The year 2022 saw unprecedented geopolitical and geoeconomic shifts. True to our mission, we took up many of the global challenges and invited experts and creatives from both sides of the Atlantic to exchange ideas through collaborative conversations, performances, and exhibitions. We are so grateful for your engagement in our programs throughout the shifts and changes of this past year.

In recent years, we have already seen many internal and external challenges to our democracies. But Russia’s blatant invasion of Ukraine goes beyond strategic competition with authoritarian regimes and calls into question the global liberal order of the last 75 years. Together with the American Council on Germany, we launched a virtual talk series Democracies under Pressure: Challenges to the Global Liberal Order to discuss the many implications of this shift.

Faced with an existential energy crisis, the fight against climate change seems to be relegated to the second row. However, time is running out for the planet, and solutions are needed. 1014 continued its partnership with Impact Hustlers and organized another virtual Climate Tech Summit – bringing together founders, entrepreneurs, and investors with more than 500 participants.

Climate change, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing pandemic – these crises and their impact in an interconnected world with increasingly polarized societies were also on top of the agenda of our Trans-Atlantic Media Forum and public panel with journalists and experts from the United States and Europe.

Division and (mis-)perception: In partnership with the De Gruyter Foundation, we thought it important to discuss prevalent concepts and controversial terms of our time such as racism and fascism, tracing back their original roots and analyzing their use in today’s language. Our mutual series Humanities for Humans will continue next year.

Mindful that we as humans not only operate on our planet but are also part of a greater galaxy, we organized four virtual trans-Atlantic space talks with experts of various professional backgrounds discussing space exploration vs. exploitation and the need for a sustainable, collaborative, and inclusive space architecture.

The architecture of buildings also featured prominently in our 2022 season, especially during Open House New York. The open house experience at 1014 Fifth Avenue was enriched by two panels on sustainable architectural practices and the unique challenges of renovating cultural spaces.

Going beyond the spoken word, we organized two concerts and four exhibitions, including audio works, with topics ranging from identity to digitization. Viewers immersed themselves into the world of art and music with private guided tours, public viewings, and intimate concert settings.

While presenting art at 1014 Fifth Avenue, we thought critically about the role museums and cultural institutions play in addressing the societal challenges of our time in a blog series with the Urban Activist. Building on these articles, we held a talk with curators, artists, and scholars discussing artistic interventions in museums and public spaces.

Urban and public spaces were also discussed in our Narcotic City Event Series, organized together with KWI - Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, Essen which explored the discourses, imaginaries, practices, and consequences of public drug use from the 1970s until the present with a focus on American and European cities across three roundtable discussions.

Collectively, we have contributed to pressing conversations on global topics with a total of 55 trans-Atlantic events, at 1014 Fifth Avenue and online - navigating the shifts of 2022 together. We look forward to continuing these imperative discussions with you next year. In the meantime, we encourage you to explore these topics and more in the 1014 magazine.