“ The Visionaries in Motion Series brought me to Rochester for the first time. It was an opportunity not only to talk about the work we are doing as architects and urban designers, but also to engage with students and listen to their ideas through a moderated dialogue. Given the high quality of the lecturers who have participated, RIT has an unparalleled program worth continuing and expanding. ”

“ Visionaries in Motion is a high-quality, long-running chance not only for a wide variety of people from Rochester to interact with leaders from many fields, but also a unique opportunity for "visionaries" to test out their own ideas with some very informed, engaged people. For me, my talk at RIT was certainly one of the highlights of the many lectures that I have given worldwide. I was able to discuss at length with people in the audience about a variety of issues, and ended up conversing past midnight with a number of members of the faculty. I thoroughly enjoyed my part in Visionaries in Motion, and deeply hope that it can continue. ”

“ I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to RIT. The students, faculty, and community members were a highly interactive and passionately engaged audience. ”

“ I've just arrived back in Australia after long flights from Rochester. I wanted to send you a brief but vigorous ‘Thank You!’ for inviting me to present as part of your Visionaries in Motion. I am deeply honoured to have contributed to this remarkable lecture series. It was a particular delight to spend time with RIT students, absorbing their energy, perspectives and insightful questions about forging their own careers as creative innovators. I also very much wish to thank Gary (Skuse), Jim (Perkins) and [project leader] Mary Lynn, for making me feel so welcome and making sure the whole event ran so smoothly. ”

“ This program is essential to the intellectual life of Rochester. There are few venues where the arts, humanities and science get a chance to talk with each other in a creative setting. I really enjoyed participating in the lecture program and I enjoyed hearing other speakers even more! “Visionaries in Motion” is a jewel. ”

“ Being part of the Visionaries in Motion series was a great honor and pleasure. I loved speaking to an audience that was as interested in the technological side of my work as the aesthetic side--that doesn't happen often. I think this series helps us all to think in more hybrid ways, and is thus an important and valuable forum. ”

“ Peter Cook and I have presented our ASL poetry in a number of lecture series over the last 25 years and yours is near the top. I know your promotional work was excellent because the 350-seat theater was packed with an audience that was both informed and enthusiastic. The technical crew did a wonderful job answering all our needs and the RIT community was welcoming throughout the day. In particular, we enjoyed a workshop we did with an all deaf literature class in the afternoon. It was nice to see many of them at the performance later that evening. Perhaps most interesting of all was when Mary Lynn took the time to bring us to our interview with Bob Smith of WXXI. How he was able to conduct a radio interview so smoothly with a deaf guest is beyond me! I must add that it was truly a privilege to have the opportunity to perform in the Caroline Werner Gannett “Visionaries in Motion” series!

When things go together so smoothly and when we are made to feel a part of the community we visit, it is reflected in the quality of our performance. We had a great show! Thank you for bringing us to RIT and allowing us to experience such a wonderful day. RIT is lucky to have this remarkable series! ”

“ Speaking to the students and faculty at RIT was exhilarating. It was snowing. Curiosity and intelligence enveloped me. I was happy. ”

“ Just the fact I can let people know I'm an RIT ‘visionary in motion’ has been a prized take away for me. . . RIT's Visionaries in Motion lecture series invites and opens dialogues with practitioners from many professions. This is a vital gift to the larger community and especially for students who are immersed in academic studies usually focusing on theory, often leaving practice and unexpected journeys off the table. I enjoyed and learned from the arranged exchanges and found the enthusiasm and engaged queries of the overall community to be exceptional. Thank you again for that experience. ”

“ Diversity is the spice of life--and my experience at RIT was a demonstration in excellence across the diversity spectrum. ”

“ The Gannett Project's lecture series Visionaries in Motion offers Rochester a roster of voices seldom heard in one city anywhere in the country. Not only in depth of individual gifts but in overall range of interests, the visitors to this lecture series make a rare and remarkable offering. ”

“ Speaking as part of the 2011 Visionaries in Motion series was a wonderful experience. It is a very rare and valuable thing for a scientist to have the opportunity to discuss his work and his writing in such an inter-disciplinary forum. All too often we find ourselves boxed into artificial pigeonholes of thought, but during my time at Rochester I was fortunate to be able to discuss my work with enthusiastic people from RIT, other academic organizations in Rochester, and beyond. My work naturally spills over from biology into history, sociology and politics, and contributing to this series allowed me to bring new ideas to new people and for new people to new people to bring new ideas to me. ”

“ I get to speak in many places, but my visit to Rochester was particularly memorable--the mix of students and community, the sense that much of the area was intellectually engaged. I hope Visionaries in Motion continues for many years! ”

