TEDxAsheville 2010: The Wrap-Up

2010 TEDxAsheville performer River Guerguerian. Photo by Micah McKenzie

In 2009 a small, but dedicated group of volunteers, fueled by their commitment to ideas worth spreading, created an event to showcase local thinkers who are changing the world. With little to work with other than their energy, passion, and determination, this team packed out The Orange Peel, with hundreds more turned away at the door.

TEDxAsheville was on the map. But is it possible to capture lighting in a bottle twice?

On August 29, locals and visitors filled The Orange Peel in a sold-out show to hear talks from a CNN Hero, a man who has lived in the woods since he was 16.

The speakers challenged the audience to embrace possibilities, reject limitations, unleash creativity, and live the life of purpose that each of us knows is waiting.

Unlike 2009, this year’s conference was a ticketed event. 2010′s $25 admission fee, charged solely to cover costs of the event, in no way dampened the enthusiasm of local idea-philes, who sold out the event days in advance, proving that in Asheville, big ideas can compete with cool indie bands for mindspace.

The TEDxAsheville 2010 Lineup

Breah Parker: “Drawing on the Spirit Within”

Eustace Conway: “Traditional Lifestyles in the 21st Century”

Jeff Schmitt: “My Adventures on the Road to Wellness”

Angela Shelton: “Squish, the Heart of the Matter”

Doc Hendley: “Extraordinarily Ordinary”

Laurey Masterton: “Bees, Bikes, and Cooking for Survival”

James Navé: “The Imaginative Storm into the Creative Form”

River Guerguerian: “Ancient Technologies”

John Miles: “Innerprenuership–Happiness in the Workplace”

Billy Jonas: “The Art of War: A Neo-Tribal Operetta In Three Parts”

Check out the TEDxAsheville Flickr gallery here.

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The energy of TEDxAsheville 2010 continues with two new efforts.

TEDxNextGenerationAsheville Executive Director Ashley Cooper and TEDxAsheville Technical Director Brett McCall joined forces to create a series of salon events. Follow TEDxAsheville on Facebook for more details!

And TEDxAsheville’s Head of Marketing and Publicity is creating her own TED-inspired community project: The Community Restorative Garden Initiative, an alternative sentencing program where local judges can send nonviolent youth offenders to work on a sustainable, locally focused farm and educational facility.

Where there are great ideas, there is the spirit of TEDx. Thank you for supporting our TEDxAsheville events!