Featured Presenters:
- Rob Hunt, Watershed Center Coordinator for the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks will present “Walking on Water: The Streams Beneath Our Feet” in which he questions why if our rural streams bring in people from across the country for recreational activities, do we conceal our urban streams in concrete boxes?
- Jan Horton of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society will present about how the Audubon Society helped preserve and transform the South Creek to become a Greenways Trail in her presentation “For the Birds”
- James Martin, owner of Ristorante Gilardis will present about urban farming in “Passion: The lifeblood of a Hero”
- Hing Wah Hatch, artist and educator will present “Children’s Chinese Brush Paintings”
- Cindy Jobe, Springfield Sister Cities Coordinator will present “Bringing the World to Springfield”
- Cora Scott, City of Springfield will present “In Their Shoes: Public Works behind the Scenes”
- Patrick Mureithi, Artist in residence at Drury University and Kenyan Filmaker will present “Inua Mimi” (Lift Me Up)
- Laura Provence, co-owner of Arts and Letters, will present “Hidden in Exile”
September 20 is also Global PechaKucha Night
On Friday, September 20 at the ideaXfactory, 351 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, MO will celebrate our “Hidden Heroes” on the same night that over 100 other cities around the world will also be holding PechaKucha Night events.
Using the 20 x 20 PechaKucha format, presenters have 20 images and 20 seconds per images to present their material, making each presentation exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
A variety of topics including the history and future of our urban streams, international cultural exchanges, urban farming, art, mythology, wildlife preservation and more will be the focus of our featured presenters starting at 7:30 p.m.
Come early for great music and more fun!
Before presentations begin, enjoy the melodies of talented local singer/songwriter Nathan Gamel on guitar and Ryan Dunn on saxophone starting at 7 p.m.
Global Networking: Another special feature of the evening will be Springfield linking up to other cities and PechaKucha Headquarters in Tokyo via a Google Hangout “chat room.” Over 100 cities will be holding events on September 20, and the events will roll around the world in a global wave. Linking to other cities in the U.S. will help us celebrate the creative sharing spirit that drives the volunteer PechaKucha network.
Presentations and music will happen in the grassy lot outside the ideaXfactory. We’ll have some folding chairs, and if you like, bring your own comfy camp chair or blanket to sit on the grass. If it’s a clear night, we hope to see the full moon rise over the Springfield skyline between 8-9 p.m.
In case of rain, the event will move inside the ideaXfactory.
Curious about PechaKucha?
It was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 by Klein Dytham Architecture as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in over 680 cities around the world. The PechaKucha network is based on the efforts of volunteers around the world who organize PechaKucha events for their home cities, featuring local presenters as a way to build creative communities on a grass-roots level. The international PechaKucha.org website has thousands of 20×20 presentations on the website for you to watch and enjoy.
Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, PechaKucha rests on a simple and concise presentation format that keeps ideas moving at a rapid pace. The atmosphere is casual and fun. The idea is to come away from the event with a greater perspective and richer ideas, but most importantly, to enjoy oneself in the process.
