An Initial Look at America’s Creative Economy ... from the National Creativity Network

Press Release: September 18, 2013

Contacts: George Tzougros, Board Chair, National Creativity Network, 608-267-2006, George.tzougros@wisconsin.gov; Christine Harris, Principal Researcher and Lead Author, 414-379-1011, Christine@charrisconnect.com

The National Creativity Network announces the release of AMERICA’S CREATIVE ECONOMY: A STUDY OF RECENT CONCEPTIONS, DEFINITIONS, AND APPROACHES TO MEASUREMENT ACROSS THE USA. The 141-page free report is the most comprehensive study to date on creative economies across America – especially focused on how regions and organizations conceptualize and track that segment of their local economy that fosters and taps imagination, creativity, and innovation to create and deliver goods, products, and services.

A total of 27 reports published between 2002 – 2012 were analyzed by the research team as a project of the Creative Economy Coalition (CEC), a working group of the National Creativity Network, and informed by the CEC National Research Advisory Council. Reports and interviews from medium and large cities and their surrounding environs, entire states, and regional studies covering many states were gathered and analyzed. Over half of the states in America are represented in the report, a testament to the widespread interest of communities to better understand, measure, and grow their creative economies. These developments are consistent with worldwide interest in creative economies ranging from longstanding creative economy efforts in the United Kingdom, many Commonwealth countries, other nations and regions in Europe, and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and recent and growing interest in South America, Africa, and Asia.

Among many findings, the report found that while there is considerable variation in how regions of the US measure their creative economies there is also considerable overlap. Many regions are finding that their creative economies equal or exceed the size of other important sectors of their economies. Regions also report that policy makers are increasingly interested in learning about the creative economy. There is wide recognition that further refinements of tools and approaches are needed if creative economies are going to advance in public consciousness and economic development plans and policies. The report was co-authored by Christine Harris of Christine Harris Connections, Margaret Collins, Executive Director of the Center for Creative Economy, and Dennis Cheek, Executive Director of the National Creativity Network. Christine and Margaret, reflecting on the research and many conversations that informed this effort, noted that the report “makes clear that efforts to understand and measure local creative economies to stimulate growth and competitive differentiation are alive and well across states, regions, and cities of the United States.”

The Creative Economy Coalition (CEC), a formal working group of the National Creativity Network, comprises organizations that are actively seeking to advance, measure, compare, track progress, and accelerate the growth of creative economies across America. This report is a direct outgrowth of the expressed needs of CEC members to learn from one another and improve existing efforts. Interested organizations are urged to join the CEC conversation and connect with like-minded organizations focused on the creative economy.

The National Creativity Network (NCN) is a US-based international nonprofit established in 2010  that seeks to advance the skillful application of imagination, creativity, and innovation (I-C-I) to positively improve education, commerce, culture, and government across North America.  The NCN connects like-minded regions that want to share information, ideas and strategies with one another as well as learn from existing efforts in North America and around the globe. The NCN sponsors webinars and other regular communications concerning imagination, creativity and innovation as well as co-sponsoring the 2013 USA Creative Business Cup. The NCN will hold its next annual meeting on November 18-19, 2013 in collaboration with Creative Oklahoma’s State of Creativity Forum in Oklahoma City. Speakers and attendees from throughout North America as well as several other countries are expected to participate, with highlights including an NCN-sponsored panel discussion focused on perspectives on the creative economy across North America. To register for the combined event, visit the Creative Oklahoma website (www.stateofcreativity.com).

America’s Creative Economy was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from Americans for the Arts, Maine Center for Creativity, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, North Carolina Arts Council, South Arts, Westaf, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The Creative Alliance of Milwaukee served as the fiscal agent for the effort. The full report as well as an executive summary can be downloaded for free from www.nationalcreativitynetwork.org and may be freely distributed in its entirety to interested parties.

[Full Disclosure: I (Steve Dahlberg) am a board member of the National Creativity Network]

Hopkins Vineyard to Host ‘The Nature of Wine’ Mini-Workshop and Tasting as Part of Creativity Workshop in Connecticut

Hopkins Vineyard is hosting a special event on “The Nature of Wine,” exploring the intersection of creativity, wine and the brain. The event is Saturday, Sept. 28, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 25 Hopkins Rd. in New Preston, Conn., and presented by the New Milford, Conn.-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination.

