Blogs edited by Steven Dahlberg:
Applied Imagination   |   ageing as exile?   |   Creative Community Building   |   Creativity + Social Change

AUGUST 8, 2010
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: The "Don’t Know" of Creativity ... with artist and educator Fran Patnaude; 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. Creativity Networking is Sunday, August 8, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Find more about Creativity Networking here.

AUGUST 2-6, 2010
CHAUTAUQUA WORKSHOP: 
UNLEASHING CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM
Creativity matters for every individual, of all ages, in and out of the classroom. Whether you are a teacher, or want to rediscover your own creativity, this experiential workshop is for you. Learn how to remove blocks to creativity, to think in new ways, generate alternatives, and put new ideas into action. Discover your creative thinking style and its implications for both teaching and learning. Explore how creativity engages and motivates people to learn. Steven Dahlberg leads this week-long morning Special Studies workshop at The Chautauqua Institution, during Week 6 from August 2 to 6. Week 6 is focused on "Excellence in Public Education." Find out more about Special Studies programs and Chautauqua gate registration.

JULY 11, 2010
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: The World Becomes What You Teach ... Creativity in the World ... with 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. Find more about Creativity Networking here.

JUNE 20, 2010
CREATIVITY NETWORKING: Discovering Creativity Through Everyday Movement of Pilobolus ... with Renee Jaworski and 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. Creativity Networking is Sunday, June 20 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Find more info here and please print and post this flyer to spread the word about this event. Plus, check out Pilobolus' free performance at Hartford's Riverfront Recapture stage at 7 p.m. the night before on June 19!

JUNE 3-4, 2010
SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM CONFERENCE: 
THINKING LIKE AN ARTIST: CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING IN THE CLASSROOM
Join Steven Dahlberg's session on June 3 about "Engaging Creativity: Why Creativity Matters Beyond the Arts and Beyond the Classroom." Panelists include:

• Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, GE
• Itamar Kubovy, Executive Director, Pilobolus Dance Theater
• Ji Lee, Artist and Designer; and Creative Director, Google Creative Lab
• Ken Perlin, Artist; Professor and Director, NYU Games For Learning Institute; and Founding Director, NYU Media Research Laboratory

The conference will explore what it means to think like an artist and what educators can learn from the work of artists. Join art and museum educators, administrators, and policy makers from across the country in a two-day forum to discuss the role of creativity in the art classroom and in the field of education as a whole. Through artist talks, panel presentations, hands-on art making, and group discussion, participants consider the characteristics of creativity across disciplines and identify best practices for fostering creativity in the classroom. Find out more about the conference.

MAY 24, 2010
CONNECTICUT IMAGINATION CONVERSATION
Imagination Conversations bring together leaders from an array of fields to discuss the importance of imagination in life, work and society. The International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and The Studio @ Billings Forge present the next Connecticut Imagination Conversation on May 24, 2010. The Connecticut Imagination 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.

• Find more info about the conversations here and plan now to participate in the next Connecticut Imagination Conversation at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, May 24, at The Studio @ Billings Forge, 539-563 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut, 06106. RSVP here!

• This first conversation was broadcast on WNPR Connecticut Public Radio's "Where We Live," with host John Dankosky, on Friday, April 23, at 9 a.m. EDT. Listen to the full conversation online. Read John's summary of the conversation in his "Where We Blog" post.

