Berne Library Notes for Wednesday, January 13, 2021
It’s never been done before. Not in Berne, anyway. Tune in for the library’s TEDx project being launched in a few weeks with nine community members sharing their stories in pre-recorded sessions for the Feb. 27 event: “TEDxBernePublicLibrary - Life on the Hill.”
So, what is a Tedx talk? It’s regular people expressing ideas. People sharing life experiences they’re passionate about. Neighbors offering snippets of life in your own backyard, yet invisible to your daily routine.
Combining Technology, Entertainment, and Design, Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks held the first TED conference in 1984 — an invitation-only affair which fell far short of expectations.
Success reigned supreme when 1990 rolled around. The TED conference attracted audiences filled with curiosity and a raw need for new discoveries. The mission slogan of “ideas worth spreading” took off. Media entrepreneur Chris Anderson purchased TED in 2001 and continued its trajectory toward not-for--profit status.
Expansion edged forward with TEDGlobal, TEDPrize, TEDtalks and free online access to top-rated presentations, garnering 100 million views and counting.
Entering the arena in 2009 was the creation of TEDx. Using the same principles of TED, thousands of locally organized conversations were born. Conversations sparking ideas, offering entertainment, and spreading positive flow into communities worldwide.
Kevin Conley III, a young man raised in Berne, is on the slate of presenters for the library’s TEDx program. Graduating from Berne-Knox-Westerlo in 2019, Kevin set out to study theater arts at Hudson Valley.
He joined the staff of the college paper in his first year, and writing for the Hudsonian has been a good fit. A public-speaking class also brewed beneficial as it awakened an energy in Kevin he was unaware of: the ability to write speeches.
Anything related to art fires up Kevin’s interest. Having the valuable experience of performing in two theater productions in high school, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Music Man,” lit up hopes of more theater work in the future. Kevin’s talk focuses on unrecognized artists: Forever learning, always creating, drawing life on their own terms.
Put “TEDxBernePublicLibrary — Life on the Hill” on your calendar today: Saturday, Feb. 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. More details of this virtual live opportunity to follow in the weeks ahead.
Photo exhibit
Also moving to the virtual stage is the sixth Juried Photography Exhibit sponsored by the Friends of the Berne Library. Interested participants should email their photos to donna@bernepubliclibrary.org on or before Jan. 30. Category themes include: 2020, Architecture, “All You Need Is Love,” and “Food, Glorious Food.” Please direct questions about the contest to .
Check in
Library services or hours are likely to change from week to week due to present-day health stats. Please call 518-872-1246 for clarification or visit www.bernepubliclibrary.org for notices. Thank you.