaboration known as IndyTalks will continue its mission to foster a sense of community through respectful and creative civic dialogue for third straight year. The 2012 IndyTalks series will explore the concept of “Indy at the Crossroads,” bringing together numerous cultural organizations as well as the general public.
Whether exploring historic crossroads, crucial present-day decisions confronting our city or the literal, physical crossroads of Indy’s neighborhoods, IndyTalks partners strive to create powerful learning experiences based on the idea that true dialogue can be transformative. IndyTalks offerings are a catalyst for deeper conservations, personal connections, and creative exploration.
Almost 30 years ago, Indianapolis came to the crossroads of who it wanted to be and decided to pursue an economic model based on amateur sports. Now, as the city faces a similar crossroads with rapidly changing demographics, a growing number of abandoned houses, a need for better transit and access to education, along with the desire to honor but move beyond the “amateur sports capital” moniker, Indy is once again poised to make choices that will shape its development and success.
IndyTalks partners will explore several kinds of issues and questions in 2012. What choices do we need to consider when deciding Indianapolis’ future direction? What are the consequences of not facing these crossroads boldly and with vision? Volunteers across Indianapolis are being trained to use the phrase “Have a Super Day” in preparation for Super Bowl XLVI, but how can citizens work to make every day a super day when the Super Bowl excitement fades away?
WFYI 90.1FM will again launch IndyTalks with a special broadcast of its call-in program NO LIMITS on Thursday, Jan. 12 at noon. Listeners can call, tweet or email questions asking how recent demographic changes revealed through the 2010 census will shape communities of the future.
Other program partners in 2012 include Provocate, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Arthur M. Glick JCC, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, Spirit & Place Festival, Big Car, Christian Theological Seminary, Indiana Humanities, and others.
Jan 12: No Limits – What the Numbers Tell Us
What are the stories behind the numbers from the latest Indianapolis census? Who is living here? How does that affect how we govern, assign representation in Congress, and shape neighborhoods? How do we plan for social and economic priorities and even see ourselves as a city? Join in the discussion by calling, tweeting, and Facebooking your thoughts during the No Limits radio show.
Feb. 29: The Joseph Taylor Symposium: “The Campus for the Community”
Since its founding in the 1960s, more than half a million students have graduated from IUPUI. How has IUPUI shaped Indianapolis and vice versa? In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, the 2012 Joseph T. Taylor Symposium considers the connections between the university and city and how they have created a campus for the community. Presented by the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI with the Department of History.
March 13: The Lasting Legacy
The game is over, but how will the city build on the social capital, volunteers, economics, and legacy of the Super Bowl? Be a part of a live taping for a WFYI show with Mark Miles and other leaders as we look at what happens now that the “Big Game” is over.
March 28: Our City Under the Radar
“Our City Under the Radar” brings architects, city leaders, and you together in conversation about abandoned housing in Indianapolis. What future do we want for our neighborhoods? Presented by the JCC in conjunction with Herron School of Art & Design’s Couched Constructions exhibit.
April 11: Creativity, Collaboration and Compassion at the Crossroads
Diverse ways of solving problems encounter one another at the crossroads. In Indy, various types of social entrepreneurs — nonprofits and businesses, churches and high schools, artists and college students — are partnering to implement creative and innovative ideas to change the world. Can Indy nurture and sustain them to become a leading “humanitarian hub”? An IUPUI Common Theme project.
May 17: Planet Indy Talk: Zero-Waste is Sexy
Join fashion designer Timo Rissanen of Parsons School of Design and People for Urban Progress director Michael Bricker for a high-stakes conversation about designs that waste nothing. From apparel patterns that leave nothing on the cutting room floor or in the landfill, to repurposing colorful stadium seats to punctuate a cityscape, consider Indy’s place at the crossroads of design decisions as smart as they are sustainable.
June 21: Indy Transit – The Missing Link
With so many great pieces in place, we need to connect them. IndyTalks with leaders about owning the future of Central Indiana and that last bold step to draw us together with transit. In partnership with the Indiana Citizens Alliance for Transit and the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority