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010
CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM WORKSHOP
A creative education workshop for teachers, administrators and parents ... with Facilitator Steven Dahlberg, Director, International Centre for Creativity and Imagination
4:00-6:30 P.M. at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut, 06877. (.2 CEUs available). For more info or to register, call 203.438.4519 or visit online.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010
FRESH THE MOVIE: 
NEW THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE EATING
A public screening of this great documentary film, FRESH, followed by a dialogue exploring local food, sustainable agriculture and creative community
7:00 P.M. at The Studio @ Billings Forge, 565 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut, 06106. More info: Event Poster | About the Film and Trailer | Order Tickets Online. For more info or tickets by phone, call 860.548.9877. Dialogue panelists include:

• Dan Meiser
  General Manager, Firebox
• Julie Carrion
  Director of Catering & Education, The Kitchen @ Billings Forge
• Steven Dahlberg
  Director, The International Centre for Creativity and Imagination
• Dave Finn
  Eagle Wood Farms
• Rodger Phillips
  Grow Hartford

SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2010 - 2-3:30 P.M.
CREATIVITY NETWORKING
NEW MILFORD, CONNECTICUT
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! Please post this flyer to help spread the word about this event. Read more details and RSVP here.

CREATIVITY MATTERS: ENGAGING CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN WORK ... A Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance Roundtable with 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. Facilitated by Steven Dahlberg, faculty in the Public and Community Engagement group at the University of Connecticut, and director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. This program is free and open to all. Refreshments provided. Sponsored by Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance and Western Connecticut State University School of Visual and Performing Arts. Monday, February 8, 2010 7:00-9:00 p.m. @ Western Connecticut State University, Midtown Campus | Alumni Hall, 181 White Street, Danbury, Connecticut, 06810.

"Living Your Purpose Through Creativity" on The Intuitive Path radio show with Anja Weiland
Listen to the stream from the live interview of Steven Dahlberg on December 10, 2010.

"Locating Creativity: Can Art and  Innovation Revitalize Hartford?" on WNPR's Where We Live @ Real Art Ways
Steven Dahlberg talks about creativity and creative community building during this live public radio event in Hartford, Connecticut on November 19, 2009. Listen to the full episode, with introductory comments from Charles Landry, and check out the related blog to this on-going series.

FRESH: A Community Dialogue About Local Food, Sustainable Agriculture and Creative Communities
Following the screening of FRESH THE MOVIE and a short film about Plow to Plate (about a New Milford, Connecticut, project involving local youth and the community in farming, cooking and healthy behaviors), a community dialogue took place exploring local farming and food, sustainable agriculture, creative communities and healthy eating. It was held Sunday, October 11, 2009, as part of Bank Street Festival in Milford, Connecticut. The event was sponsored by: Plow to Plate; with the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination. Community Dialogue panelists included: Dr. Diane D'Isidori (Plow to Plate Co-Founder), David Cherniske (Community Farmer and Educator), Marydale DeBor (Plow to Plate Co-Founder; New Milford Hospital), and Steven Eng (Sullivan Farm Student Worker and Chef). Hosted by Steven Dahlberg (Director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination). Listen to this dialogue (first 30 seconds of volume is soft). 

Ken Robinson Encourages Creativity, Passion and Talents
By Steven Dahlberg - Creativity writer and consultant Ken Robinson launched his new book, The Element, at the Ridgefield Play House in Connecticut at an event sponsored by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Robinson began by reminding the audience of the power of the imagination. "All cities owe their existence to imagination," he said. "It's this power of imagination will take us into the future -- or not. And it's this kind of imagination that's most at risk. I think we squander it. Not only squander it -- but suppress it ruthlessly." ... I was honored to also participate in a pre-lecture Roundtable on "Innovation in Our Schools" with colleagues from education, arts, business and government. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum hosted the Roundtable at which the organizers asked: "What does it look like, feel like and sound like when all of the partners in a student's learning community (i.e. peers, teachers, administrators, parents, coaches, community organizations, businesses, etc.) model creativity and innovation in a way that serves the student?" Read More

MAY 2009 - CREATIVITY NETWORKING: 
Lessons from Prison for Creative Education ... with community activist LaResse Harvey
Come and explore the role of arts, writing, creativity and imagination in prison programs and their implication for integrating more of these topics into education. You will hear the perspective of a formerly incarcerated mother who credits her creative writing and arts experience in prison with helping transform her life. Join us to hear LaResse Harvey's story and what it means for creative education. LaResse is African American Policy Director for A Better Way Foundation in Hartford. See more on this topic. Creativity Networking is hosted by Steven Dahlberg, head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination.