Participants will explore how master sommeliers learn to understand wine, what's happening in the brain when they taste wine -- and how they transfer this knowledge and experience to others. Participants will practice looking at, smelling and tasting wines as the experts do, sampling four of Hopkins wines in the process -- all while continuing to explore the nature of creativity through this local example of creative placemaking.

This experience is based on an experiment conducted between a master sommelier -- with 25 years of experience teaching thousands of people how to taste wine -- and a behavioral scientist. They sought to better understand how experts recognize aromas and flavors, as well as how to create a model to transfer this knowledge to others. The mini-workshop will engage participants in activities from the experiment, while helping them understand how the eyes and the nose affect what’s happening in the brain. This whole experience will also raise questions about how the brain affects ALL aspects of learning, not just learning to taste wine.

The event will feature Hopkins’ Vineyard Manager and Winemaker Jim Baker and the International Center for Creativity and Imagination Director Steven Dahlberg, along with Hopkins’ Winery Manager Rachel Greklek and Irish Poet Anne F. O’Reilly.

This event will conclude a daylong workshop on “The Nature of Creativity,” which is being held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Center for Innovation at South Kent School in South Kent, Conn. This workshop explores how nature inspires us to be more creative, and is open to everyone – from teachers, business people and artists to community leaders, environmentalists and individuals looking to create positive change.

The wine event is $40/person and includes the mini-workshop on creativity, wine and the brain; a Hopkins wine tasting with cheese; and a keepsake wine glass from Hopkins. Participants can register for the daylong workshop and wine event together for a discount, or either event separately. Full details are available at http://natureofcreativity.org.

For more information, contact: Steve Dahlberg at news@appliedimagination.org or http://www.appliedimagination.org.

The International Centre for Creativity and Imagination is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. Through its programs, the centre collaborates regularly with artists, scientists, business people, educators, museum professionals, community leaders and others to help people deliberately unleash and harness their creative thinking skills. Find more at:
http://www.appliedimagination.org

Hopkins Vineyard is a heritage farm set in the hills of Litchfield County overlooking Lake Waramaug. In 1979, Bill and Judith Hopkins transformed their dairy farm into a vineyard, one of the first in what has become a thriving Connecticut industry. Since then, it has consistently produced award-winning whites, reds and sparkling wines. Hopkins Vineyard grows 11 varieties of grapes. Find more at:
http://www.hopkinsvineyard.com

Irish Poet Anne F. O’Reilly to be Featured in “The Nature of Creativity” Workshop at South Kent School in Connecticut

The Center for Innovation at South Kent School is hosting “The Nature of Creativity” workshop, presented by the New Milford, Conn.-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. The workshop is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, and will take place at the Center for Innovation’s classroom at 170 South Kent Road in South Kent, Conn.

The workshop will feature Irish poet and teacher Anne F. O’Reilly and director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination Steven Dahlberg, along with several collaborators who will guide an exploration of how nature inspires us to be more creative. The workshop is open to everyone – from teachers, business people and artists to community leaders, environmentalists and individuals looking to create positive change. It starts with the premise that everyone is a creative being.

The event will take place at the new classroom at South Kent School’s Center for Innovation, where participants of the workshop will take part in experiential exercises to help them tap into and develop their creativity. They also will explore connections to how nature inspires the creative process and connect with others who are seeking purposeful engagement in their communities.

Using nature as a guide, participants will explore these themes – (re)discovering your capacity to be creative, cultivating a sense of place, fostering curiosity and wonder, discovering rhythm, valuing diversity, nurturing interconnectedness, awakening the senses, and more. Plus, they will learn how to overcome blocks to creativity, practices for accessing their creative inner nature, and ways for connecting beyond themselves to take action in their communities.

The day will conclude with a special event on “The Nature of Wine,” exploring the intersection of creativity, wine and the brain, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Hopkins Vineyard at 25 Hopkins Rd. in New Preston, Conn. The winemaker and winery manager will join Dahlberg and O’Reilly to continue exploring lessons and metaphors from nature that inspire creativity and learning. This event looks at how master sommeliers learn to understand wine, what’s happening in the brain when they taste wine, and how they transfer this knowledge and experience to others. Participants will look at, smell and taste wine as the experts do, sampling four Hopkins wines in the process. Registration information is at .

