Vote for Burning Man’s SXSW 2017 Panels

During our 25+ years of producing Burning Man, we’ve learned a thing or two about collaborative creation, participation-driven cities, inspiring creativity, creating crucibles for innovation, alternative socioeconomic models — things that we’re as eager to share with the broader creative community as they are to hear it. So for us, SXSW is as much about skill sharing as learning and community engagement.

Burning Man will be back at SXSWi in 2017, and we’re participating in three panels on a breadth of topics. If they sound interesting to you, our intrepid panelists would appreciate your votes! Please vote before September 2.

The Ritual and Art of Aging Well

Our evolutionary ability to change as time goes on has been significantly reduced in modern society due to many misconceptions of what it means to succeed, be an adult and age. This panel will uncover some of the biology and anthropology of rites of passage. From Burning Man to everyday life, we will look at what it means to unlock our true potential and push the boundaries of our own transformation. From our basic needs to how we manage our creativity will be explored with the application of ritual and frameworks for growth outside the norms of conventional and idealistic society. How do we move from aging, to actualization, as individuals and as a society?

Questions

  1. Are the assumptions about having it all together, climbing the ladder and doing well that are in fact limiting our growth, discovery and creativity?
  2. Is there value in being lost, and what is the role of structure, limitation, and constraint that enables play as we age?
  3. As our sensory systems and needs evolve as we age, how should our habits and rituals adapt in order to satisfy our need for wisdom?

Speakers

Organizer

Erica Berger, Founder, CEO, Catchpool

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Giving and Gratitude: Igniting a New Philanthropy

Can a gift economy revolutionize our future? Find out from three panelists who will explore what it means to give in today’s modern world. Donations of time and money fuel a gift economy that can lift the human spirit and help correct social injustices. But has philanthropy devolved into just another way to exchange favors and self-promotion? Or can generosity and gratitude transform the way we relate to each other personally and professionally? In this session we’ll contemplate how giving our time and our treasure can be a gift to ourselves, as much as a gift to others.

Questions

  1. How can film, music, technology, and other creative professionals support a new kind of philanthropy?
  2. How does generosity serve as the foundation for a new kind of philanthropy?
  3. What can we learn from Burning Man’s culture of giving?

Speakers

Organizer

Theresa Duncan, Dir of Philanthropic Engagement, Burning Man

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Beyond Economics: Art Investment Transforms Community

As the world evolves its perspectives on the role of art in human experience we begin to understand that design interventions, immersive art experiences, and community based art collectives are transforming our cities. Art is often acknowledged as an economic driver, or alternatively seen as reserved for the “elite”, but there is a new frontier where art and creativity emerges as a critical strategy in the tool kits and practices of new urban mechanics. This panel explores, describes, dives into how this works, when it works, how it challenges conventions of planning, and how, sometimes, it goes awry.

Questions

  1. How is arts-integration impacting public health, alleviating trauma, remediating blight and transforming post-industrial cities? What strategies work?
  2. Where do city engineers and artists intersect? Who is the public and where is the space? What role does urban planning play to advance creativity?
  3. What does participation in the creation of public art pieces do to affect change for individuals and places? How does human-centered design factor?

Speakers

Organizer

Kim Cook, Burning Man

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Thank you, and we hope to see you at SXSW 2017!

About the author: Burning Man Project

Burning Man Project

The official voice of the Burning Man organization, managed by Burning Man Project's Communications Team.