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

Imagination Conversation Set for Connecticut, April 19 in Hartford

CONNECTICUT TO EXPLORE CRITICAL ROLE OF IMAGINATION AS KEY TO FLOURISHING SOCIETY ... Connecticut Imagination Conversation is Part of 50-State Effort to Raise Awareness of Imagination: Why It Matters and How to Develop It in Our Lives and in Our Communities.

On April 19, 2010, the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and the University of Connecticut, in affiliation with Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education (LCI), will hold an Imagination Conversation at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus.

The Conversation will bring together leaders from an array of fields -- government, business, science, education, and the arts -- to explore the ways they experience and promote imagination in their work and communities. The goal of the Conversation is to present imagination as a key cognitive capacity, one that leads to creativity and innovation; and to help build awareness of imagination as a key skill in work and in life.

It is LCI's contention, as well as that of numerous scientists, government leaders, and educators, that imagination must be taught to children in our schools and nurtured in our communities. Applying imagination is crucial if Americans are to not only compete in the 21st-century marketplace, but create positive, flourishing communities that continually engage every citizen's creativity, imagination and ideas.

The Imagination Conversation will be in the auditorium of the Library Building at the University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus, 1800 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, Conn., 06117. The event begins with networking at 6 p.m. and the Imagination Conversation at 7 p.m. More details, along with parking and registration information, are available at:
http://www.appliedimagination.org

The Imagination Conversation is open to the public and will be recorded for broadcast on WNPR's Where We Live on Friday, April 23, at 9 a.m. WNPR's John Dankosky will moderate the Conversation with guests Steven Dahlberg and Scott Noppe-Brandon. Dahlberg is head of the New Milford, Conn.-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination (ICCI) and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut. Noppe-Brandon is executive director of Lincoln Center Institute and author of "Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility." Artists John O'Donnell and Ted Efremoff will visually map and document the Conversation while it happens. Students from the "Creativity + Social Change" class, invited participants from diverse sectors across the state, and the general public will also be involved in the Conversation.

This Conversation will focus on the role of imagination in education, creative community and economic development, and creative leadership in organizations. It seeks to build a relevant imagination-fueled agenda for the state to pursue. ICCI will coordinate follow-up action that emerges from this conversation, as well as additional future conversations.

“Creativity and imagination matter in every aspect of society,” says Dahlberg. “Imagination matters for engaging students and teachers in meaningful education. It matters for bringing new ideas into reality to improve the economy. And it matters for helping people express their creative capacities in their work and their communities. We hope to help connect people who want to tap into more of their imagination and apply it for creating positive change across this state.”

Imagination Conversations are expected to take place during the next two years in each of the 50 states. All of the Conversations will be documented and final proposals for nationwide educational reform will be made at a national Imagination Summit in New York in the summer or fall of 2011. At the Summit, Imagination Conversation findings and an action agenda will be presented to public policy makers, educators, legislators and the media in an effort to make cultivation of imagination a key element in our schools.

"Imagination can be described as having the ability to visualize new possibilities and the ability to ask, 'what if ...?'" says Noppe-Brandon. "Developing students' imaginations and teaching them to proceed from imaginative thinking to creative action is vital if they are to meet the challenges of today's world. If the United States is to maintain its position at the vanguard of innovation, it needs a workforce capable of finding fresh solutions to challenges and inventing groundbreaking products and services. LCI understands that imaginative learning in schools will produce such a population."

ICCI is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. It promotes imagination and creativity through public events such as the monthly Creativity Networking series; professional development training for educators and business people; advocacy for creativity topics in local, national and international conferences; dissemination of creativity ideas through writing and commentary in various media; and teaching and guest lecturing at various universities.

The University of Connecticut's Bachelor of General Studies Program encourages imagination, collaboration and democratic participation through its Public and Community Engagement-themed courses in Storrs and Hartford and online.

Having recognized the global importance of imagination early on, LCI has established itself as a leader in the implementation of a method by which imagination is introduced into classrooms and used across the curriculum. Through the hands-on study of works of art, students develop their capacities to think imaginatively and critically, which serve them in all subject areas. With its programs reaching an estimated 390,000 students per year through its partnerships with schools across the U.S. and abroad, LCI is making an impact on the direction of education not just in New York but all over the world.