Poet Anne F. O’Reilly will be “Creator in Residence” at the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination from September 25 to October 7, and will be leading a series of workshops and poetry performances while she is in Connecticut. She is based in Dublin, Ireland, and is the author of a print collection of poetry, Singing From the Belly of the Whale, a CD collection, Breathsong, and the book, Sacred Play: Soul-Journeys In Contemporary Irish Theatre.

The Center for Innovation is located on the property adjoining South Kent School’s main campus in South Kent, Conn. Through its hands-on learning experiences and community outreach, the Center for Innovation encourages inquiry into the dynamic interplay between human creativity, intuition and sustainability.

To register and for more information, visit http://natureofcreativity.org/.

Finding Creative Inspiration From Nature

"Nature has a large potential for enhancing creativity. The reason seems to be that the feelings, which are enhancing creativity, are the same feelings which are evoked when one is in nature. Nature has the ability to set one in a state of mind which enhances creativity, because nature makes us feel open and unlimited, playful and excited, refocused and invigorated, calm and energized. At the same time nature can be a great source of direct inspiration, which also explains its ability to enhance creativity." - "Nature & Creativity: How and Why Nature Enhances Human Creativity," Master Thesis by Trine Plambach

On September 28, you can take part in a series of experiences designed to develop your personal creativity, taking inspiration from nature, as well as explore how you can connect your creative purpose with other people to cultivate new possibilities for yourself, your community and the earth. Facilitators include Irish poet Anne F. O'Reilly, creativity educator Steve Dahlberg and other collaborators. Find out more and register now for THE NATURE OF CREATIVITY: A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP ON HOW NATURE INSPIRES US TO BE MORE CREATIVE, at the Center for Innovation at South Kent School in Kent, Connecticut. The Center is the school's new farm-based "classroom" that encourages inquiry into the dynamic interplay between human creativity, intuition and sustainability. The day ends with a related event on "THE NATURE OF WINE," a special evening exploring the intersection of creativity, wine and the brain at Hopkins Vineyard.

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.

Experiential Creativity Workshop Series at Arts & Ideas Festival - June in New Haven, Conn.

The International Festival of Arts and Ideas will feature “Unleash Your Creativity,” a series of three, experiential creativity workshops. The Festival runs from June 11 to 25, 2011, in New Haven, Conn. The workshops are June 18, 21 and 25.
The workshops will help participants explore their creativity, learn tools for new ways of thinking, find alternatives, get unstuck, discover others who value creativity, and engage creativity in the workplace. This series links the creativity of others with an in-depth opportunity to (re)discover and engage one’s own creativity and its applications to organizations and society. Full details about each workshop and its facilitators, along with registration information, can be found online (register here) or by email. The three workshops include:

• At Albertus Magnus College: “Embodying Creativity: Engaging Creative Collaboration Through Movement and Play,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., June 18. This workshop features facilitators from Pilobolus Dance Theatre, InterPlay Connecticut, Clifford Beers Child Guidance Clinic, and the Alexander Technique, as well as Irish poet Anne O’Reilly who will explore how play creates the space for creativity and transformation. No previous dance experience is necessary to participate in this day, but be prepared to move. This workshop is $99 and includes the all-day workshop, lunch and a ticket to Susan Marshall Dance Company’s “Adamantine” at 5 p.m. on June 18. MORE
• At Yale University School of Art: “Creativity in the Workplace: Engaging Creativity, Design and Innovation in Organizations,” 12 to 4 p.m. on Tues., June 21. This workshop features AIGA Connecticut President Rich Hollant, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination Director Steven Dahlberg, and Irish poet Anne O’Reilly. This workshop is $99 and includes the half-day workshop, a reception, Paul Bloom’s “Ideas: How Pleasure Works” lecture at 5:30 p.m., and a ticket to Jack Hitt’s “Making Up the Truth” at 8 p.m. on June 21. MORE
• At Albertus Magnus College: “Composing a Creative Life on Purpose: Engaging Meaning in Life and Work,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., June 25. This workshop features facilitators who will lead hands-on experiences – in arts therapy, education, creativity, art, spirituality and intuition – that will help participants engage their creativity on purpose and for purpose. This workshop is $99 and includes the all-day workshop, lunch and a ticket to David T. Little’s “Soldier Songs” at 5 p.m. on June 25.  MORE

