ART Today in New Haven - SERA Salon: Social Experiments Relational Acts

[8 October 2010 - By City Wide Open Studios 2010]
This weekend at the Alternative Space, City-Wide Open Studios hosts SERA (Social Experiments Relational Acts) Salon, examining the notion of art as service – in a vacant, fully-outfitted nail salon.

Artspace has cleaned the salon, but left its original trappings – magazines, customer autographs, nail polish tubes, manicure tables and pedicure tables – intact. From 12 pm – 5 pm on Saturday, October 9, and Sunday, October 10, visitors will be able to participate in a series of site-specific experiments, developed by various artists and organized by Ted Efremoff.

One such experiment is “IMAGICURE: an imagination exchange for creative alternatives,” developed by Steven Dahlberg. In IMAGICURE, visitors are invited to to contribute an idea about how to infuse more creativity in education.  In his statement to Artspace, Dahlberg adds that, “A salon is inherently a place of social interaction, where ideas are exchanged and community is built….This experience explores creativity in service to self and the community.”

Dahlberg focuses on applied imagination in search of creative alternatives. He is interested in how creativity improves the well-being and flourishing of those who engage in it. He directed an international creativity conference and currently heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination.

The project also includes the relational act, WAIT.  WAIT engages its participants through a “Take-a-Number” ticket dispenser “Take-a-Number” ticket dispenser, and other permutations of symbolic place holders, that only exist to allow access to a future experience or object.  This is a relational act intended to discover, or at least approximate what we are waiting for?   What are the philosophical existential implications of  waiting? When do we wait? What does waiting feel like?

WAIT has been developed by John O’Donnell.  O’Donnell was conceived on Halloween, born on his father’s birthday, and raised in Montana. He lives and works in Connecticut. He has exhibited at the Chelsea Art Museum, the International Print Center in New York, and the Seoul Museum of Art in Korea. John creates installations, videos, performances, prints and works on paper.

Also participating are PRAXIS, the joint project of Delia Bajo and Brainard Carey.  Among many other notable achievements and innovations, the pair have previously participated in the Whitney Biennial.

Please join us this weekend to celebrate this unique event.  Social Experiments and Relational Acts await you ...

More about SERA ...

Pilobolus on Creativity - LIVE Friday at noon EDT

Pilobolus' Itamar Kubovy on Connecting the Creative Process in the
Studio and the Organization ... on Creativity in Play, 8 October 2010,
12:00 p.m. Eastern ... listen LIVE online at
http://www.creativityinplay.com or via telephone at +1 347 826 7082.

Pilobolus is an arts organization that operates with a principle of
"radical democracy" - where everyone's creativity matters. Their
challenge to themselves is to reflect that process in not only how they
create and perform dance, but in how they run the organization itself as
an organic, creative entity. We'll explore what lessons other
organizations can learn from the Pilobolus experience, as well as the
importance of movement in creativity. Itamar will participate in the
Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma City, November 15-17, 2010. Discover
more about Pilobolus at: http://www.pilobolus.com

ABOUT CREATIVITY IN PLAY: Exploring the importance of creativity, play
and imagination across society. Hosted by Steven Dahlberg (International
Centre for Creativity and Imagination) and Mary Alice Long, Ph.D.
(Play=Peace). Produced by the International Centre for Creativity and
Imagination, in partnership with the National Creativity Network. ...
'The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but
by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind
plays with the objects it loves.' – Carl Jung

Ken Robinson ... TED Part II

Ken Robinson returned to TED earlier this year and talked about the intersection of talents, passion and education.

[May 2010 - TED] In this poignant, funny follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Sir Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning -- creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish. More

As he did in his first TED talk about creativity and education, he sums up in less than 18 minutes key ideas that seem so obvious, yet are so far from the practices we employ in schools and society. Some of Ken's insights from his 2010 talk:

• There is a crisis of human resources -- we make poor use of our talents.
• Many people simply endure what they do rather than enjoy what they do.
• But some people do what they ARE and engage part of their authentic selves.
• Education dislocates people from their natural talents.
• We have to create the circumstances where talents show themselves. Education should be where this happens, but too often it's not.
• Education REFORM is not enough -- reform is only improving a broken model.
• We need not an evolution in education, but a revolution ... to transform it into something else.
  