ABOUT THE HOSTING ORGANIZATIONS:
About Steven Dahlberg and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination:
Steven Dahlberg is director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, which is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. He teaches "Creativity + Social Change" in the Public and Community Engagement theme at the University of Connecticut. He has nearly 20 years of experience in this field, and has worked with Yale University, Guggenheim Museum, Yahoo!, Americans for the Arts, Danbury Public Schools, UNESCO, Louisiana's Office of the Lt. Governor, New Economics Foundation, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, World Knowledge Forum, City of Providence, 3M, Aldrich Museum, State of Connecticut, and Rhode Island College, among other organizations. He has helped toy inventors launch a creativity consulting business, directed an international creativity conference, and taught an undergraduate creativity course for incarcerated men. Dahlberg edits the Applied Imagination blog, authored the foreword to the book, Education is Everybody's Business. He is particularly interested in creative community building, creative education, local food and sustainable agriculture, and creative aging.

About Lincoln Center Institute (LCI):
LCI is the educational cornerstone of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., and is the model for arts education programs across the U.S. and abroad. Founded in 1975, the Institute is known for its inventive repertory, and brings music, dance, theater, visual arts, and architecture into classrooms in the New York City area, across the nation, and around the world. In more than three decades of outreach, LCI's approach has reached more than 20 million students, teachers, administrators, parents, community members and professors of education worldwide. The number is projected to increase in the next few years, thanks to LCI's highly successful professional development programs and Internet presence.

ARTISTS IN TRANSITION CONFERENCE / APRIL CREATIVITY NETWORKING

CREATIVITY NETWORKING ... Special Off-Site, Co-Located Program with the
ARTISTS IN TRANSITION CONFERENCE IN DANBURY, CONNECTICUT ... Steven
Dahlberg to lead a workshop on 'Creative Thinking, Aging and Living:
Engaging our Strengths, Living our Purpose'
==========================
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010, 12:00-5:00 P.M.
Westside Campus Center Building, Western Connecticut State University, 3
University Boulevard, Danbury, Connecticut 06810.
$25/person (Save $15 ... enter "Creativity Networking" in the "how did
you learn about the conference?" on the registration form and pay the
usual $10 Creativity Networking fee!) Questions? Email
artistsintransition@yahoo.com
==========================

Artists in Transition Conference ... for and about artists facing health
issues, as well as for non-disabled artists, arts administrators and
anyone interested in creativity, diversity and accomplishment.

One of the best gatherings on this topic, with more than 15 speakers and
workshops, and outstanding networking opportunities. In workshops, learn
more about creativity and aging, maximizing employment opportunities,
career transitions, grant writing, health insurance and more. Plus hear
from speakers who are artists/performers who are themselves dealing with
health issues and disability and are living active, creative and
accomplished lives in and through the arts.

Find more information about the conference and about Steven Dahlberg's
workshop:
<http://appliedimagination.org/events/artistsintransition.htm>
Download a PDF of complete conference information, including workshop
descriptions:
<http://appliedimagination.org/ait.pdf>

-----------------------------------------
The Creativity Networking Series is curated and hosted by Steven
Dahlberg, who heads the International Centre for Creativity and
Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University
of Connecticut.

The Creativity Networking Series is presented by The Silo at Hunt Hill
Farm and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, both based
in New Milford, Connecticut. Creativity Networking is normally held at 2
p.m. on one Sunday each month at The Silo. The series provides a forum
for exploring the many facets of creativity and for discovering other
people interested in creativity. Through interesting topics and guests,
the series seeks to help people rediscover and reconnect with their
inherent creativity and explore new ways of expressing it.

"Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around" is Focus of Pell Lecture in Providence

[24 February 2010 - The City of Providence] Mayor David N. Cicilline will host the second annual Senator Claiborne Pell Lecture on Arts and Humanities on Tuesday, March 9 at 7pm at Trinity Repertory Company. Mayor Cicilline established the annual symposium in honor of the late Senator for his extraordinary work championing education, the arts and humanities.

>> MAYOR CICILLINE ANNOUNCES 2ND ANNUAL SENATOR CLAIBORNE PELL LECTURE: Lecture honoring the late Senator to focus on "Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around" <<

The symposium, Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around, will explore how bicycling can transform the urban experience by raising the following questions for discussion: How do creative thinkers strengthen civic life? How can a city foster a more bicycle-friendly environment? How might Providence change if more people made a bicycle their primary mode of transportation? Pell Lecture 2010 Panel:

