FIT Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design CAPSTONE 2019 — Keynote Address
Chris Wangro One-time circus ringmaster and former tsar of Special Events for the City of New York, Chris Wangro is acclaimed as one of the most imaginative impresarios of public events in America. For more than three decades Wangro produced a dizzying variety of projects that included dozens of prestigious concerts, arts festivals & cultural programs, as well as presidential summits, papal visits, pachyderm parades and mass public festivities seen around the world. He is known as a master of spectacle and has been called upon to bring to life extravaganzas for notables as varied as Mick Jagger & Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A committed producer-activist, he masterminded numerous benchmark events for environmental, humanitarian and social justice organizations worldwide. His work has won prestigious awards, captured global media attention, and generated over a hundred million dollars for those in need. In recent years Chris has turned his focus towards the design & development of public space. He has become a sought-after collaborator known for combining decades of pragmatic programming & producing experience with an uncommonly joyful and creative approach to place & community-making. Current projects include the creation of parks and plazas in Boston, Sarasota, Indianapolis, Nashville, Atlanta & Charlotte.