Entrepreneurial Spirit: Events Starring Founders, Mavericks & Do-It-Themselfers

By Troy Segal

Some of us march to a corporate tune, and others march to the beat of their own drum. Here are some upcoming NYC talks, discussions, and activities that feature entrepreneurs, creative geniuses, and independent spirits from various walks of life.

Ian Bremmer. (Eurasia Group)

Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group, an international research firm that analyzes political developments and movements, explains Why Asia Matters for economies in general and the U.S. in particular in a dialogue at the Asia Society on June 24.

The designing duo Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, founders of the label Eckhaus Latta, take the stage at the Museum of Arts and Design to describe the values and vision that go into their radical clothes — abstract groupings of textiles and fibers that merge into garments — on June 26.

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church © Michael Freeman. Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Guastavinos (a father-and-son duo) developed an innovative type of interlocking tile whose beauty, strength, and low weight caused it to be taken up by architects all over the city. Take an Uptown tour of some of these projects, under the auspices of the Museum of the City of New York on June 29.

You may not think of her as a pioneer, but Joan Rivers broke a lot of ground for comediennes when she started cracking wise in the 1960s. She discusses her career and new book at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square on June 30. 

Get first look at a new musical about Rachel Carson — whose Silent Spring kicked off the modern “green” movement — penned by Jessie Field, President and Artistic Director of The Crossroad Players, and her brother Jared Field. Part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the reading is at the Studio Theatre at Theatre Row on July 7 & 12.

Thornton Dial, Sr. is a self-taught artist who often uses found objects to create commentaries on history and politics. Learn more about him at a screening of an hour-long biopic, followed by a discussion of Southern black artists, at the American Folk Art Museum on August 12.