* David Byrne has been writing and performing music and directing video and film for more than 30 years. He was lead singer and guitar player for the innovative rock band Talking Heads, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. What might not be as well known is Byrne’s longtime passion for biking and advocacy for bicycles in cities. Byrne has traveled New York City’s streets on a bike since the early 1980s, and often brings a folding bike on tour. His latest book explores this topic; Bicycle Diaries is an account of his urban bicycle odyssey through the streets of Istanbul, Buenos Aires, London, Berlin, Paris, Belgrade, Sydney, Manila, New York and San Francisco. Bicycle Diaries features beautiful photography, personal anecdotes from Byrne's wide travels and a strong argument for the way a bicycle can change our view of the world and the city in which we live.
* Samuel Zipp is an urban historian who studies the cultural and intellectual history of 20th century cities. He teaches American Studies and Urban Studies at Brown University. He earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University. His book, Manhattan Projects: The Rise and Fall of Urban Renewal in Cold War New York, will be published by Oxford University Press this spring. Zipp’s interest in cities really took hold through a job as a bike messenger. He says traveling along the San Francisco streets by bike gave him a real appreciation for urban geography and the need to learn a city's social, political, and economic structure from the inside out. Zipp’s presentation will explore the place of bicycles in the history of city development and urban renewal.
* Thomas Deller is a civic leader with first-hand experience creating infrastructure needed for bicycles in Providence. During his tenure as Director of Planning and Development for the City of Providence Deller has overseen the implementation of the Providence Bicycle Network and Providence Tomorrow, the city’s comprehensive plan, which contains many progressive policies regarding biking. As part of changes related to the I-195 highway move, Deller is working with local, state and federal partners to make way for bicycles in the Jewelry District. Deller’s experience in Planning and Urban Development dates back to 1979, when he began his career as a Planner in the East Providence Planning Department. He holds a Masters Degree in Community Planning and a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies from the University of Rhode Island.

The Senator Claiborne Pell Lecture on Arts and Humanities is a free but ticketed event. Tickets will be available beginning Thursday, February 25th at the Trinity Repertory Company box office, 201 Washington Street, and must be picked up in person (no phone reservations). Four ticket limit per person. Due to limited availability we suggest advance pick-up. For box office hours and directions, call 401-351-4242. For more information on the lecture, contact (401) 421-2489 x456 or visit www.creativeprov.org.

About the Pell Lecture
Initiated by Mayor Cicilline in 2009, the annual lecture honors the late Claiborne Pell (1918-2009), who represented Rhode Island in the United States Senate from 1961-1997. Senator Pell is best remembered for being a champion of education, the arts and the humanities. He was the main sponsor of the Pell Grant, a financial aid program for U.S. college students, and he played a major role in the establishment of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment of the Humanities.

From Eco-Systems to Social-Systems: A Systems Approach to Sustainability - January 2010 Workshop

From Eco-Systems to Social-Systems: A Systems Approach to Sustainability
ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY in this spring 2010 workshop series ... designed
to provoke, inspire and involve
Host: Creative Community Building @ University of Connecticut
Thursday, January 7, 2010
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: WindhamARTS Collaborative
866 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226

We are pleased to announce our first series of public workshops, to be
held January to June 2010!

From Eco-Systems to Social-Systems: A Systems Approach to
Sustainability ... with Phoebe Godfrey
January 7, 2010 - 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Explore a systems approach to the complex issue of sustainability,
including similarities and differences between biological and social
systems. We'll seek new, sustainable and democratic models for our own
communities and places of learning. Emphasis will be placed on ways in
which the process of transforming our existing systems into sustainable
ones can begin with our own daily practices and the ways in which we
engage with each other. All are welcome; bring ideas and energy.

Registration is requested, but not required. RSVP to Katie Gregory at
catherine.gregory@uconn.edu or 860-486-0358.

Creativity: What Is It? - Creativity Networking Series to Launch in January 2010

==========================
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: Creativity: What Is It?
... with educator Steven Dahlberg
==========================
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2010, 2:00-3:30 P.M.
The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Road, New Milford, Connecticut
06776. $10; open to all. RSVP to 860.355.0300 or
culbertsonv@hunthillfarmtrust.org.

Creativity matters in all aspects of society. If you want to reconnect
with your inherent creativity and explore new ways of expressing it,
don't miss this series, which will be held at 2 p.m. on the second
Sunday of each month at The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford,
Connecticut. The series will cover topics about creativity in all forms
(including, but not limited to, arts) -- creative thinking, creative
communities, creativity and education, creativity in organizations,
creative persons, the creative process, creative aging, creativity and
movement, creativity and spirituality, and more. In the first session on
January 10, come and explore the general topic of "what is creativity?"
-- plus, who has it, and how one can tap into more creativity both
personally and professionally. Steven Dahlberg, who will host the
series, also will lead the kick-off session in January. Dahlberg is the
head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and
teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.

