New York Encounter 2019

February 15-17, 2019
Metropolitan Pavilion,125 West 18th Street
New York City, NY 10011

New York Encounter events are Free and open to the public.
No registration IS required.

What's NEW?

New York Encounter 2019 Proceedings (PDF)

New York Encounter 2019: Final Statement

2019 Program at a Glance (PDF)

Something to Start From

We are at the end of an epoch and we feel the need to rediscover our identity and somehow start again. But, having abandoned traditions, challenged norms, and rejected authorities, we are left with nothing but ourselves to make sense of it all. With no blueprint, the present is full of unease and the future appears enigmatic.

We are uncertain of the meaning of our lives, and so often feel confused, alone and isolated. Our collective days are filled by the pressures of success and conformity, along with the fear of being left behind. Failure seems irredeemable, mercy impossible. So, we often look for scapegoats or ways to escape. But tribal belonging or artificial realities are poor substitutes for the certainties we have lost.

At the same time, this very unease reveals something in us. Something that feels the lack, aches for meaning, and recognizes the truth, like a tuning fork vibrating for its single, unmistakable note. Something that makes us long to be looked at, listened to, understood, forgiven, valued just because we exist. Something that perceives a promise even within these challenging times and urges us to respond, to say “Here I am!”, to seek justice, to build anew. An innermost, irreducible, decisive core marked by a stubborn expectation.

“Has anyone ever promised us anything? Then WHY do we expect something?”
Cesare Pavese

Join us on February 15-17, 2019 for a weekend of public discussions, exhibits and live performances to explore this Something and encounter people who face life aware of this expectation.

February 15-17, 2019
Metropolitan Pavilion | 125 West 18th Street, New York City, NY 10011