Ideas Festival Emory serves up ‘buffet’ of creative conversations

By Daniel Christian Sept. 26, 2024

With the historic Seney Hall as a backdrop, musicians and storytellers performed on the Oxford College quad throughout the weekend to an audience of Emory community members, local residents and more.

Jermaine Dupri (left), a Grammy-winning producer and hip-hop artist, kicked off Ideas Festival Emory by joining Georgia Tech professor Joycelyn Wilson on the Sing for Science Podcast with host Matt Whyte.

Genre-defying musical duo SOFI TUKKER was the festival’s closing act. They joined food scientist Maria Ortiz on Sing for Science to discuss her research in relation to the group’s new album, “Bread.”

Festival speakers and university leaders (L-R) President Gregory L. Fenves, Ken Carter, Jermaine Dupri, Joycelyn Wilson and Oxford College Dean Badia Ahad gathered after Dupri’s internship announcement.

Throughout the weekend, participants enjoyed more than 40 speakers and performers who shared their big ideas. The festival is part of Emory’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement.

The Oxford College quad was home to much activity throughout the weekend — including a community painting project, where anyone from children to students to faculty could contribute to a collective vision.

Rock musician Zach Person was one of many musicians to play at the festival. He performed a solo act in the Oxford Student Center and joined a panel on the making of the Bruce Springsteen album “Nebraska.”

Cassandra Quave, assistant professor of dermatology and human health and curator of the Emory Herbarium, shared research and findings discussed in her book, “The Plant Hunter.”

Emmy-nominated writer Jon Goode took the stage on the Oxford quad to discuss the power of storytelling. He shared excerpts from his own writings and poems.

Barbara Kopple, a two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, joined the audience for a screening and discussion of “Harlan County, USA,” her 1976 film that won the Academy Award for best documentary.

Volunteers across the Emory and local communities helped make for a smooth festival experience by assisting with logistics and — in some cases — introducing the speakers or performers.

Books from many of the weekend’s speakers were for sale at a tent on the quad. After attending an interesting session, festivalgoers could pick up a book and continue the conversation by reading at home.

Virginia Willis, renowned chef and writer, signed her cookbook “Bon Appetit, Y’all.” During two sessions, Willis shared recipes from her book and talked with award-winning writer Janisse Ray about authenticity.

Cynthia Tucker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, was part of a group discussion titled “Ensuring a Vibrant Future for American Journalism” in the Oxford Student Center.

Food trucks were parked outside the Student Center and offered treats like ice cream and crepes — perfect for a quick bite between sessions or accompanying a performance on the quad.

Soul Food Cypher is a nonprofit that uses rap and hip-hop for educational outreach. On Saturday afternoon, they asked the audience to submit words that they then incorporated into their performance.

The Ideas Festival Emory featured leading creative thinkers across industries and universities and offered a “buffet” of programming that engaged with the biggest topics of our time, Carter said.

The Oxford College campus buzzed with insights as more than 40 speakers and performers across disciplines presented at the inaugural Ideas Festival Emory Sept. 20-22.

Part of the recently-launched Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement, the festival brought together creative thinkers from myriad industries and universities — including more than a dozen Emory faculty, staff and alumni — with community members to discuss some of the biggest topics of our time.

From climate change and AI to film and music, the festival offered a unique look at the intersections of scholarship, science and creative practice.

Ken Carter, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology at Oxford and the center’s founding director, helped kick off the festival.

“Our keynote features three incredible people who embody the spirit of creativity and scholarly curiosity this festival is all about,” Carter said in his introduction to the opening session — a live recording of the Sing for Science podcast at the Oxford Student Center.

Podcast host Matt Whyte led the conversation with Jermaine Dupri — a Grammy-winning producer, hip-hop artist and Atlanta native — and Joycelyn Wilson, a Georgia Tech professor of hip-hop studies and digital humanities.

After the discussion, Dupri announced a new internship for Emory students at his record label, So So Def Recordings.

The festival also closed with an episode of Sing for Science featuring SOFI TUKKER, a Grammy-nominated musical duo, and Maria Ortiz, the food scientist behind the popular Instagram account All You Knead Is Bread.

Carter called the podcast with Dupri “the appetizer” of the Ideas Festival.

And the cornucopia of sessions that followed on Saturday and Sunday?

“The buffet,” Carter said.

Photos by Jenni Girtman (Atlanta Event Photography) and Kay Hinton and Sarah Woods (Emory Photo/Video).

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