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Summer Festival: OtherWorlds Fair

What is now our annual free public festival on Governors Island, OtherWorlds Fair (OWF) began as Inventgenuity Festival.

Inventgenuity was a long running Beam Center event that brought the magic of Beam's programs to the people of New York City. Otherworlds Fair combines the spirit of Inventgenuity with the scale of Beam Camp New Hampshire Big Projects and the hands-on learning and exploration of Beam Center’s youth programs and in-school programs.

Unlike Inventgenuity, OtherWorlds Fair is produced by youth who are employed in a six-week program called Beam Summer Studios. In this program, 70-80 youth from NYC public schools explore one of six multimedia disciplines:

Fashion & Textiles
Food & Science
Storytelling & Narrative Media
Music & Performance
Design & Fabrication
Workshop Design

Their time in the studios culminates in the OtherWorlds Fair.

Partnering with youth organizations such as Building Beats, Black Girls Sew, Earth Matter, Collective Faire and many others for open studios, they develop grand showcase projects and multi-media workshops to share with the public.

In Beam Summer Studios, youth learn new skills and express their creative visions with the support of adult area specialists then celebrate and share their creativity, joy, brilliance, vision and commitment at the festival.

See projects from past OtherWorlds Fair festivals below:

OtherWorlds Fair is rooted in youth autonomy, leadership and creativity. Every year, youth choose themes that help them shape their creations to showcase and create engaging workshops, exhibitions, and more for the public.