Imagination is more important than knowledge / Knowledge is limited / Imagination encircles the world / ALBERTEINSTEIN

 
 

CREATIVITY NETWORKING 2010 - Archives
New Milford, Connecticut

This monthly Creativity Networking Series provides a forum for exploring the many facets of creativity and for discovering other people interested in creativity. Creativity Networking is presented by The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. Steven Dahlberg, head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, curates and hosts each month's program with guest facilitators leading each topic.

The 2010 Creativity Networking sessions are held at The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm (44 Upland Road, New Milford, Connecticut 06776) on one Sunday each month from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.


JANUARY 10, 2010:
Creativity: What Is It? ... with creativity educator Steven Dahlberg
January marks the relaunch of the monthly Creativity Networking series -- this time in northwest Connecticut! In the first session, 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.

Steven Dahlberg is the head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut. Find out more online at www.appliedimagination.org.


FEBRUARY  14, 2010: 
Food & Creativity: A Love Story ... with chef and food scholar James Simpkins
... and Series Curator Steven Dahlberg
Chef and food scholar James Simpkins will facilitate a dialogue about today's occurrences of the age-old interaction of community, food and love. In nearly every culture, dietary customs and traditions -- as well as taboos -- have a special, foundational role in society's infrastructure. Since we must eat to live, acquiring food is always our primary concern; yet, we want more than calories. We are also highly selective about who we share meals with. But what practical sense can we make of the contemporary forms of these connections? Come and explore how a responsible, sustainable and selective food culture -- a topic which engages creativity and love -- can always assist in creating successful communities in both historical and current contexts.

James Simpkins is currently a Ph.D. student in the Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies program at the University of Connecticut. A former chef, Simpkins brings formal culinary education and a love of epicurean ritual to the semiotics of food and hospitality in nineteenth-century French, American and Victorian literature. Closer to home, James spends time fishing for trout in the Farmington River and can be found in spring and summer around farmers' markets mingling with fellow food junkies in rural Connecticut food culture.


MARCH 14, 2010: 
Thinking Out Loud: Drawing as Thinking ... with The Aldrich Museum's Carolina Pedraza, Artist Laura Kaufman, and additional guests ... and Series Curator Steven Dahlberg
We'll use The Aldrich Museum's DrawOn! project as a jumping off point to explore the creative process, and how creativity and community can be nurtured through something as basic as drawing. Hear engaging DrawOn! examples from around the region and experience yourself a bit of thinking out loud through drawing!

Laura Kaufman holds a B.A. from Vassar College where she was the recipient of the Weitzel-Barber Art Travel Prize. After living in northern Japan to satisfy her appetite for Japanese art and architecture, Laura earned an M.F.A. in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Teaching is central to her career, and in 2008 the Connecticut Art Education Association named her Museum Educator of the Year. She lives on a small lake in New York. Find out more about the artist and her work.

DrawOn!: Discover more about the DrawOn! project.


APRIL 11, 2010: 
CREATIVITY NETWORKING ... CO-LOCATED WITH THE ARTISTS IN TRANSITION CONFERENCE (AT SPECIAL OFF-SITE LOCATION) For and about artists facing health issues, as well as for non-disabled artists, arts administrators and anyone interested in creativity, diversity and accomplishment ... with workshop by Steven Dahlberg on 'Creative Thinking, Aging and Living: Engaging our Strengths, Living our Purpose'
NOTE: The April Creativity Networking will meet in collaboration with this conference on Sunday, April 11, 2010, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Westside Campus Center Building, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut.


MAY 16, 2010:
Creativity, Arts and Healing ... with Artist Marion Pierce, Educator Joel Levitt and Series Curator Steven Dahlberg
This month's Creativity Networking is a follow-up to last month's Artists in Transition (AiT) Conference. Join AiT founder Joel Levitt, artist Marion Pierce, and Creativity Networking curator Steven Dahlberg to explore the role that creativity and arts play in healing, health and well- being. Learn how Intuitive Art can help you listen to your instincts and express what your body feels, and how engaging your creativity helps engage your life purpose. Please print and post this flyer to spread the word about this event.

