2-Day Creativity Conference in April in Connecticut

An exciting, two-day conference -- "Advancing Creative Thinking: Imagination to Innovation" -- will take place in Ridgefield, Conn., on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28, 2012. The conference is presented by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield Library, and Ridgefield Arts Council, along with media sponsor, The Morris Media Group.

This cross-disciplinary conference will explore creativity and the creative process through the lenses of imagination and innovation -- which are at the heart of the creative process in every discipline, from the arts to education to business to government. While imagination opens up new possibilities, innovation seeks and identifies new opportunities for critical thinking and creative problem solving. A diverse range of keynote sessions, cross-disciplinary conversations, panel dialogues, and workshops will focus on the creative process and demonstrate that creative thinking is truly a necessary skill for the twenty-first century.

Friday’s opening keynote will feature New York Times tech columnist David Pogue on "Disruptive Creativity: How Bright Ideas Change Everything." The conference will close on Saturday evening with Nicholas Donofrio, fellow emeritus at IBM, on "Innovation for the 21st Century. "

During the day on Saturday, participants will have many programs to choose from ...

Creative Conversations include:

• "Stories of Innovation Success" with Matt Greeley, CEO of BrightIdea, and others.
• "Creative Models for Towns and Cities" with Linda Lees, founder and director of Creative Cities, and others.
• "Artistry Unleashed" with Hilary Austin from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.

Participatory Workshops will encourage attendees to put the creative process into practice:

• "Altered Books" with artist and illustrator Katie Stephenson.
• "Drawing: Gray Matters!" with Claire Watson Garcia from the Silvermine School of Art.
• "Sparking Idea Engines: How to Inspire Creative Breakthroughs" with Brian Mattimore, founder and principal of The Growth Engine.
• And more!

The speakers are drawn from the arts, education, business, technology and government sectors, including affiliations with the New York Times, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Jump Associates, BrightIdea, IBM, dosomething.org, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, Alliance for Childhood, Creative Cities International, University of Toronto, University of Connecticut, and others. Presenters are coming from locations including Ireland, Toronto, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, and San Francisco.

 

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:

• $125 - full-conference ticket for Friday afternoon to Saturday evening.
• $95 - All-day Saturday programs only, including the evening reception and keynote.
• $35 - Friday-evening keynote and reception only.
• $35 - Saturday-evening reception and keynote only.
• $25 - A special, pre-conference program for educators (including the following reception at The Aldrich) -- featuring Irvin Scott from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Programs will take place at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum and at the Ridgefield Library. Check out the full listing of events and purchase tickets; or call 203-438-2282 for more information.