Please print and post this flyer to spread the word about the series:
http://appliedimagination.org/jan2010.pdf

The Creativity Networking Series is presented by The Silo at Hunt Hill
Farm and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, both
based in New Milford, Conn. The series provides a forum for exploring
the many facets of creativity and for discovering other people
interested in creativity.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
Steven Dahlberg is head of the International Centre for Creativity and
Imagination, which is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the
well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. He works with
the Public and Community Engagement program at the University of
Connecticut, where he teaches the "Creativity + Social Change" course.
Dahlberg collaborates with artists, scientists, business people,
educators, nonprofit and government professionals, and others to help
people develop and apply their creativity. His work includes directing
international creativity and training conferences, teaching
undergraduate and graduate courses in creativity, helping toy inventors
launch a creativity consulting business, collaborating on participatory
public art projects, serving as an adviser to the Guggenheim Museum, and
teaching creativity to incarcerated men. He regularly contributes to
various media (including WNPR), edits the Applied Imagination blog, and
authored the foreword to Education is Everybody's Business.
http://www.appliedimagination.org

ABOUT HUNT HILL FARM:
Custom cooking classes, shopping, tasting, museum tours, slide shows,
and gallery talks are among the offerings for groups and tours visiting
Hunt Hill Farm. Located in the Litchfield Hills of western Connecticut,
Hunt Hill Farm has been the location of the Silo since 1972 -- a
combination cooking school, art gallery, and gourmet kitchenware/food
store. Now operating under the auspices of the Hunt Hill Farm Trust as a
nonprofit organization for preservation, the farm is also host to the
Skitch Henderson Museum and Hunt Hill Farm Land Preserve.
http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org/

Top Global Thinkers of 2009 ... Who's on your list?

Who's on your list of important thinkers from 2009?

[December 2009 - Foreign Policy] The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers: From the brains behind Iran's Green Revolution to the economic Cassandra who actually did have a crystal ball, they had the big ideas that shaped our world in 2009. Read on to see the 100 minds that mattered most in the year that was. More (The List)

Making of Me: Creativity is vital in shaping our futures ... families are fundamental in developing it

[2 November 2009 - DEMOS (UK) - By Jen Lexmond and Shelagh Wright] Creativity and cultural engagement are essential ingredients in making our individual and collective lives rich. They are both key to developing and dependent on the social capital that is so vital in mobility and life chances. The terms creativity and culture are acknowledged as tricky to define, but the domains they describe, however disputed, are widely recognized as crucial to our futures. The Oxford English Dictionary defines creativity as ‘involving the use of the imagination or original ideas in order to create something’ and culture as ‘one, the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. Two, a refined understanding or appreciation of this. Three, the customs, institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people or group’. Many commentators and researchers have argued that creativity and culture make more prosperous and cohesive societies.They provide accounts of how talent flows and grows. What we have been less good at is understanding how to nurture that talent and potential in the first place. The role of families is fundamental. This paper looks at how families could be better supported and how we might get more from our existing investments in this area. We ask questions about what should be done as a stimulant for the kinds of ideas we need. More

Art and Its Cultural Contradictions

This essay raises questions about the role of the artist/creative engaging in neighborhoods, communities and cities. How do they participate and involve? How much time in the community "counts"? How can artists/creatives have the most meaningful impact?

[Autumn/Winter 2009 - "Art and Its Cultural Contradictions" in Afterall] PREAMBLE: A FLOOD OF QUESTIONS: What is at stake when artists, architects, curators, organisers and other cultural producers facilitate bricks-and-mortar change, on the ground in cities, with citizens, communities and institutions? How do we test the interrelationships between the practices of artists and urban policy makers? What is the metric that we might utilise to determine effectiveness? And what do we mean by effectiveness? Critical effect? (Or, for that matter, critical affect?) The putatively emancipatory outcome generated by some kind of new situational knowledge? Or, is it a question of generating ambiguity, per se, as a means of problematising hegemonic political, economic and cultural formations?

Is it conceivable to imagine that the cultural and intellectual capital of artistic labour can generate sustained, and sustainable, responsiveness to urban crises that would offer palpable functionality (or applicability) for people's lives - contra to the useful uselessness of the aesthetic condition that is supposedly ennobling of mind and spirit, or generative of disinterestedness as a prerequisite for absorption and contemplation? Have we taken into consideration that as art critics, art historians, curators and art theorists we might be misapplying criteria of aesthetic evaluation in relation to the evaluation of art projects that arise from sometimes uncomfortable, difficult circumstances? Is it perhaps just a question of re-calibrating our criteria of evaluation or, at the very least, how we communicate to others our experience of a specific work within a particular situation, so that criteria remain sufficiently fluid and tactical? What does it mean to encounter a work of art in the midst of economic and social ruination?

