PechaKucha Night returns with its 13^th volume at IngenuityFest 2011 on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 7 p.m. Known for tailoring their speaker series to the event’s venue, this session’s presenters have a heavy focus on art but still include eclectic topics ranging from biking to upcycled fashion. PechaKucha Night Cleveland co-founder Michael Christoff explains more about how our chapter is unique to Cleveland and how PechaKucha continues to open doors to discuss art and technology within the city.

An international organization founded on the idea of sharing the ideas and experiences of the city’s most inventive thinkers, presenters are given 20 seconds to discuss 20 slides. “PechaKucha has been a platform to showcase just about anything, including arts and technology, by giving people an unscripted and uninfluenced 400 seconds of fame on stage to convey their ideas and passion,” explains Cristoff.

PechaKucha’s choices of venues for their presentations embraces the idea of rethinking unexplored spaces, much like IngenuityFest reflects through the use of the Detroit-Superior Bridge. “Because this city has such an amazing built environment and incredibly under-utilized building/public space stock, we really try to find creative ways to expose people to spaces they might not otherwise have a chance to experience,” says Christoff, “Some venues are a little more typical, and others are out of this world, but we try to make all interesting by curating a list of presenters that works for the space. “

While Christoff recognizes there will be plenty of artists in the crowd, he prides the PechaKucha project on the importance of maintaining diversity of presentation topics.  “A lot of the time artists get stuck in their own design communities, with little opportunity to break out into other creative communities,” he says. “What is great about the PechaKucha crowd is that because the topics covered at each event are so diverse, the crowd is equally diverse. PechaKucha is a platform and a place where all creative disciplines and thought provokers can come together to celebrate the art of sharing ideas.”

PechaKucha kicks off IngenuityFest on Friday night at The Ingenuity Stage. For more information on PechaKucha you can visit their website for Volume 13 here. Click here to view a recent IngenuityFest interview with past presenters Erin Huber and Ramon Rivas II on their experiences presenting at PechaKucha.

If you enjoy PechaKucha Night, please join us for our Saturday Speaker Series “Ingenuity Talks” including discussion topics ‘Everyone as an Artist?’ and ‘Interpreting the Bridge.’ For more information please click here.

BELOW: Complete list of presenters at PechaKucha Volume 13

01 -Williard “Woody” Melton – From Museums to Homes (Art Handler)
02- Michelle Ginther (Print Maker)
03- Chris Auberach-Brown: Smart Audience (Artist)
04- Brien Stancar: Origins, Inspirations, and Current Directions (Glass Artist)
05- Kevin Cronin: Cleveland Bikes (Bike Enthusiast)
06-Marin Woorbj: Show Your Hope (Art Traveling the World)
07- Garrett Weider (Graffiti/Mixed Media)
08- Alex Matsov: World Heritage Buildings (Architecture/Historian)
09- Christopher Lynn: SPACES: Bring us home to meet your parents (Art)
10- Anthony Buehrer: (Industrial Designer)
11- Oliver Barrett: (Illustration Artist)
12 – Sharie Renee: (Artist/UpCyling Fashion Accessories)
13- Dixon’s Violin: (Musician, Electric Violin)

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PechaKucha will be held on September 16 at 7 p.m on The Ingenuity Stage.

Plan your weekend with our interactive schedule.

IngenuityFest is one of America’s largest festivals of art and technology, bringing a weekend-long celebration of  groundbreaking innovation to Cleveland.
Hours:
Fri, Sept. 16: 5 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Sat, Sept. 17: Noon – 1 a.m.
Sun, Sep. 18: Noon – 5 p.m.