  • Marion Pierce is an artist and director of therapeutic recreation for Filosa facilities in Danbury, Connecticut. She has taught her "Healing Art" program for several organizations.

  • Joel Levitt is founder of Artists in Transition and the former coordinator of the K-12 arts for Danbury Public Schools. 

  • Steven Dahlberg heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.


JUNE 20, 2010:
Discovering Creativity Through Everyday Movement ... with Pilobolus
Renee Jaworski, Rehearsal Director and Artistic Associate, Pilobolus; and Series Curator Steven Dahlberg
Some people need to move their bodies to think, while other people think their bodies are incapable of moving. Yet, we are made to move. It's a fundamental aspect of who we are and what we do everyday. Sometimes, however, we lose touch with this capacity. Explore -- with a master of movement from Pilobolus -- how movement and play can help us tap into more of our creativity and reconnect with our physical selves. Come and be inspired, provoked and encouraged to discover creativity and communication through everyday movement. This session will be part Pilobolus story, part creative process and part experiential ... and is open to everyone. No special skills required. Plus, check out Pilobolus' free performance at Hartford's Riverfront Recapture stage at 7 p.m. the night before on June 19! (Pilobolus Photo by John Kane)

  • Renee Jaworski, originally from Long Island, NY, received her BFA in Modern Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She performed and taught for MOMIX after graduating, and later with Group Motion and Carolyn Dorfman. She has been dancing and teaching for Pilobolus since 2000. Pilobolus began in 1971 as an outsider dance company, and quickly became renowned the world over for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. Nearly 40 years later, it has evolved into a pioneering American cultural institution of the 21st century. The PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE is the umbrella for a series of radically innovative and globally acclaimed concert dance companies.

  • Steven Dahlberg heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.


JULY 11, 2010:
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: The World Becomes What You Teach ... Creativity in the World
Shawn Sweeney, Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots National Program Coordinator; and Steven Dahlberg, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination

When we talk about social issues, and solutions to them, the final conclusion always leads to education as the solution. If we want to create a world that is healthy, peaceful and sustainable for people, animals and the environment, then we must empower each other with the knowledge, tools and motivation to create that world. In this workshop, "The World Becomes What You Teach ... Creativity in the World," explore the ways in which we can use creativity to bring this practice to the classroom and to our everyday lives. Learn how we can promote this world by changing the way we teach and the way that we engage our students and everyone in our lives in becoming problem-solvers and change makers. Led by Shawn Sweeney, National Program Coordinator for Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, with Steven Dahlberg, Director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, and Series Curator for Creativity Networking. Creativity Networking is Sunday, July 11, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. 

  • Shawn Sweeney is a National Program Coordinator with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, the environmental and humanitarian youth program of the Jane Goodall Institute. For over ten years, beginning in High School, Shawn has explored his passions in youth leadership and wildlife conservation. This work led him to leadership in Roots & Shoots as a group leader, as a graduate fellow, and now as a staff member. In his role with Roots & Shoots, Shawn manages press, print and electronic communications, event planning and the continued development of the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Initiative. Shawn has spoken on youth leadership, humane education and community service around the United States, and has contributed to publications on Roots & Shoots and service-learning. He is currently a M.Ed. student with the Institute for Humane Education and is on course to graduate in May of 2011. He earned his B.A. in psychology at the College of Wooster in 2006. After completing his Master's degree, Shawn plans to pursue a doctoral degree in social psychology with an emphasis in conservation psychology.

  • Steven Dahlberg heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.


AUGUST 8, 2010:
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: The "Don’t Know" of Creativity
Fran Patnaude, Artist and Educator; and Steven Dahlberg, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination

We have become a culture obsessed with measuring everything under the sun. Why then wouldn't we need to find some standard or measurement to gauge the creative process? We'll investigate and focus on the aspects that are beyond measure and beyond formula that are critical to clarifying and cultivating the natural accord of creativity. The workshop includes hands-on activities, silence and meditation as tools to experience the important space of stillness within a person's creative process.

  • Francis T. Patnaude, Jr., is an artist, based in Bethlehem, Connecticut. He also teaches art and is the art department chair at Rumsey Hall School in Washington, Connecticut, and an adjunct professor of art at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut. His art work has appeared in numerous shows and his previous work includes welding and art metal fabrication. He holds an M.F.A in sculpture and has also studied photography and Zen arts with John Daido Loori, Roshi.

