The White House, yes that White House, is hosting its very own arts festival this fall. An official press release said the South Lawn will host a festival of, “Ideas, art, and action” on Oct. 3. The event will be dubbed SXSL: South by South Lawn and focus on celebrating the “spirit of innovation.”
The name itself obviously invokes the Austin-based festival South by Southwest, or SXSW for short, and this was intentional. SXSL was directly inspired by President Obama’s visit to SXSW earlier this year, at which he delivered a keynote address on civic engagement. Apparently that conversation went so well, that Obama figured he might as well bring something similar to his backyard.
Here is the official description of what one could expect to see next month.
On October 3, the White House will convene creators, innovators, and organizers from across the country for an evening of music, film, and great ideas. It is a call to arms for every American to roll up their sleeves and make a positive mark on our country — and a celebration of the great work so many of us have already accomplished.
This is a little vague, but the release went on to say the event would focus on three primary tenets: Interactive, film, and music. The interactive aspect includes panel discussions about making a positive impact and utilizing emerging innovations and technology. The film portion will essentially be the White House’s third annual White House Student Film Festival, in which student short film submissions under the theme of “The World I Want To Live In” will be aired. Finally, the music portion will feature, “Well-known and emerging artists who are using their music to inspire audiences.”
One interesting caveat of SXSL is that the festival will be holding open nominations for someone creating change in their communities to attend.
The social media response to this idea has been overwhelmingly positive and sounds like a great event for those who are making the country a better place to connect with each other.
https://twitter.com/artbypt3/status/772128944644509696
https://twitter.com/brookewylie/status/771522336373760000
If you missed SXSW, or just want to visit the White House, you can find the nomination link here.
