THE RENAISSANCE INSTITUTE

Renaissance Weekends build bridges among innovative leaders of all ages, with exceptionally diverse perspectives. For more than 30 years, Renaissance Weekends® — inter-generational, inter-disciplinary, invitation-only retreats — have celebrated both ideas & relationships. Civility prevails; partisanship is frowned upon; commercialism, banned. Renaissance Weekends were conceived in 1981, when friends were lamenting that, despite meeting fascinating people in their work and everyday lives... , they rarely had occasion to learn from each other in a personal and substantive way. To that end, 60 families pioneered Ambassador and Mrs. Lader's four-day New Year's "house party." Over the decades, the New Year's gathering has retained the same spirit and has become a "reunion" of some 1,000+ past participants and remarkable newcomers. Smaller Weekends, around other holidays and vacation times, have much the same character as the original gathering. Renaissance Weekend's 25th Anniversary — co-chaired by past participants Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton — was celebrated at gatherings throughout 2006. The 2014 Weekends - celebrating the 100th Renaissance Weekend and launching the next 100 - will include reunions of participants from the 30+ years' past Weekends. Scores of Nobel laureates, Pulitzer, MacArthur and Templeton Prize-winners, dozens of Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy-winners, Supreme Court Justices, Senators, Congressmen and Governors, many astronauts, 16 former candidates for U.S. President (Republicans and Democrats), and Wimbledon and Olympic champions, as well as professional athletes, have regularly been among the distinguished participants. But everyone who comes to Renaissance Weekend has a noteworthy and often inspiring story to tell. For many, their most consequential achievements and contributions are ahead. For some, Renaissance's ideas and relationships play an important part in their professional and personal development. The result has been a cross-generational "continuing conversation" of accomplished individuals with broadly divergent perspectives and no political agenda. Yet the Weekends' legacy of ideas and friendships has fostered significant projects, ventures and public service.More