O’Reilly is a special guest from Dublin, Ireland, whose readings and performances will be uniquely featured in all three workshops. Her participation is supported by Imagine Ireland. O’Reilly is the author of the book, Sacred Play: Soul Journeys in Contemporary Irish Theatre; a book of poetry, Singing from the Belly of the Whale; and a CD of her poems, Breathsong.

Additional facilitators include Renee Jaworski, Pilobolus dancer and associate artistic director; Lisa Laing, Certified InterPlay Leader; L'Ana Burton, director of CDC Creative Dance Continuum and teaching artist for the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism; Rachel Bernsen, Certified Teacher of The Alexander Technique; Carol Pollard, associate director of the Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics; Dorie Shallcross, author of Intuition: An Inner Way of Knowing; Lisa Furman, artist and associate professor, Albertus Magnus College; Evie Lindemann, assistant professor/clinical coordinator master of arts in art therapy program, Albertus Magnus College; and Alice Forrester, executive director, Clifford Beers Child Guidance Clinic.

The “Unleashing Your Creativity” Series is curated by Steven Dahlberg, who heads the Connecticut-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches “Creativity + Social Change” at the University of Connecticut. The centre is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities.

The series is presented by the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, Albertus Magnus College, the Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, and Connecticut Creates, in partnership with International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

The mission of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas is to create an internationally renowned festival in New Haven, Conn., of the highest quality with world-class artists, thinkers and leaders, attracting and engaging a broad and diverse audience celebrating and building community and advancing economic development.

The Role of Beauty in Community Satisfaction - Richard Florida

"Beautiful Places: The Role of Perceived Aesthetic Beauty in Community
Satisfaction"
Richard Florida, Charlotta Mellander and Kevin Stolarick
This research uses a large survey sample of individuals across United States locations to examine the effects of beauty and aesthetics on community satisfaction. The paper conducts these estimations by ordinary least-squares, ordered logit, and multinomial logit. The findings confirm that beauty is significantly associated with community satisfaction. Other significant factors include economic security, schools, and social interaction. Further, community-level factors are significantly more important than individual demographic characteristics in explaining community satisfaction. [3 January 2011 - Creative Class - More]

Ken Robinson and National Thought Leaders to Join “Shaping the Future of Creativity Today” Workshop at the Creativity World Forum

Following the launch of the National Creativity Network on Monday, November 15, more than 50 people from around the country will gather to work on the “Shaping the Future of Creativity Today.” This workshop runs from 2 to 5 p.m. and is part of the seventh annual Creativity World Forum 2010 to be held in Oklahoma City, November 15 to17.

Noted creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson will help officially launch the National Creativity Network from 9 to 11:30 a.m., and then will join the opening of the workshop at 2 p.m. Both events take place at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City.

Robinson is author of The Element and speaks globally about the importance of creativity and arts in education, work and society. He will join several other national thought leaders who will help in the first hour of the workshop to set context about creative alternatives that are already happening related creativity across society. This group includes:

• Carrie Fitzsimmons – executive director of ArtScience Labs.
• Jean Hendrickson – executive director of Oklahoma A+ Schools.
• Dan Hunter – arts advocate and policy expert.
• Mary Alice Long – play consultant and advocate.
• Scott Noppe-Brandon – executive director of the Lincoln Center Institute and co-author of Imagination First.
• Scott Rich – assessment specialist at Scholastic Testing Service.

Steven Dahlberg, director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, and Cheryl Whitesitt, executive director of the Minnesota Future Problem Solving Program, will facilitate the workshop, which focuses on:

• Exploring the state of creativity today.
• Engaging creative alternatives about the future of creativity.
• Directly involving participants in creative processes and tools that help move beyond merely advocating the value of creativity to igniting action for change about creativity's role in society.

