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International Festival of Arts & Ideas facts for kids
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a fun 15-day festival held every June in New Haven, Connecticut. It brings together amazing artists and thinkers from all over the world. You can enjoy performing arts, listen to interesting talks, and join in conversations. Many free concerts happen on the New Haven Green, attracting thousands of people. Famous performers like Aaron Neville and Yo-Yo Ma have played there!
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Amazing Performances
The festival showcases theater, dance, and music from around the globe. You can see new shows and performances for the very first time in America! Some past acts include the Mark Morris Dance Group, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, and modern circus groups like Circa from Australia.
Years ago, the festival even hosted the Royal Shakespeare Company from the United Kingdom. They also had shows from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. In 2013, a special new show of A Midsummer Night's Dream came to the festival. It was a team-up between a theater group from England and a puppet company from South Africa. This was the same team that created the famous play War Horse! The amazing Kronos Quartet also started their 40th Anniversary Tour at the festival that year.
Cool Ideas & Talks
A big goal of the festival is to "make you think!" They do this through their "Ideas programs." These are talks, discussions, and conversations with artists and experts. They help you understand the performances better and learn more about the artists.
These programs often feature leaders and thinkers from all over the world. For example, Bill T. Jones and poet Elizabeth Alexander once had a conversation. In 2013, speakers included Joshua Foer, who wrote Moonwalking with Einstein, and Richard Levin, who used to be the President of Yale University. You can find many of these talks for free on the festival's website.
Special Awards
The festival also gives out a special award called the Visionary Leadership Award. This award honors people who are trailblazers and leaders making a big difference in the world.
Some amazing women have received this award. These include Zainab Salbi, who started Women for Women International, and Jill Abramson, the first female editor of the New York Times. Civil rights leader and journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault also received the award. Other winners include Sheila Nevins, Angélique Kidjo, Sheryl WuDunn, and Majora Carter. In 2018, the award went to poet Claudia Rankine, who wrote Citizen: An American Lyric.
This award is given in honor of Jean Handley. She was one of the people who started the festival. She was also a long-time leader in business, charity, and arts in Connecticut.
Why the Festival Matters
Most of the festival's events are completely free for everyone! This includes shows with some of the best jazz, classical music, dance, and theater artists in the world.
In 2013, the festival brought in $34 million for the State of Connecticut and the greater New Haven area. This shows how much the festival helps the local economy. A professor named Dr. Mark Paul Gius from Quinnipiac University has been studying the festival's economic impact since it began in 1996.
The festival also has a special program for high school students in New Haven. It lets them get deeply involved in the festival and learn a lot.
How it Started
The International Festival of Arts and Ideas began in 1996. It was started by Anne Calabresi, Jean Handley, and Roslyn Meyer. They wanted to create a yearly celebration in New Haven. New Haven is a diverse city with a rich history in culture and education. The founders wanted the festival to be special by mixing "ideas" with "events." Their goal was to bring together world-class artists and thinkers. They also wanted to show off New Haven and Connecticut as a major place for arts.
Festival Leadership
As of November 2018, the festival is led by a team of Co-Directors. These leaders are Liz Fisher, Thomas Griggs, and Chad Herzog.