'We Are City Summit' Planned For Indy

August 30, 2012

News Release

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - “We Are City: SUMMIT,” a half-day conference examining national and local issues facing cities, will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, in the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 N. Delaware St.

Admission is $20. For more information, call (317) 635-9268 or sign up at http://wearecity.us.

The full schedule is below.

The idea behind the summit is to have the public engage with urban leaders and change-makers to discuss how national and local initiatives can be advanced around themes of “measure,” “interpret” and “connect.” Examples include the creative use of civic data in Boston, an urban museum of genetically modified organisms in Pittsburgh, and green job creation in Cleveland. These case studies will be discussed in relationship to local projects in Indianapolis, and the presentations will include facilitated audience feedback sessions.

“’We Are City’ is an effort to build consensus around a variety of topics, to form a shared narrative of our values and vision for Indianapolis,” said Michael Kaufmann, director of special projects and civic investment at Health and Hospital Corporation, one of the cofounders and organizers of the event. “The goal is to propel us forward through both an analysis of our past, an acknowledgment of our present, and a hope for our future.”

National and local experts as well as representatives from Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology, The Kinetic Project, and Collabo Creative will be facilitating the discussions.

The schedule of events:
We Are City: SUMMIT – Sept. 21, noon to 5 p.m.
Presented by The Kinetic Project, Butler University’s Center for Urban Ecology, Wishard/Eskenazi Health Harrison Center for the Arts.

Noon-12:15 Mingle/Food Trucks
12:15-12:25 [think] Introduce baseline, distinct, exceptional
12:25-12:35 [respond] Introduction to participation facilitated by Collabo Creative - Sponsored by CICF

*MEASURE* - Sponsored by LISC
12:40-1 [there] Nigel Jacob, Urban Mechanics, Boston, Mass.
1:05-1:25 [there] Valeria Mogilevich, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1:30-1:40 [here] Herron Visual Communication Graduate Students, NearEastside Legacy Initiative, Indianapolis.

1:45-2:05 [respond] Participant feedback facilitated by Collabo Creative - Sponsored by CICF

*INTERPRET* - Sponsored by Visit Indy
2:05-2:25 [there] Oliver Blank, Civic Center, New Orleans, La.
2:30-2:50 [there] Lauren Allen, The Center for PostNatural History, Pittsburgh, Pa.
2:55-3:05 [here] Javier Barerra, Latino Youth Collective, Indianapolis

3:05-3:25 [respond] Participant feedback facilitated by Collabo Creative - Sponsored by CICF

*CONNECT* - Sponsored by Schmidt Associates
3:30-3:50 [there] Medrick Addison, Evergreen Initiative, Cleveland, Ohio
3:55-4:05 [here] Brad Baubien, Ball State University/Reconnecting to Our Waterways, Indianapolis
4:10-4:25 [here] Former Deputy Mayor Michael Huber, City of Indianapolis

4:30-5 [respond] Participant feedback facilitated by Collabo Creative - Sponsored by CICF

The SUMMIT is made possible by the generous support from the following sponsor organizations:
GOLD: Central Indiana Community Foundation ( http://www.cicf.org/). SILVER: Schmidt Associates (http://www.schmidt-arch.com/); LISC ( http://liscindianapolis.org/); Visit Indy (http://visitindy.com/); Collabo Creative (http://www.collabo-creative.com/). BRONZE: Develop Indy ); Flashpoint HR (http://www.flashpointhr.com/); The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce (http://www.indychamber.com/); IndyHub ( http://indyhub.org/); City Gallery (http://citygalleryindy.org/); and Big Car ( http://bigcar.org/).

Source:' We Are City' Summit