The workshop is open to all, and seeks diverse participants -- representing education, business, arts, government, nonprofits and beyond -- who all share an interest in applying more personal, organizational and community creativity. The workshop fee is $45 and people may participate whether or not they are attending the Creativity World Forum. More workshop information is available at www.appliedimagination.org/cwf.

More information about the Creativity World Forum is available at http://www.stateofcreativity.com/ and about the National Creativity Network at http://www.nationalcreativitynetwork.org/. [8 November 2010 - National Creativity Network - For more information, contact Kathy Oden-Hall, Creativity World Forum, (405) 203-5742 or kodenhall@stateofcreativity.com]

Creativity, Culture and Innovation: finding new links

The very dynamic culture sector, the cultural and creative industries in particular, generates and stimulates considerable potential for creativity which makes it an important actor for meeting the challenges with which the European Union is confronted today. Within the context of the implementation of the “EU 2020” strategy, the goal is to highlight and promote the considerable potential of the cultural and creative industries. The colloquium (8 September 2010 to 9 September 2010) will focus on the innovative aspect of the sector. Cultural and creative industries are gradually being recognised as essential contributors to innovation. The goal is to now create an environment in which these industries can develop their potential to its fullest. It will be a matter of, on one hand, demonstrating that innovation plays a significant part in the development of the cultural sector and that, inversely, culture is a major asset for innovation. In addition, and based on this observation, the goal will be to provide potential ways to develop the cultural and creative industries. Special attention will be paid to the self-employed, micro-enterprises and to small and medium enterprises which guarantee cultural diversity and play a determinant role in the development of the cultural and creative sectors. [September 2010 - The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union - More - Program]

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.

Community as ...

By Steven Dahlberg
International Centre for Creativity and Imagination

In April 2010, I taught two sessions on "Creative Solutions in the Nonprofit Sector" for a semester-long course in Rhode Island College's Nonprofit Studies Certificate Program. We were fortunate to have two guests visit us in the first session -- Ian David Moss, research director for Fractured Atlas and editor of the Createquity blog, and Stephanie Fortunato, special projects manager for the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism. They spoke about creative community, creative class and public policy. For the second session, we met at the great creative community organization, AS200, where the founder and artistic director Umberto Crenca, shared the story of how such an organization came to be and the role it has played in helping transform the culture of creativity in Providence. (He also co-authored an essay, called "Compost and the Arts.")

The students in the course each wrote an essay that started with "Community as ..." and looked at a metaphor for community. How we imagine and frame community matters for how we engage people in community, how we communicate our community work, how we organize, how we manage, and how we do anything related to our involvement with and work in communities. They were invited to think like a seven year old and to try to have original ideas about these various concepts of “community.” They were also asked to think about what, so what, now what … that is:

• WHAT: What does this idea of community include?
• SO WHAT: Why does this idea of community matter?
• NOW WHAT: What implications does this idea of community have? What changes could happen if we adopted this idea of community?

The students' responses to "Community as ..." can be viewed through the "Rhode Island College" tag here. In addition, all of their essays were entered into Wordle to visually show which words and ideas were most prevalent. That image is below and can be clicked on to view a larger version.

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.

Creativity in the Classroom Workshop at The Aldrich - Monday

CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
A creative education workshop for teachers, administrators, and parents ... with Facilitator Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination
==========================
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010, 4:00-6:30 P.M.
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877
$30 (members)/$35 (non-members)
.2 CEUs available
Register online:
http://www.aldrichart.org/events/?id=642
==========================

CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
Creativity includes -- and is more than -- the arts. Creative thinking is a twenty-first century skill that applies to all subjects, all grade levels, and all ages. It is a skill that prepares students and adults for a rapidly changing world, where complex problems do not have pre-defined, easy solutions. Creativity involves creative and critical thinking skills that can be taught, practiced, and applied in all curriculums. In this workshop, you will:

• Explore what creativity is, who has it, and how to unleash more of it.
• Think about thinking ... and learn how to think in new ways.
• Learn and practice applied creative thinking skills.
• Discover styles and types of creative thinking within the creative process.
• Connect creativity to the classroom.