• It needs innovation, which is hard because it challenges what we take for granted.
• Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Ken talked about "rising with the occasion" and the idea of "disenthralling ourselves."
• Life is organic ... not linear.
• We are obsessed with getting people to college. College does not begin in kindergarten. Kindergarten begins in kindergarten.
• Problem of conformity in education -- like fast food where everything is standardized.
• Human talent is tremendously diverse.
• Passion -- what excites our spirit and energy -- is important.
• Education doesn't feed a lot of people's spirits.
• Education, which is primarily based on a manufacturing model, should shift to one based on principles from agriculture.
  
• Human flourishing is an organic process. We cannot predict the outcome of human development. All you can do is create the conditions under which they begin to flourish.
• Customizing and personalizing education is the answer to the future.
  

And he finished with a poem excerpt from W. B. Yeats about how we spread our dreams before others' feet -- like kids do everyday -- and askied us to "tread softly, because you tread on my dreams."

If you care about the future of children and education and society, show Ken's two TED talks (and this one, too!) to your friends and colleagues and family and talk about how you can begin to act to make positive change in the ways we educate and work. Show these clips in a public meeting at your children's school. Show them in your workplace with your colleagues. Show them at the public library. You'll be amazed who cares about these topics, who shows up and what you might accomplish together. Imagine what if ...

REMINDER - Connecticut Imagination Conversation Tonight in Hartford

* Join panelists for a CONNECTICUT IMAGINATION CONVERSATION on Unleashing and Harnessing the Imagination in Learning and Work *
THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION AND THE STUDIO @ BILLINGS FORGE PRESENT IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS: A PROJECT OF LINCOLN CENTER INSTITUTE
==========================
MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010, 7:00-9:00 P.M.
The Studio @ Billings Forge,
539-563 Broad Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Free and open to the public.
RSVP: <http://www.eventbrite.com/event/665180573>
MORE INFO: conversation@appliedimagination.org or
<http://appliedimagination.org/conversation/>

Imagination Conversations bring together citizens from diverse fields -- including education, business, government, arts and nonprofits -- to explore the importance of imagination in life, work and society. Connecticut has a long tradition of creativity, invention and innovation, but the current economic downturn and increased worldwide competition mean that we cannot take our position for granted. Now more than ever, we must nurture imagination in our schools, create
environments for innovation in workplaces, and build cultures for creativity in our communities. Bring your "imagination story" to the second Connecticut Imagination Conversation on May 24. This conversation is part of a national dialogue -- 50 conversations in 50 states -- sponsored by the Lincoln Center Institute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Join moderators Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, and Janice La Motta, Program Coordinator, The Studio @ Billings Forge, plus invited guests and citizens from across Connecticut who care about the role of imagination and creativity in society. Guests include Sue Sturtevant, Executive Director and CEO of the Hill-Stead Museum, and Marie O'Brien, President of the Connecticut Development Authority.

ABOUT THE IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS NATIONALLY:
Imagination, the ability to visualize new possibilities, is a prerequisite for success in the 21st-century global economy. The Imagination Conversations prepare us for the future that requires imagination by:

• Building national awareness of imagination as a vital tool in work and in life.
• Sparking dialogue about imagination across the professional spectrum.
• Leading to the creation of an action plan to make imagination an integral part of American education.

The Imagination Conversations, a project of Lincoln Center Institute and a part of the Lincoln Center 50 Years celebration, run from the fall of 2009 to the spring of 2011. Many are hosted by state government, business, and cultural leaders. They feature diverse groups of panelists with distinctive perspectives and draw a wide range of audience members from the public and private sectors. Moderators facilitate the conversations, some of which reach viewers nationwide via live and archived streaming video. This two-year initiative will culminate in America's Imagination Summit, to be held at Lincoln Center in the summer or fall of 2011.

Imagination Conversation to be Held Monday in Hartford; Part of National Initiative

THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION AND THE STUDIO @
BILLINGS FORGE PRESENT IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS: A PROJECT OF LINCOLN
CENTER INSTITUTE
* Join panelists for a CONNECTICUT IMAGINATION CONVERSATION on
Unleashing and Harnessing the Imagination in Learning and Work *
==========================
MONDAY, MAY 24, 2010, 7:00-9:00 P.M.
The Studio @ Billings Forge,
539-563 Broad Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Free and open to the public.
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/665180573
MORE INFO: conversation@appliedimagination.org or
http://appliedimagination.org/conversation/
==========================

Imagination Conversations bring together citizens from diverse fields --
including education, business, government, arts and nonprofits -- to
explore the importance of imagination in life, work and society.
Connecticut has a long tradition of creativity, invention and
innovation, but the current economic downturn and increased worldwide
competition mean that we cannot take our position for granted. Now more
than ever, we must nurture imagination in our schools, create
environments for innovation in workplaces, and build cultures for
creativity in our communities. Bring your "imagination story" to the
second Connecticut Imagination Conversation on May 24. This conversation
is part of a national dialogue -- 50 conversations in 50 states --
sponsored by the Lincoln Center Institute to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Join
moderators Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for
Creativity and Imagination, and Janice La Motta, Program Coordinator,
The Studio @ Billings Forge, plus invited guests and citizens from
across Connecticut who care about the role of imagination and creativity
in society.