  • Steven Dahlberg heads the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and teaches "Creativity + Social Change" at the University of Connecticut.


SEPTEMBER 19, 2010:
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: Creativity and Sustainability in Communities
Steven Dahlberg, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination; and Community Farmer/Educator David Cherniske

If you are interested in food, "local" and sustainable agriculture, come and explore the symbiotic relationship between creativity and sustainability. Challenge yourself to think in new ways and imagine new possibilities about food, agriculture and the environment. Explore how creative thinking helps us understand systems, connections and alternatives better as we consider what we eat, how we eat, where food comes from and the impact of all of this on the environment. Creativity Networking is Sunday, September 29, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Find more about Creativity Networking here.

  • 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" at the University of Connecticut, and leads professional development workshops for educators, nonprofits and businesses. He facilitates creative thinking and problem solving sessions, writes about creativity, and contributes to various media about creativity, imagination and innovation. He currently curates a monthly Creativity Networking series in Connecticut and organizes Imagination Conversations in Connecticut as part of a national initiative of the Lincoln Center Institute. 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 education, creative community building, local food and sustainable agriculture, and creative aging. Find more at http://www.appliedimagination.org.

  • David Cherniske is a community farmer and educator. He is currently collaborating with middle school students on a garden project at the Pratt Nature Center in New Milford, Connecticut. He has a deep interest in integrating age-old farming practices with cutting-edge thinking about farming, agriculture, land and animals. Find more at http://www.prattcenter.org


OCTOBER 24, 2010:
CREATIVITY NETWORKING:
Creativity, Intuition and Spirituality
Doris Shallcross, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

One of the major means by which human beings liberate themselves from conditioned responses and usual choices is through creativity. For many, creativity and spirituality are intertwined. The spiritual is not morality, not ethics, not organized religion (although it can be for some), not psychic. Spirit is an essential need of human nature. There is something in all of us that seeks the spiritual. It is a yearning that varies in strength from person to person. Come and explore the connections between creativity and spirituality. Creativity Networking is Sunday, October 24, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

  • Doris J. Shallcross, Ed.D., is professor emeritus of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she directed the graduate program in creativity. Her major work there was with doctoral candidates specializing in creative behavior. She is a consulting editor for the Journal of Creative Behavior. She is president of the board of trustees of a performing arts charter high school and past president of an arts-in-education nonprofit that trained teachers to integrate the arts into their curricula. She is the author and co-author of several books.


NOVEMBER 21, 2010:
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: Epic Creativity ... Storytelling from the Classics to Video Games
Roger Travis, University of Connecticut Professor of Classics; Director, Video Games and Human Values Initiative

Are video games and virtual worlds modern-day literature? Are they places where traditional tales are reimagined in modern form? Are virtual worlds living epics where the bard wears new clothes? Discover where creativity lives in the retelling of stories in multiple ways, whether through the classics or through modern technology. Roger Travis, associate professor of classics at the University of Connecticut, explores how games and gamer culture are much older and better things than most people think. Come and explore the creativity of this topic -- whether or not you are interested in gaming and technology! Creativity Networking is Sunday, November 21, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

  • Roger Travis is associate professor of classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages of the University of Connecticut. He is also the director of the Video Games and Human Values Initiative, based at UConn, an interdisciplinary online nexus for online courses and scholarly activities like fellowships, symposia, and the initiative’s Proceedings, of which Travis is the editor. He received his bachelor’s degree in classics from Harvard College, and his Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of California, Berkeley before arriving at UConn in 1997. He has published on Homeric epic, Greek tragedy, Greek historiography, the 19th century British novel, HALO, and the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game. He has been president of the Classical Association of New England and of the Classical Association of Connecticut. He writes the blog, Living Epic, about his discovery of the fundamental connection between ancient epic and the narrative video game. In the 2009-2010 academic year, Travis offered the first courses ever designed entirely as practomimes, a form of serious game.

 

Copyright ©2016 Steven T. Dahlberg and 
International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. All rights reserved.