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. More info at:
http://www.appliedimagination.org/

REGISTER NOW
For registration and further information please contact:
Suzanne Ryan
Museum Educator
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
seryan @ aldrichart . org
203.438.4519

Creative Leadership Capacities ... From the Connecting Creative Communities Summit

Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, asks in the "Building Your Capacity: Creative Leadership in the Creative Sector" session at the Connecting Creative Communities Summit on March 11, 2010:

Creativity matters in all aspects of society, work and life. And it matters for how we lead. Creativity motivates people to do what they love and are good at. Likewise, as Teresa Amabile, director of research at Harvard Business School, and one of the leading creativity researchers, says: “When people are doing work that they love and they’re allowed to deeply engage in it – and when the work itself is valued and recognized – then creativity will flourish. Even in tough times.” Yet, sometimes our organizational cultures and practices get in the way of allowing creativity to be cultivated and expressed. Creativity also engages employees in meaningful work. Engaged employees lead to engaged audiences, customers and clients in our organizations. The Gallup Organization says: “Engaged employees [– that is, those who work with passion and feel a profound connection to their organization –] are far more likely to suggest or develop creative ways to improve management processes. They’re also far more likely to find creative ways to solve customer problems or to involve their customers in creative service innovations. Leaders who want to drive growth through innovation should first create an environment that welcomes new ideas – and should make engaging employees a key component of that strategy.” Gallup has also found that 71% of the workforce is not-engaged or actively disengaged in their work, meaning 71% of the workforce is either under performing or actively undermining their work. Therefore, we must ask ourselves:

1. What do we do to help employees intentionally develop and apply their creativity?
2. What does “creativity” mean to me as a leadership practice?
3. How do we develop creativity in our employees … or, how do we help our employees imagine “what if, what else, why not”? What processes do we use to harness and apply more creative thinking, imagination and ideas in our organization? How do we engage our employees? How do we help them connect to their purpose? How do we motivate our employees to do what they love and are good at?
4. What gets in the way and blocks creativity WITHIN our organization and its employees? What deliberate actions do we take to create a culture for creativity WITHIN our organization?

Danbury Students Collaborate With Artist for Aldrich Museum Installation

More than 320 students and staff at King Street Intermediate School in Danbury, Connecticut, recently fingerprinted themselves to begin a collaboratively produced art installation for The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Artist Sandy Garnett is working with KSI students and their art teacher, Doreen Cherniske Colonna, to incorporate an individual fingerprint contribution from each student and staff member into a final piece. Garnett, who is based in Norwalk, Connecticut, has been producing fingerprint-based artwork himself for more than 20 years. Through his Fingerprint Project, he explores contemporary identity through sculpted and painted fingerprints, human silhouettes and signatures.

"The Fingerprint Project is one of the cornerstones of my professional fine art career," Garnett says. "I have collected thousands of fingerprints from which I have made hundreds of fine art objects during the past several decades. I have always been interested in a large group Fingerprint Portrait installation, so the project at King Street Intermediate School has been an exciting project for me."

Earlier this month, Garnett led several groups of 60 to 150 students in creating their own inked fingerprints on paper. Next, Colonna will enlarge each student's favorite print into an abstract image, which the students will then transfer onto small pieces of Plexiglas. Garnett will combine these more than 300 pieces into a single installation, which The Aldrich will exhibit in early April as part of its DrawOn! project.

The purpose of DrawOn! is "to bring people together through something as basic as drawing, while at the same time fostering new and imaginative ways to draw." The public is encouraged to participate in DrawOn! events scheduled throughout Connecticut and beyond, from March 27 to April 10, with a culminating family event on April 10. For more information, visit www.aldrichart.org/events.

"I love the collaborative aspect of this project," says Colonna. "Between the kids, the professional artist and the museum. I also love that EVERY student is included. It is a true 'fingerprint' of our school."

This is the second year in a row that Colonna has been invited to exhibit her KSI students' artwork as part of DrawOn! at The Aldrich. Last year, students not only created works on various shapes of cardboard -- thinking beyond the usual rectangle "box" they often draw on -- they also drew on two teachers who wore full-body white Tyvek suits.