JANUARY 2009 - CREATIVITY NETWORKING: Threads of Creativity in Art and Science ... with Daniel Bernard Roumain
Join us from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, for a special Creativity Networking in Willimantic, Connecticut. Daniel Bernard Roumain will be joined by artist Imna Arroyo, scientists Hedley Freake and Christian Brueckner, creativity educator Steven Dahlberg, and the public to explore the intersection of creativity, art and science. ... Plus, mark your calendar for Daniel Bernard Roumain's return to Storrs, Connecticut, for a Special Bicentennial presentation of "Darwin's Meditation for The People of Lincoln" on February 12, 2009, celebrating that auspicious day of February 12, 1809, when Darwin and Lincoln were born within hours of one another.
Video clip from DBR's presentation

University of Connecticut Launches Public and Community Engagement Program that Focuses on Creative Community Building
An interdisciplinary team of university and community partners has developed this new program. Through its Center for Continuing Studies, the University of Connecticut will offer an undergraduate emphasis in this topic in its Bachelor of General Studies degree, as well as non-credit, professional development workshops and seminars. Sign up now for the three-credit Creativity +  Social Change course, to be offered Spring 2010 in Hartford, Connecticut, and taught by Steven Dahlberg.

Engaging Creative Community: Sculpting Society by Choice, Not by Chance
Steven Dahlberg contributed this piece to a cooperatively-produced issue of New Village Online, which has just been released on the theme of "Unboxing Democracy's Magic." The four articles explore creativity, communities and democracy and include:

• Democracy Without Boxes or Borders - By Len Krimerman
• Democracy and Education: One Community Example - By Phoebe Godfrey
• Communiversity: Weaving a Community Web of Love and Hope - By Gus Jaccaci

Steven Dahlberg Participates in "COMV08: 2008 National Communiversity Conference"
Dahlberg joined nearly 40 people from 14 communities -- including Willimantic, Connecticut -- to share examples of community learning and creative engagement. The conference was held in Maine from July 25 to 27. Dahlberg and three other Windham-area residents represented the Imagine Willimantic Communiversity.

Think and Be Heard: Creativity, Aging, and Community Engagement (PDF)
Americans for the Arts releases white paper about creativity, arts and aging, written by Steven Dahlberg as a follow up to the 2007 MetLife Foundation National Arts Forum Series

Art with heart ... Community banner project to brighten downtown Rock Hill
The Herald of Rock Hill, South Carolina (7 February 2008) reports that "A splash of color will liven up the winter blahs in downtown Rock Hill, part of a community arts program sponsored by the Arts Council of York County and the Rock Hill school district. ... The community art project, titled Creativity: The Heart of the Community, is led by artists in residence Steven Dahlberg and JoAnn Moran, both from Connecticut. The project is a way for people to express themselves and participate in creating their own community through art, Dahlberg said. 'It is a way to engage people in creating their community and bring people together that wouldn't normally work together, like youth and adults.' Dahlberg said. ... Dahlberg said the project is collaborative, so everyone can add something."

Steven Dahlberg to Collaborate with Windham High School Young Poets
Steven Dahlberg and the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination will collaborate with Windham High School, The Young Poets group, and teacher Lynn Frazier for a semester-long, interdisciplinary "Think and Be Heard" creativity project.

Steven Dahlberg Selected in Case Foundation's Top 100 Breakthrough Ideas
Steven Dahlberg's proposal -- on behalf of his Willimantic, Connecticut, community -- has been selected from nearly 5,000 proposals as a Top 100 Idea Finalist in the Case Foundation's "Make It Your Own" Awards program. The project is for "Weaving a New Willimantic": A former thread-mill town weaves a new creative fabric --  where people's ideas matter, where we engage our creativity together and where we co-create our community's common good. We will use inclusive dialogue processes to coordinate current citizen-centered projects and to include more voices. -- The Chronicle profiles Dahlberg and this project: "Dahlberg Brings People Together Through Creativity."

