Big Questions. Unexpected Connections. Five Fascinating Minds.

By Staff Writer

What do global security, Mexican politics, wild salmon, a notorious art forgery, and insects have in common? More than you might think.

For its eighth season, i³: ideas that inform & inspire returns with five distinguished thinkers whose work spans national security, journalism, conservation science, art history, and biology. Their subjects invite us to consider a question that connects us all: How do we preserve and sustain the people, institutions, ecosystems, and ideas that shape our future?

The season opens October 13, with historian and national security expert Karen Joy Greenberg, presenting Reimagining the Global Order: Peace and Security in the 21^st Century. Greenberg examines how global security priorities have shifted from arms control and diplomacy to the threats posed by terrorism, great-power rivalry, climate change, and artificial intelligence. She will explore the difficult balance between security, human rights, and peaceful coexistence.

On November 10, veteran journalist Mary Beth Sheridan tackles a question of particular relevance to those living in México: Who Really Holds Power in México? Trump, Sheinbaum and the Anti-Drug Fight. With four decades of reporting, including extensive experience covering México, Sheridan explores the growing influence of organized crime in the political, economic, and social life in México. How much power do criminal organizations wield? Has that changed? And what can President Sheinbaum do as Washington takes an increasingly aggressive approach to the drug trade?

The new year brings a different perspective. On January 12, conservation scientist Dr. William Atlas and filmmaker Olivia Leigh Nowak present What Wild Salmon—and the People Who Love Them—Can Teach Us About Ecosystems, Story, and Culture. Drawing on two decades of work with Indigenous and community-led salmon stewardship, they explore how place, reciprocity, storytelling, and cultural knowledge can restore resilience to ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them.

On February 16, art historian Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. takes us into one of the most fascinating scandals in art history with Vermeer, Forgeries, and the Van Meegeren Affair. When Han van Meegeren’s fake Vermeer paintings fooled experts and collectors, the revelations shook the art world. Wheelock, former curator of Northern Baroque painting at the National Gallery of Art and a leading Vermeer scholar, explores the deception and the evidence behind his conclusion that one controversial painting is, in fact, an authentic Vermeer.

The season concludes March 9, with Barrett Klein, Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, presenting, The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture. From architecture and engineering to mythology, fashion, medicine, music, and technology, Klein reveals the surprising ways insects have influenced human civilization, and invites us to see these tiny creatures in an entirely new light

T

he annual Patrons-only brunch on January 10, brings the conversation closer to home. México News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek presents The Sheinbaum Index: Separating Perception from Performance. Drawing on data-driven analysis, Bembenek examines President Sheinbaum’s performance through polling, economic indicators, security data, and other key measures, exploring where perceptions align with the numbers, and where they diverge.

For eight seasons, i³ has made San Miguel a gathering place for ideas that reach beyond the headlines.

The stage has welcomed more than 30 remarkable speakers. Last season, philosopher Angie Hobbs explored why Plato matters today, while astrophysicist Adam Frank asked whether we are alone in the universe. The subjects change from season to season, but the invitation remains the same: come curious, think deeply, and join the conversation.

i³: ideas that inform & inspire is a not-for-profit lecture series supported by Patrons whose support bridges the gap between tickets revenue and actual costs. Join us, and become part of the community that keeps Conversations with Big Thinkers thriving in San Miguel.

Presentations take place Tuesdays  at 5:00 p.m. at La Casona Event Center. Tickets are $325 mxn online or $350 mxn at the door.

For tickets, full season schedule, Patron benefits and more information, visit i3sma.org