PINC Pushes the Bounds of Creativity

People. Ideas. Nature. Creativity. Better known as PINC, this unique event, now in its fifth year, brought together 12 global thinkers on our local Sarasota Opera House stage, presenting their forward-thinking initiatives to a sold-out audience.

Presented by DreamLarge and Ringling College of Art & Design, PINC’s diverse slate of speakers included: conflict researcher Christiaan Triebert; environmental entrepreneur and co-founder of Detroit Dirt Pashon Murray; sunlight artist Michael Papadakis; bird researcher John Marzluff; seven-time international balloon sculpting champion Mark Verge; farmer and founder of the Conetoe Family Life Center Reverend Richard Joyner; game and event designer Nashra Balagamwala; puppet designer and performer Ulysses Jones; human trafficking survivor Kathy Bryan; inventor, entrepreneur and advisor to presidents Sanford Greenberg; cofounder of Bee Saving Paper Anna Gadecka; and award-winning TV and film producer Caroline Baron.

Guests were welcomed by Anand Pallegar, founder of DreamLarge, who describes the day as “a bubble bath for the brain,” and, after lunch, by Ringling College of Art & Design President Larry Thompson, who made a dramatic entrance, dressed all in black, and descending from the ceiling while held by a cable. Fog machines added to the drama of the moment, while the “Mission Impossible” theme played.

Indeed, it was a day for the unexpected, which included a performance by a professional aerialist, and a rousing end to the day with a hip-hop sing-along. In between, guests were treated to an array of speakers that both challenged and inspired. They also enjoyed food (starting with breakfast, lunch, an afternoon tea and evening canapés) provided by Jeremy Hammond Chambers and Danny Gibbons and the team from Innovative Dining.