ABOUT THE IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS NATIONALLY:
Imagination, the ability to visualize new possibilities, is a
prerequisite for success in the 21st-century global economy. The
Imagination Conversations prepare us for the future that requires
imagination by:

* Building national awareness of imagination as a vital tool in
work and in life.
* Sparking dialogue about imagination across the professional spectrum.
* Leading to the creation of an action plan to make imagination an
integral part of American education.

The Imagination Conversations, a project of Lincoln Center Institute and
a part of the Lincoln Center 50 Years celebration, run from the fall of
2009 to the spring of 2011. Many are hosted by state government,
business, and cultural leaders. They feature diverse groups of panelists
with distinctive perspectives and draw a wide range of audience members
from the public and private sectors. Moderators facilitate the
conversations, some of which reach viewers nationwide via live and
archived streaming video. This two-year initiative will culminate in
America's Imagination Summit, to be held at Lincoln Center in the summer
or fall of 2011.

Applied Imagination: Your Ideas for Stopping and Cleaning Up the BP Gulf Oil Disaster

Creativity and imagination probably allowed BP to install this oil pipe in deep waters in the first place. Now, it requires not only BP -- but anyone, in the spirit of open innovation -- to help solve the problem of the leaking oil pipe in those deep waters. What's YOUR idea? Add it below in the comments ...

[17 May 2010 - Fast Company] BP can use all the help it can get in cleaning up the ever-growing Gulf oil spill--even with minor successes this weekend, the oil giant still lacks an immediate solution to stopping the flow of oil altogether. That's why it makes sense to harness the power of the Internet and collect as many ideas as possible from, well, everyone. The UK Guardian did just that earlier today, with exciting results. Below, a selection of promising ideas from the Guardian's solicitation for help. More

On Imagination

"Your imagination is your preview to life's coming attractions." --
Albert Einstein

Support Connecticut 'Creative Economy' Bill - Contact Your Connecticut State Senator NOW

[3 May 2010 - Northwest Connecticut Arts Council - Advocacy] CONTACT YOUR CONNECTICUT STATE SENATOR TODAY to support Creative Economy House Bill 5028. Important Legislation which was introduced by Connecticut State Rep. Roberta Willis, D-64 to foster and enhance the impact of a creative economy in Connecticut was unanimously approved in the state House last week.

House Bill 5028, "An Act Concerning Developing The Creative Economy" calls for a task force that would analyze the impact of a creative economy in Connecticut to boost arts and culture that adds to the state’s economy, tourism and job growth.

Last week this bill passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting action in the state senate. Contact your State Senators and urge them to support the bill TODAY. The session ends May 5th---so action is needed NOW.

• FIND YOUR SENATOR'S CONTACT INFO AT - click HERE.
• Please also URGE YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES to do the same today and contact their senator.
• If you have questions about the bill, please contact Representative Roberta Willis and her staff: 1-800-842-8267 or 860-240-8585 or Roberta.Willis@cga.ct.gov or go to Representative Willis' website - CLICK HERE.

Creative Community Workshop - Connecticut - May 17

[April 2010 - The Last Green Valley] Please join us in welcoming Randall Arendt to The Last Green Valley. Mr. Arendt is a nationally recognized expert in creative community design, planning and conservation. His latest efforts focus on helping communities redevelop commercial strips and create new mixed use centers. This workshop will be held in Chaplin, Connecticut, on May 17 at 6:00 p.m. A light dinner will be provided. Space is limited. Mr. Arendt will have advice for small and large communities. His slides show includes examples from many types of communities addressing a large array of issues from aesthetic to transportation to storm water and more. Come learn what your community can do to improve its commercial or mixed use center. For more info and to register, contact Susan Westa, Co-Director, Green Valley Institute, 860.774.9600, ext. 24 or susan.westa@uconn.edu. About The Last Green Valley.

Connecticut Imagination Conversation - Tonight in Hartford

Join us tonight for the Connecticut Imagination Conversation at 6 p.m.
in Hartford! More information and RSVP:
http://appliedimagination.org/conversation