“ I can't think of another speaker series in our area which brings in such a wide array of artists, scientists, writers, and other figures who work in many disciplines. The diversity of the speakers is remarkable, and the guests who are featured are active leaders in their fields. When I presented my talk about composing new music, I was delighted with the engagement I felt from the audience. The discussion that followed my presentation was lively, open, direct - a real conversation. The Visionaries in Motion series is a local treasure for the university and general community in Rochester. ”

“ I had a fantastic time up in Rochester, the audience was extremely enthusiastic and responsive. And looking at the past and current speaker schedule I am sorry I don’t live closer to Rochester, there are so many, many presentations that I would have loved to be part of! Maira Kalman! Ed Burtynsky! Ray Kurzweil! Charles Burns! Wow! ”

“ In 2012, it’s become clear that the opening of the 21st Century is a period where we humans will make certain choices that will shape our - and our planet’s future - for better or worse, forever. It’s not easy to grasp the full scope or nature of this situation, as its underlying structure is interlocking and diffuse, but an interdisciplinary vision is necessary in order to take in what is happening, and to connect the fields that are institutionally kept separate. Any such vision is bound to be controversial, but the precondition for thinking on a global scale is to see the unity of unnecessary suffering taking place. This is the starting point, and RIT’s outstanding Visionaries in Motion series is one of the rare programmes in the country that brings together innovators in the arts, sciences and emerging technology fields in the interesting of cultivating just the kind of critical thinking and interdisciplinary approach that is critical, at a time when the limits of specialization are being belatedly recognized. That the series is free and open to the public further enhances the dialogue and reminds us powerfully of the purposes of the Humanities and the Academy in the first place. ”

“ RIT's Visionaries in Motion series creates a wonderful atmosphere for inquisitive minds to explore important questions across disciplines. The organizers go above and beyond to ensure that participants get the most out of the experience--the chance to take part in the series is truly a unique opportunity. ”

“ In October, 2008 I had the distinct pleasure of being asked to participate in RIT's Visionaries in Motion series, with my collaborator, the poet-librettist George Elliott Clarke. We were there to perform excerpts from our two operas, "Quebecite" and "Trudeau: Long March/Shining Path", but the event was proceeded by a roundtable discussion in which very keen RIT students asked excellently prepared questions covering my career and the creative process. I was particularly struck by the inquisitive, enthusiastic nature of all involved and I had an extremely pleasant time. My stay there also involved a rehearsal/workshop with RIT students, and it was thrilling to watch them take on some at times difficult repertoire with - again - such enthusiasm and talent. The event culminated in a concert featuring myself performing with students and George reciting his poetry. It was an altogether warm and welcoming affair, inspiring for me to be a part of and - hopefully - inspiring for the students as well. Certainly, I look forward to hopefully returning one day in the future, and thank Mary Lynn Broe and RIT for the wonderful experience! ”

“ The lecture series Visionaries in Motion treats us to a wide variety of well-chosen subjects, with appeal to both the general thinking public and scholars in the fields represented. Its strong popularity is well deserved. I had been concerned that my presentation in the series would not be well attended, nor well appreciated, because it dealt with my research on DNA with considerable technical detail. I was wrong on both counts; I received many questions and compliments afterward. ”

“ I was introduced to the many luminary faculty at RIT by the Visionaries in Motion program — I was literally moved. ”

“ You have my hearty support of RIT's fantastic Visionaries in Motion lecture series. I have spoken at many different series of this sort around North America, but by far RIT's distinguishes itself with its bold and varied roster of topics and personalities. Such a series contributes an incredible amount of energy and culture to the life of a campus and community, and it extends the educational mission, and reach, of a post-secondary institution such as RIT. This series is model, progressive and vital. Please don't let its accomplishments and future go to the wayside. ”

“ I had the terrific honor to speak in the Gannett lecture series last March. It was a packed audience, diverse in their demographics as well as their fields of specialization, and their enthusiasm was palpable -- it was clear that the Visionaries in Motion series figured prominently in their intellectual lives. The following day I guided some workshop sessions in a more interactive atmosphere, and it was great getting to know the students at RIT. I've actually remained in contact with two students I met that day, really exceptional creators -- something that I can't recall happening to me elsewhere. ”

“ The Visionaries in Motion series is a wonderfully eclectic collection of voices from people pushing the envelope in various directions. And not just the envelope, either! It was a pleasure and an honor to present the perspectives and objectives of the CLUI in this series, adding our institutional voice to this most esteemed group of contemporary thinkers and do-ers. ”

“ Vision drives inventions. Passion drives Visionaries. Visionaries come together for Gannett Project. Thanks to the resonance with great audience at the Gannett Project’s “Visionaries in Motion” series at RIT. ”