Root Quarterly presents
FOUNDER’S WEEKEND
November 14 – 17th, 2024 // Philadelphia, PA
America is an experiment. Be part of it.
We are ALL Founders. See tickets for how to attend. It’s FREE.
Thursday
“Free Your Mind—Your Art Will Follow”
11/14
6:30 - 10 p.m.
OPENING SALVO
LOCATION:
FIRE
510 Walnut Street
Suite 900
Philadelphia, PA 19106
TO ATTEND:
PERFORMANCE // DISCUSSION // COCKTAIL RECEPTION
First Amendment protections are part of what makes America a cultural powerhouse. But what does it take to create a culture of free expression in the arts? What role do artists, arts organizations, and funders play—especially when artists are being asked to solve social problems with their art? How should we be thinking about the role of “institutional neutrality,” or the opportunity costs for artists who spend their hours on the front lines of the culture war—instead of making art? What happens to our broader culture—including artistic excellence—when self-censorship or authoritarianism prevail?
FEATURING:
PRESENTATIONS BY FIRE AND RQ
DISCUSSION WITH:
Joe Boruchow, Artist and “The Drawing Board” Op-Ed Columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Jeannine Cook, Author and Founder of Harriet’s Bookstore
Franklin Einspruch, Artist and Founder of Dissident Muse Journal and the Dissident Museum
Lincoln Jones, Founder, American Contemporary Ballet
Alice York, Co-Founder, Lightning Rod Special theater company
AUDIENCE CONVERSATION HOUR with artists, writers, and curators from the pages of Root Quarterly magazine and with arts fellows and grantees of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism
OUR HOST PARTNER:
The FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EXPRESSION is now celebrating 25 years of protecting the First Amendment. This year they are committing themselves to creating a broader culture of free expression in America, using a touchstone theme of “Back to Basics.” Find out more about their work.
FRIDAY
11/15
9 a.m. - 11 a.m
FRANKLIN LECTURE
“Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society”
LOCATION:
TBD, Center City Philadelphia
TO ATTEND:
PRESENTATION AND Q&A WITH NICHOLAS CHRISTAKIS
When we think of solutions to societal ills, many of us start with programs or policies that have a political valence—more “red” or “blue.” But what if we rose above politics and dug a level deeper into the evolutionary origins of why groups—families, neighborhoods, organizations, countries—either succeed or fail? How should we consider what we know about human nature to help us organize as we move forward and flourish in our country’s next 250 years?
FEATURING:
LECTURE by Nicholas Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH. Christakis is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. His work is in the fields of network science and biosocial science. He directs the Human Nature Lab at the Yale Institute for Network Science. Christakis is also the author of Blueprint: On the Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society and Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives—How Your Friends' Friends' Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do.
Q&A MODERATED by Heather Shayne Blakeslee, founding publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazine Root Quarterly: Art & Ideas from Philadelphia, convener of Founder’s Weekend. Blakeslee is an award-winning executive, musician, and publisher who has 25 years of experience building nonprofits and small businesses, and is founder of Red Pen Arts, LLC, a consultancy that offers strategy and operational support to social entrepreneurs and the arts and culture community.
SATURDAY
11/16
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Red / Blue Workshop
WORKSHOP
LOCATION:
OLD SWEDES’
CHURCH
927 S. Water Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION WITH BRAVER ANGELS PENNSYLVANIA
Americans can’t speak with each other anymore, right? Wrong! We’ll prove it to you. The national political depolarization organization Braver Angels has developed tested workshop formats that allow people to come to conversations with curiosity, ask good-faith questions, and seek to understand why their fellow Americans believe what they believe—and to find common ground. We’re recruiting an equal number of people who lean “red” and lean “blue” to participate in this life-changing workshop that will give you hope again that the country can come together. Sixteen participants (an even number of “blues” and “reds”) and twenty-five observers may join and you must commit to participation. Let’s save the country, shall we?
FEATURING
16 Americans who are willing come together for the sake of the country to try to understand why their compatriots think differently than they do—and to find common ground—in a radical act of curiosity, collective sense-making, and hope.
OUR PARTNERS are Braver Angels, Braver Angels Pennsylvania, the Braver Angels Southeast Pennsylvania Alliance, and our host is Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Episcopal Church.
TO PARTICIPATE:
Please register directly via Braver Angels
SATURDAY
11/16
3 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER
UNITY PICNIC
LOCATION: OLD SWEDES’
CHURCH
Water Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
OUTDOOR PICNIC // INDOOR SPEECH BY JOHN WOOD, JR., AND MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY DEB MONTGOMERY
Let’s recommit to the idea of E pluribus unum: Out of many—one. The presidential election on November 5, 2024, will be yet another inflection point in America’s young history. We may vote for different candidates, but after a peaceful transfer of power, we must break bread together, celebrate our democracy, and call on our better angels—a house divided cannot stand. Given the newness and uniqueness of American Democracy, it may be time for us all to think about ourselves as founders—let’s build a country that works for more people, and a create bright light that shines into dark places. Let’s focus on building a strong, pluralistic society together that starts in our own families and neighborhoods.
FEATURING
OUTSIDE PICNIC/NEIGHBORHOOD POTLUCK // Food will also be available for purchase and for free for those who need it.
JOHN WOOD, JR., is the national ambassador for Braver Angels, whose mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.
DEB MONTGOMERY is a celebrated singer-songwriter, an American resident by choice, and a therapist dedicated to healing those who have been harmed by fundamentalist upbringings.
OUR PARTNERS are Braver Angels Pennsylvania and the Braver Angels Southeast Pennsylvania Alliance, and our host Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Episcopal Church.