This essay seeks to raise such questions on the occasion of and in relation to a new biennial (Prospect.1) and a new cultural initiative (Transforma Projects), both of which emerged in New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster that in 2005 flooded 80 per cent of the city, and killed nearly 2,000 people, as efforts claiming to engage in the regeneration, rebuilding and revitalisation of various aspects of that city's cultural, economic and social life. Prospect.1 and Transforma Projects are distinct from each other in terms of ideological and organisational strategies and infrastructures: the former presenting itself as the first international biennial in New Orleans (i.e. event-oriented), with official support from local and state government and major art world benefactors, and a more conventional 'top-down' hierarchical curatorial/exhibition process; the latter operating as a small cultural initiative on an emphatically grass roots level, involving 'bottom-up' socially participatory processes (i.e. rethinking normative institutional hierarchies) to generate and utilise art projects as a means of facilitating social rebuilding within economically and socially disenfranchised communities in the city, yet also supported by major art foundations.

Authentic education is always experimental

An old blog post from "The Speed of Creativity" blog, but an important one worth revisiting. What examples of authentic education and learning are you leading? Participating in? Creating?

[8 April 2006 - The Speed of Creativity] In the educational, classroom environment, authentic education is always experimental. This is because teaching is an art, not a science. Many, many people sadly mistake the purpose of the educational enterprise as mere content transmission. Much of the curriculum standards which dominate the educational landscape today [...] are based on this faulty assumption. Like E.D. Hirsh, I agree there are some common things with which people should be acquainted in order to be “culturally literate.” I do not agree, however, that schools should take those “laundry lists” of names and events and seek to make kids memorize and regurgitate those facts on multiple choice examinations. I do not think an understanding of the need for “cultural literacy” should lead to a shallowing of the curriculum, which remains a mile wide and an inch deep. To the contrary, authentic teaching and learning should be ALL ABOUT learning in depth through engaging conversations and activities. To create this type of teaching and learning environment, it is implicit that teachers must experiment. Authentic teaching and learning are experimental activities because the environment of the classroom is inherently dynamical and chaotic, like global weather patterns. More

Facilitating Radical Graphics Campaigns - Beehive Collective Presentation at UCONN, November 2

Join the Beehive Design Collective's discussion on how they facilitate radical graphics campaigns and the meaning behind their work.
Monday, November 2, 2009
8:00pm - 10:00pm
Dodd Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
Event Info on Facebook

Here are their words about the Plan Colombia campaign:
This graphic is the product of many intercambios about the issue of colonialism in the Andean Region of South America that took place between our collective and organizers over the spring of 2002 in Ecuador, Colombia and the U.S. These exchanges of information and inspiration were collaboratively sewn together into a quilt of images, that are organized into a circuit of progressions and contrasts that inform and engage the viewer throughout their journey of the graphic. The long history of colonialism in the Americas, currently manifested in the Andean Region as "Plan Colombia", is a strong metaphor of the multi-faceted destructive influences of U.S. foreign policy and corporate monoculture on a global scale. This graphic attempts to expose the lie of the drug war as a smokescreen for multinational corporation's interests in extraction of the rich biodiversity and natural resources of the Amazon and her peoples. It is an anti-war poster that speaks in the mythology of our times… the cancerous monomyth of corporate globalization, and its antibodies of grassroots resistance. In an attempt to overcome the tendency of images to simply portray "what we are against," this graphic illustrates this story in three "layers" to help the viewer experience the different aspects of an extremely complex, and brutal situation. The mission was to give an illustrated explanation of not just the nightmare, but to also give weight to the inspiring stories of hope, courage and struggle of those that are directly experiencing it. As North American youth that have endured the destructive and racist brainwashing of television, videogames, cultural appropriation and advertising imagery, our collective felt it was essential to produce this representation in collaboration with organizers in the Andean region, to get the story straight. The result, is thick with those voices. The tools produced from this collaboration are being distributed, as anti-copyright material, for use in campaigns in both the South and North of the Americas. More

The Beehive's mission: To cross-pollinate the grassroots, by creating collaborative, anti-copyright images that can be used as educational and organizing tools. In the process of this effort we seek to take the "who made that!?" and "how much does it cost!?" out of our creative endeavors, by anonymously functioning as word-to-image translators of the information we convey. We build, and disseminate these visual tools with the hope that they will self-replicate, and take on life of their own. More about Beehive