Today I heard about Chicago Ideas Week for the first time from DJ extraordinaire Niena Drake, and it seems like an exciting event! CIW is dedicated to bringing the world’s top speakers together with Chicago’s best thinkers to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration, and intellectual recreation. Most sessions are $15, and vary widely in topics.

From a first glance at the schedule, here are some sessions that look especially interesting:

• Architecture Talk: features architects talking about the inspiration between certain structures and exploring the relationship between form and function (10/10, 4 p.m.)
• Photography Talk: some really accomplished photographers from National Geographic discuss the power of storytelling through photography (10/11, noon)
• Lab at the Art Institute of Chicago: the curator of contemporary art gives a tour of a new Modern Wing gallery installation focused on the work of Cuban-born American artist, Felix Gonzalez-Torres. He also discusses the curatorial process. (10/11, 4 p.m.)
• Fast Company Creativity Session: Fast Company gathers innovative leaders from a variety of disciplines to explore the importance of creativity and innovation in business (10/11, 4 p.m.)
• The Creative Spark: TIME pairs some of the most successful creative minds at work today in fields ranging from technology to politics to entertainment to discuss where great ideas come from and how they get transformed into action (10/11, 6 p.m.)
• Heroes: How easy it is for good guys to turn bad? Extraordinary individuals examine the characteristics of good and evil (10/13, noon)
• Ted x Midwest: in the spirit of ideas worth spreading, a cross-pollination of ideas from science, the arts, technology, business, activism, design and philanthropy. Speakers include Kevin Bacon, Wes Craven and other folks whose names are less recognizable but whose accomplishments are great (10/13, 3:30 p.m. & 10/14 8 a.m.)
• West Loop Art Galleries Walk (10/15, 3 p.m.)