"This project has been fun because I never did anything like this in my life," said one KSI student while working with Garnett earlier this month. A student last year said, "I liked DrawOn! the most because it made me think you can make art on anything."

Garnett is a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist who has sold more than $1.8 million of artwork. He also writes, illustrates, sings and records. His children's books have recently been published, and an independent film producer put Garnett's first written and recorded song, "Busted Wing," in a film about climate change.

"It is important to have visiting artists like Sandy," says Colonna. "The kids get to see someone who went through school and came out the other end still doing what they feel passionate about -- and making a living at it.

"It is also important for those kids who have tremendous talents in areas that are not always as highly valued in education nor reflected in standard test areas. These students see that their talents are not a waste, that they can use those talents, and that they should not give up or let anyone take those talents away from them."

DrawOn! is a community-based project of The Aldrich, which encourages everyone -- not just artists -- to engage in drawing. On anything. With anything. This practice is not so much about drawing a "perfect piece," or about the final product, but about the creative process itself. It is also about the community building that happens when people draw and create together. It is a fun and playful activity that can help people rediscover their creative talents.

The King Street Intermediate School Fingerprint Project for DrawOn! is also part of an on-going initiative to integrate more creativity into the classroom at KSI. The staff is working with Steven Dahlberg, head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, to help teachers both teach for more creativity and teach more creatively.

"The Fingerprint Project is great example of how creativity engages both students and staff in meaningful work," says Dahlberg. "Students were invited to create something unique and original and will have the rare opportunity to see their creative expressions displayed publicly in a major art institution. This is inspiring, not only to the students, but to their teachers and parents and the community, as well."

The public can hear more about this project and DrawOn! and meet Garnett, Colonna and Dahlberg at Creativity Networking at The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford, Connecticut, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Sunday, March 14. Find out more at http://www.appliedimagination.org/.

Connecting Creative Communities - Register Now for March Summit in Providence

Sign up now for the Connecting Creative Communities coming up in Providence, Rhode Island, March 9-11, 2010. The Summit is hosted by the New England Foundation on the Arts and the City of Providence's Department of Art, Culture + Tourism. I am pleased that the Summit is co-presented by the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, and that I am co-chairing a session on "Building Your Capacity: Creative Leadership in the Creative Sector."

-- Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination

CONNECTING CREATIVE COMMUNITIES
Summit participants represent a broad slice of New Englanders, including government officials, arts administrators, artists, business and civic leaders, creative entrepreneurs, funders, researchers, and others.

HIGHLIGHTS
(View the full program schedule)

• Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around
  Join Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline for the City of Providence's second annual Senator Claiborne Pell Lecture on Arts and Humanities about how bicycling can transform urban experience.


• Beyond Our Borders: Planning, Policy, and Prosperity in New England
  "Shovel-ready" projects made possible by having a creative economic development plans in place.


• Artist-Driven Solutions for Community Change
  Artist-led initiatives stimulating creative responses to complex social and economic issues.


• Facing Facts: Getting Results with Data
  The sometimes surprising political and financial consequences of data collection.


• Building Your Capacity: Creative Leadership in the Creative Sector
  Day-to-day needs, cross-sector relationships, workforce development, regionalism, and the creativity at the heart of it all.
  
• What's next? Drafting a Regional Agenda
  Key themes and actionable items for a New England-wide regional agenda for the creative sector.

REGISTER NOW!

Connecting Creative Communities is co-presented by:
City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, David N. Cicilline, Mayor and the New England Foundation for the Arts in partnership with: Americans for the Arts Animating Democracy, Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, COOL/Cultural Affairs & Special Events, City of Lowell, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, The MacDowell Colony, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Massachusetts Office of Business Development, Worcester Cultural Coalition.
Co-sponsored by:
Brown University's John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage and the Providence Phoenix.

EVENT INFO:

• CCC summit flier


• Registration Fee: $60


• Registration Deadline: March 5


• REGISTER NOW!
  

CONTACT INFO:
Adrienne Petrillo
Program Manager, Presenting & Touring
apetrillo@nefa.org
617.951.0010 x527

"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.

