Stephanie Lepp
When I was in second grade, I had a lunchbox with Bert and Ernie on it. On the lunchbox, Bert was carrying a lunchbox, with Bert and Ernie on it. On that lunchbox, Bert was carrying a lunchbox...and I wondered, how far do the lunchboxes go? Am I in a lunchbox too??
My experience with the infinite lunchbox, as I fondly call it, remains salient. It’s my first memory of asking big questions, a pursuit that has become a lifelong source of creative fuel — and that I continue today as an artist and a strategist.
As an artist, I ask how we might be moved towards greater solidarity with others, especially those who we consider to be vastly different from ourselves. Recent works include Where I'm Coming From (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2015), an experience designed to build empathy by speaking other people’s perspectives in first person, and Moments of Immediate Intimacy (Black Rock City, 2014), a series of activities fueling rapid connection between strangers. I currently produce Reckonings, a podcast exploring how people fundamentally change their hearts and minds. Guests share stories of radically shifting their political views, overcoming bigotry, and making other kinds of transformative change.
As a strategist, I specialize in social innovation, public engagement, and experience design. I’ve been fortunate to advise clients across sectors, including Audi, NBC, and the City of New York, and in cities worldwide, from Copenhagen and Mumbai to São Paulo and Tel Aviv. I'm a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future, where I'm part of a network of thought leaders and innovators amplifying the Institute's capacity to work at the forefront of new ideas, such as peer-to-peer currency and micro-entrepreneurship.
I live in Monterey, California with my husband, otters, and other fine creatures. Be in touch at stephanie@infinitelunchbox.com and download my CV here.
My experience with the infinite lunchbox, as I fondly call it, remains salient. It’s my first memory of asking big questions, a pursuit that has become a lifelong source of creative fuel — and that I continue today as an artist and a strategist.
As an artist, I ask how we might be moved towards greater solidarity with others, especially those who we consider to be vastly different from ourselves. Recent works include Where I'm Coming From (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2015), an experience designed to build empathy by speaking other people’s perspectives in first person, and Moments of Immediate Intimacy (Black Rock City, 2014), a series of activities fueling rapid connection between strangers. I currently produce Reckonings, a podcast exploring how people fundamentally change their hearts and minds. Guests share stories of radically shifting their political views, overcoming bigotry, and making other kinds of transformative change.
As a strategist, I specialize in social innovation, public engagement, and experience design. I’ve been fortunate to advise clients across sectors, including Audi, NBC, and the City of New York, and in cities worldwide, from Copenhagen and Mumbai to São Paulo and Tel Aviv. I'm a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future, where I'm part of a network of thought leaders and innovators amplifying the Institute's capacity to work at the forefront of new ideas, such as peer-to-peer currency and micro-entrepreneurship.
I live in Monterey, California with my husband, otters, and other fine creatures. Be in touch at stephanie@infinitelunchbox.com and download my CV here.
