Talking about the Importance of Sidewalks at TEDxMinneapolis -- August 12th at Ted Mann

[woah]

I once saw Ornette Coleman (!) play his trumpet the Ted Mann concert hall. He was amazing, so there will be big shoes to fill. I might or might not wear a porkpie hat on the stage, but I won't have a bass player.
TED talks are a weird thing, but I'll be doing one for TEDxMinneapolis this year. (Theme: "In Sight," as in, "hiding in plain sight" / "wisdom".) They asked me, I was flattered, and why not!

I'll be discussing why people should spend a whole lot more time looking at and thinking about sidewalks. I'm hoping to talk about why sidewalks are important, why they're overlooked, and how they reflect society. I want to talk about the vast potential that sidewalks offer us, how they represent individual and social freedom, and our most kinds of crucial public space.

And, of course, I'll be attempting to say all these things using (the sometimes lampooned) TED talk format: 15 minutes or so, off the cuff and highly polished, personal, data driven, passionate presentation of an "idea worth spreading." It's a high bar and s a tremendous challenge to try and distill my life's sidewalk work into a simple story, and frankly I'm terrified!

So if you'd like to see it in person (and it's expensive...) here's how you get your ticket. PS also too you get to see a whole bunch of other amazing speakers.

TEDxMinneapolis 2016: In Sight is taking place on Friday, August 12th, 2016 at Ted Mann Concert Hall at 2128 S 4th St, Minneapolis, MN 55455.  

In Sight: Expanding perspective and paradigm is much like discovering the room around you that has been pitch black until you lit a candle. As we wander through life, we see new narratives. And with each new visualization, the candle glows brighter. We begin to notice the walls, the furniture, the floor, the art, the high ceilings, and the dark corners. There are moments when the candle flickers so bright that even new areas can be noticed, even if for a fleeting moment.

What happens when light is shed on part of the room that causes a complete shift in what you knew about it? With illumination comes perspective, comes reality, comes the base of all your decisions, and comes the foundation for our shared future.

TEDxMinneapolis 2016 hosts speakers that have devoted their life’s work on the platform of visibility to make grand impact. We believe that sight manifests itself in art, design, innovation, technology, and the deeper parts of the Minneapolis story, and we’ll work to tell not only the broader and worldly impact of having sight, but also the personal impact, too.

Schedule (Times are Tentative)

• 4:00 to 5:00 PM: Happy Hour Registration & Seating
• 5:00 to 7:00 PM: Session 1 - Talks, Performances & Ideas
• 7:00 to ~8:30 PM: Dinner, Engaging Experiences, Exploration & Re-seating
• 8:30 to 10:15 PM: Session 2 - Talks, Performances, & Ideas
• 10:15 to 11:00 PM: Late Night Social

Looking forward to it. Scary!