Art & Culture issue is out!
News
Since impactmania’s launch at the University of Santa Barbara, Art, Design and Architecture Museum, we’ve covered exciting projects and have interviewed people from coast to coast and beyond. Having traveled to Santa Barbara, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Berlin, we’ve accomplished so much in just six months.
With Berlin being impactmania’s first European city covered just this past June, we are looking forward to continue working with international journalists as we next cover Amsterdam in the Netherlands this coming August.
As a result of our work, impactmania has introduced many interviewees to worthwhile projects. One notable connection is between the two organizations: Trekking for Kids in Washington D.C. and Universal Giving in San Francisco. Having formed a strategic relationship, these organizations are now better able to safeguard the quality and stewardship of funds to beneficiaries.
This month, we’d like to share impact-makers within the realms of Art & Culture, Business, and Science & Technology who are driving meaningful projects to not only satisfy their own personal quest, but to also contribute to society and Human Interests.
With this goal in mind, impactmania connected with thinkers and doers in the music, gaming, arts, film, architecture, technology, farming, business, and sports realms, proving that impact is cumulative and can be found in any field and discipline.
In this issue, Steven Sharpe from Opera Santa Barbara connected impactmania with opera singer, Monica Yunus, daughter of Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Muhummed Yunus. Melissa Walker sat down with Yunus, who spoke about how she co-founded Sing for Hope.
Alan Gershenfeld, who co-created a storytelling game sharing Alaska Native culture, Never Alone, won the BAFTA Games Best Debut of 2015. In our interview with him, he talks about how he offers gaming that is culturally and educationally relevant and impacts the gaming industry.
Columbia Visiting Scholar and Corporate Director of the Estado Group, Ricardo Gandour speaks about how the news is not what it used to be and how today’s news drives polarization, xenophobia, and nationalism. Brexit anyone? More importantly, what can we do about it?
Ofri Cnaani explains why artists can be agents of change. Cnaani is bringing her innovative performance to Finland this month, but has worked with museums in the United States, Middle East and South America. Her view on community outreach is unlike anything you have experienced in museums.
Chelsea Catania interviewed one of her favorite impact makers, Kevin Reimer, the world champion downhill skateboarder. Reimer built and sold a successful company in his 20s and impacted his and the next generation of skateboarders.
Artist-in-Residence at the SETI Institute, George Bolster, works with NASA on communicating the importance of planning the infinity of our species.
Filmmaker, author, and professor, Celine Shimizu, educates the next generation of filmmakers on how to speak a language that is inclusive of those under-represented (in some cases non-existent) in TV and film.
Cliff Lundberg traveled to Africa to interview chess champ, Phiona Mutesi, as well as soccer and chess coach, Robert Katende. ESPN Films and Walt Disney Pictures will release a movie, The Queen of Katwe (2016) based on Phiona Mutesi’s life in the slums and how she became the first titled female Ugandan chess player.
And finally, Rory Aronson built a bot that helps you grow your vegetables in San Luis Obispo, CA. His Open-Source Automated Precision Farming Machine is a B-Corp — a for-profit and for-purpose company. Aronson embodies the social entrepreneur we’d all like to be. At the very least, we can now start by finally growing that vegetable patch.
From all of us at impactmania, enjoy the summer.
After Europe, we will be covering thinkers and doers in Asia and South America who drive cultural, social, and economic impact.
Send us your favorite impact makers — See who we feature next!
– impactmania
P.S. Thanks Chelsea Catania for the interview w/ Kevin Reimer and Sebastian Schumacher for the interview w/ the Edler architects in Berlin. Soon Berliners will be swimming in the#RiverSpree?
Send us your favorite impact makers!