The twentieth century has seen the devastating effects of a blind belief in ideological blueprints, from fascism and national socialism to “real existing” socialism. But can we survive without utopian ideas? Do we need an inspiring vision and sense of direction to take care of ourselves and our environment? How much dreaming is needed to shape our world?

Featuring Thomas Small, a member of the Culver City Council, architectural writer, and chair of the Board of Jacaranda Music; journalist Christopher Hawthorne, a former L.A. Times architecture critic and the first Chief Design Officer of Los Angeles; Enrique Martinez Celaya, a painter, sculptor, author on art and philosophy, and physicist whose artworks are exhibited and collected by museums around the world; and acclaimed author Cornelia Funke, a writer of children’s fiction with more than 20 million books sold worldwide.

This event is presented as part of Wende Conversations: A Discussion Series Supported by Susan Horowitz and Rick Feldman.