The 2025 Ideas Festival Emory will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Oxford College campus. The event, organized by Emory’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement, will feature discussions and performances from a range of artists, musicians, and scholars focused on the theme of resilience.
Rosanne Cash, a Grammy Award-winning musician and writer, is scheduled to join the Sing for Science podcast with host Matt Whyte for the keynote conversation. This session will be recorded live before an audience in the Oxford Student Center at 5 p.m. Although tickets are currently sold out, organizers have advised checking the event listing for possible additional ticket releases.
Kenneth Carter, founding director of the center and Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology at Emory University, said: “Ideas Festival Emory is based on a simple idea: knowledge belongs to all of us. When people come together to talk about the challenges we all face, the closer we can get to solutions.”
The festival will start at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day until Cash’s keynote address. The schedule includes panel discussions, art installations, film screenings, book talks, and outdoor performances. The event is free and open to the public.
“I’m so excited about this year’s lineup for Ideas Festival Emory,” Carter said. “I can’t wait for the community to come together to feed their curiosity and have some fun.”
One highlight includes live art created by Senegalese graffiti artist Docta on Oxford Quad. Docta is recognized as one of West Africa’s early urban artists whose work combines various artistic styles with messages addressing social issues.
A discussion titled “Who Did That? Public Art and the Walls of the City” will be held at Williams Auditorium at 11 a.m., featuring Randy Gue from Emory’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library alongside local graffiti artists. They will explore topics such as who creates public art in Atlanta and how street art reflects city life.
At noon in Williams Auditorium, Carol Anderson—Robert W. Woodruff Professor of African American Studies at Emory—and filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein will discuss Lichtenstein’s documentary “American Coup: Wilmington 1898.” Anderson has authored several acclaimed books examining civil rights history in America.
A panel titled “Twelve Super Bowls in One Summer: The Impact of World Cup in Atlanta” is scheduled for 3 p.m., hosted by Rose Scott during her WABE show “Closer Look.” Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman will participate as part of this discussion about Atlanta’s role as a host city for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Another session features Karida L. Brown—NAACP Image Award-winning author and professor of sociology at Emory—discussing her new book “The Battle for the Black Mind” with artist Charly Palmer at 2 p.m., focusing on educational justice in America.
Atlanta artist Hannah Palmer will present her latest book “The Pool Is Closed” at Phi Gamma Hall at 3 p.m., exploring themes related to water access and environmental concerns within urban spaces.
A conversation on local journalism takes place at 1 p.m., bringing together journalism professionals including Monimala Basu from UGA; Keith Pepper from Rough Draft Atlanta; Patrick Graham from The Covington News/The Walton Tribune; and Janel Davis from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss current challenges facing local news outlets.
Outdoor performances sponsored by Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) are planned throughout the day on Oxford Quad featuring music acts Kim Ware and Anya Marina; poets Megan Sexton and Kim Addonizio; dance performances by Covington Ballet; among others. Carter commented: “We’re thrilled to partner with GPB in bringing the vibrant sights and sounds of artists at work to the Oxford College Quad…Public radio is a critical voice for news and community engagement in a time when support for the arts matters more than ever.”
