Thursday, December 05, 2013

'Inspiring Community': Gowanus Gets Its Own TEDx Event

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"We are passionate about bringing TEDx to Gowanus because this area is a perfect representation of the culture, innovation, and change that are dominating the new Brooklyn landscape" –Sean Gannet, Organizer TEDxGowanus.
Get ready for the first TEDxGowanus, an independently organized TED event, which will be held at The Green Building at 452 Union Street and at  501 Union Street in Gowanus on January 26th, 2014. The theme of this all-day event is "Inspiring Community". It will bring together area designers, entrepreneurs, artists, historians, and community leaders to share ideas and discuss a full range of topics from the neighborhood's history, industry, ecology, to evolution.
"As a neighborhood that’s undergoing many changes – from the recent Superfund designation, to demographic and cultural shifts, to the physical rebuilding of the area post-­‐Sandy – TEDxGowanus will also be an opportunity to hear visions of the area’s future."

Organized and presented by Sean Gannet,  Stone Dow, and Joseph Alexiou, this conversation about Gowanus will feature an impressive list of over twenty speakers, some of whom are probably familiar to many in Gowanus.

Here is a partial list of presenters. More will be announced.
-Reggie Ossé (aka Combat Jack) – Host, The Combat Jack Show – Through storytelling, Reggie will recount Hip-­‐ Hop’s journey from counter-­‐culture to pop-­‐culture.
-Ed Woodham -­‐ Founder, Art in Odd Places – Devoted to gently “awakening” the masses through art installations, Ed recounts how his public mission influenced a very personal journey.
-Rachel Fershleiser – Tumblr – Rachel is creating “Internet Enabled Literary Communities” which are reinvigorating consumption of the written word.
-Kate Orff – Partner, Scape/Landscape Architechture LLC – Following up on her TED.com talk about greening the Gowanus Canal with oyster beds, Kate will discuss her Blue Mussel Pilot Project in the Gowanus Bay.
-Ate Atema – Atema Architecture – Will follow up on his previous TED talk about an innovative way to channel freshwater into the Gowanus Canal.
-Leah Selim -­‐ Co-­‐Founder, Global Kitchen – Discussing how gastro-­‐diplomacy can bridge cultural divides. 
-Monica Byrne -­‐ Co-­‐Founder ReStore Red Hook -­‐ As a core member of Restore Red Hook, she has a new idea about how to shift the disaster relief paradigm.
-Hans Hesselein – Executive Director, Gowanus Canal Conservancy -­‐ Will be speaking about shifting the responsibility for public park maintenance to the community and residents that use them.
-Pete Raho -­‐ Owner, Gowanus Furniture – As an “Artisan Ambassador,” Pete will show how small batch industry has created a new manufacturing sector with industrial employment opportunities.
-Joselin Linder – Author -­‐ Joselin shares a personal story about the history (and future) of a genetic disorder that originated in her family.
-Marlene Donnelly -­‐ FROGG Member, Benjamin Ellis Architect – What it will take for Gowanus to become the first Urban Industrial Site listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
-Eymund Diegel -­‐ Director, Public Lab – Eymund will describe how he used high-­‐resolution, aerial photography to uncover "Ghost Streams" that feed the Gowanus Canal.
-Joseph Alexiou -­‐ Author /Journalist (Co-­‐Curator of TEDxGowanus) -­‐ Will explain the importance of the Gowanus watershed in the first major conflict of the American Revolution, The Battle of Brooklyn.
T.M. Rives -­‐ Author – Using the Native American origins of the name "Gowanus" as a starting point, Rives will elaborate on the often mistaken history of Native American culture and NYC.

TEDxGowanus tickets are on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets. They are is short supply, so get yours now. A limited number of "Early Supporter" tickets are available and have been priced at just $25. Regular priced tickets will be $50. All attendees will have a full day pass to attend three speaker sessions and the interactive exhibit hall.

This independently organized event licensed by TED will be broadcasted live on www.TEDxGowanus.com.
For further information and news about the TEDxGowanus event, click here.



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