Creativity Matters Workshop in Connecticut - February 8

Creativity Matters: Engaging Creativity and Innovation in Work
- A Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance Roundtable -
... with Creativity Educator Steven Dahlberg
==================
Creativity matters in all aspects of society, work and life. The imagination mindset helps us think in new ways ... which produces creative ideas and solutions ... and ultimately leads to innovation. If you want to unleash your imagination and explore new ways of expressing your creativity in meaningful ways, don't miss this interdisciplinary networking forum for artists, educators, business people, entrepreneurs and others who are interested. Come and explore what creativity is, who has it, how it relates to purpose and work – and how one can tap into more of it both personally and professionally. The workshop will be led by Steven Dahlberg, who heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.

7:00–9:00 PM
Monday, February 8, 2010
@ Western Connecticut State University
Midtown Campus | Alumni Hall
181 White Street, Danbury, Connecticut 06810
This program is free and open to all. Refreshments provided. RSVP requested to 203 798 0760 or info@hvculturalarts.org.

>>>>>>>>>> When people are doing work that they love and they’re allowed to deeply engage in it – and when the work itself is valued and recognized – then creativity will flourish. Even in tough times.
-- TERESA AMABILE, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL <<<<<<<<<<

Sponsored By:
HOUSATONIC VALLEY CULTURAL ALLIANCE
http://www.hvculturalarts.org
and
WESTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
http://www.wcsu.edu/svpa/

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP FACILITATOR:
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 program at the University of Connecticut. He has worked with Yale University, Guggenheim Museum, Yahoo!, Americans for the Arts, Danbury Public Schools, World Knowledge Forum, City of Providence, 3M, Aldrich Museum, State of Connecticut, and Rhode Island College, among other organizations. He helped toy inventors launch a creativity consulting business and taught an undergraduate creativity course for incarcerated men. He is particularly interested in creative community building, creative education, local food and sustainable agriculture, and creative aging.
http://www.appliedimagination.org

Creating Positive Community

Check out the Playing for Change Web site, CD and DVD of musicians collaborating around the world to promote positive change and peace.

Help Support Strong Arts in Connecticut -- a Budget Issue

Please read the following letter written by artist Mark Patnode to Connceticut Gov. Rell. And then consider sending your own letters to the governor and your Connecticut legislators.

Steve Dahlberg
International Centre for Creativity and Imagination
Willimantic, Connecticut
http://www.appliedimagination.org

================

Governor M. Jodi Rell March 8, 2009
Executive Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Dear Governor Rell,

As the focus of much of government turns to the financial sector and the word "crisis" is foremost in the media's dialogue, it is important to remember the fundamental contribution The Arts make in our culture and to our cultural stability. Yet, in Connecticut the artistic endeavor is
being undermined.

For example, the proposed incorporation of the Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCT) into the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is not a hallmark of efficiency; but rather it is a damaging consolidation. Keep in mind, of the 50 state arts agencies; CCT is the only state arts agency to not define itself as arts-centric. No other state is making arts as inaccessible, or proposing such consolidations. Should Connecticut have the dubious distinction of taking a lead role in arts exposure reduction?

Often the arts are considered frivolous and non-essential to education. I would contend that society is measured by its art, architecture and literature. Furthermore, science and art are not mutually exclusive. You may be aware that the Mars space rover unfolded from its transport ship because the NASA engineers were familiar with origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. This is a wonderful example of the confluence of art and science. Children learn in different ways and the language of art makes that learning more accessible.

As The Constitution State, Connecticut has a distinction of leadership. As Governor, your exemplary contributions can help ensure Connecticut arts programs continue to lead. Respectfully, I suggest the following:

1. Assure the arts division will maintain staffing and funding to carry out their work.
2. Ensure the right staff are in place and available to meet the challenges.
3. Creation of a Volunteer Arts Advocacy organization, similar to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, to maintain Connecticut Arts posture and integration.
4. Convene a forum to assess the status and needs of CCT arts programs.

Through CCT, I have been featured on the cover of the CCT Teaching Artist Directory (left), my work is displayed in Senator Lieberman's Washington, DC office as part of CCT's Art in Public Spaces program, and Senator Lieberman selected me as Connecticut's 2008 White House
Christmas Ornament Artist. I mention this, not out of self-interest or self-promotion, but to establish credibility.

Sincerely,

Mark Patnode