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the connections with Chicago Public Schools to make that happen. It's not about putting everything on someone's shoulders, but it's recognizing the strengths of both sides. That's a true partnership. BK: Can I ask you a question, Hebru? How do you think this city helps its artists? Hebru Brantley: There's a huge lack of help with artists, down to the core of the CPS. There were several programs for schools that would integrate the arts more, but it comes back to the level of experience that some of these kids have outside of that four-block radius. It's hard to teach a kid about Basquiat or Warhol if they've never set foot in a museum before. The impact from a jpeg to an actual piece is completely different. Putting a computer in front of a kid doesn't make him or her a graphic designer. Giving them pencils doesn't make them artists. They need to be guided and coached just as they would in a math or science class. MA: To Brad's point about how the city encourages artists, how do all of you feel the city encourages innovation and new ideas? JO: [My company] WeDeliver is a by-product of the support of Chicago, our business leaders, our social representatives, and our political system. I am a living, breathing example of how the Chicago ecosystem began to foster innovation.... There's technology being built that's supporting the system that we have. It's created a snowball effect. Truly, Chicago has become a part of that conversation. Our Groupons and our Grubhubs put us on the map, but that was simply a blip. Now there's so much more around us allowing Chicago Ideas Week to amplify what's already happened. MM: Brad was talking about how he started Chicago Ideas Week through storytelling: All he had was a story to tell, and he just went around Chicago. That's the same way that we got started with The Starter League. We didn't have any money, but we had a story about what we wanted: We wanted to create an environment where people without the skills to build start-ups would have a safe and fun place where they could do that. We went around to as many people as we could find, and they said, "How can we help?" One thing that is beautiful about this city is that there are amazing people here who are willing to help. BK: The one issue we still have in Chicago is that we're not comfortable with risk and failure. We punish failure, and that's dangerous. What marks the Silicon Valley community as being so awesome is that when you fail, they're like, "Okay, what are you going to do next?" We've got to change the general appetite for what a "good" fail means—and once you fail, do you deserve a second chance? I think you do. LB: The social entrepreneurs we bring as fellows to Ideas Week report that one of the most important things they get out of the experience is this fellowship. They need a community whether they have success or failure, and that absolutely is what Chicago Ideas Week does for them. that Ideas Week will be doing? BK: There's stuff going on year-round, and Ideas Week is the Super Bowl of a year's worth of activity. It's acknowledged on a global basis as one of the important ideas platforms that exists; the co-op has morphed into a series of platforms where serendipity is created and communities activated in lots of creative ways.... I can keep going! The good news is we're going into our third year, and it's already one of the important ideas platforms in the world. It took Davos 20 to 30 years. Five years from now is a long time. MM: At our last co-op meeting, someone brought up the point, "How is Chicago known outside of Chicago?" We know all the amazing things that we do, but there's this perception out there about the city's identity that we don't think about every day. It would be great in three, five, 10, 15 years if Chicago is the place where innovation happens, education happens—like a mecca. The thing that I hear a lot in our community is we need to be more like Silicon Valley or New York. But I want us to do it our way. HB: This is my first year with CIW, and I feel rejuvenated. I've been in conversations before like this with different people, but I never felt— once I left the table—that anything would come to fruition. Listening to everyone talk here, it's put a battery in my back to go the extra step because I feel like my efforts will be matched. BK: We will match your efforts. I promise. MA MA: Let's think about Ideas Week 2018: What do you envision in a best-case scenario To read our complete conversation about Chicago Ideas Week, go to michiganavemag.com. THE BIG PICTURE With pen, paper, and plenty of imagination, Ink Factory adds color to group discussions. BY TEGAN REYES In September 2011, Lindsay Roffe, Ryan Robinson, and Dusty Folwarczny stumbled upon a Chicago Ideas Week advertisement and knew that their company, Ink Factory, had to be involved. The newly formed trio (Roffe is a Texas-bred graphic designer, Robinson an advertising photographer from Minooka, and Folwarczny a metal sculptor raised in St. Louis) presented their concept of visually representing the week's conversations to Chicago Ideas Week Executive Producer Carrie Kennedy, who was more than receptive. Says Roffe, "Chicago Ideas Week really embraced us from the beginning and took a chance. When they saw how their audience reacted to it, they were like, 'We have to have you guys back.'" Starting with simple black sketches on a white board, the Ink Factory team writes key words or phrases, adding images and pops of color to capture and synthesize conversations in real time (SHOWN). "Visual communication was the start of civilization, and we all have an instinctive ability for it," says Robinson, citing man's evolution since the time of ancient cave drawings. "By using 50 percent visuals and 50 percent text, we create a modest version of that." Although their work has taken them around the world, the Bucktownbased team finds support in the city's art scene. "We're proud to be from Chicago," says Roffe, "so anything we can do to give back and be apart of, we're there." MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 126-131_MA_FEAT_Culture_October13.indd 131 131 9/17/13 4:59 PM