Continental Creative President: European Leader Calls for Culture, Diversity and Openness to Solve Global Problems
By Steven Dahlberg - European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's closing keynote at the Global Creative Leadership Summit made a strong case for the role of creativity, innovation and diversity for addressing global problems such as climate change and fighting poverty. "Those are the two main tasks of leadership in the 21st century," he said. The other global issue linked with solving climate change and poverty is culture. "Culture is a solution."

Local view: Now could be creative turning point for Duluth
Steven Dahlberg writes in the Duluth News Tribune (June 2007): As the Duluth-Superior area proceeds into the Knight Creative Communities Initiative, it’s important to consider how to engage everyone’s creativity — not just that of artists or the creative class — in community and economic development. ... For more than 15 years, I’ve been working internationally in the field of creativity, advocating for the importance of creative thinking and helping people unleash and harness more of their inherent creative abilities. Yet my creative endeavors began in Duluth as a teenage entrepreneur, a freelance writer and photographer and a political junkie. I am delighted to know that the Duluth-Superior area was among just three cities chosen by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to work with economist Richard Florida.

Seat-of-the-Pants Innovation
Steven Dahlberg talks about workplace creativity and innovation in Industrial Fabric Products Review article - May 2007

Applied Imagination
"It's not hard to engage your core creativity, says Steve Dahlberg, but it can feel awkward at first. ... 'Part of it is simply paying attention and noticing whether you're judging what you're thinking or are remaining open to putting the pieces together in different ways,' he says." - Quoted in Northwestern Mutual's Creative Living Magazine

After Katrina: Creativity's Role in Trauma and Growth (PDF)
Commentary: The residents in the Hurricane Katrina-hit areas are facing the challenge of asking "what next?" and of looking for ways to meaningfully engage in redefining their identities. The hurricane survivors aren't challenged about how to simply adapt one particular aspect of their lives. Rather, individuals, organizations and the community at-large are all asking: How might I completely recreate my own life, while simultaneously recreating my entire community from the ground up? This entire process and search is a creative act. And thriving in one's post-hurricane life is a challenge of the imagination.

Creativity by Choice, Not by Chance: Developing Imagination In the Intelligence Community (PDF)
A response to the 9/11 Commission Report that declared that it is "crucial to find a way of routinizing, even bureaucratizing, the exercise of imagination" and to the House of Representatives Committee on Intelligence hearings that followed in August to discuss the intelligence community’s "failure of imagination" and the "requirement for imagination and creativity" going forward.

COMING UP:
Creativity Networking series continues each month - NEXT UP: The "Don't Know" of Creativity, led by artist Fran Patnaude - 2 P.M., Sunday, August 8, 2010 - The Silo at Hunt Hill Farm - New Milford, Connecticut

"Creativity + Social Change" undergraduate course (can be taken for non-credit, too) at the University of Connecticut - Taught by Steven Dahlberg - 6:30-9:00 p.m. - Wednesdays, Fall Semester, September 1 to December 15, 2010 - Hartford, Connecticut

RECENT NEWS AND EVENTS:
Steven Dahlberg to lead creativity in nonprofits workshops in Rhode Island College's Certificate Program in Nonprofit Studies course - June 2010 - Providence, Rhode Island

Steven Dahlberg to present "Creativity and Aging" session for the Yale Interdisciplinary Bioethics Center's  Perspectives on Aging study group - 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - New Haven, Connecticut

International Centre for Creativity and Imagination co-presenting Connecting Creative Communities summit with The City of Providence Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism, and the New England Foundation for the Arts - March 9-11, 2010 - Providence, Rhode Island   

Steven Dahlberg to lead creative organization workshop for the University of Connecticut's Center for Continuing Studies staff - January 2010 - Storrs, Connecticut 

Sign up now for week-long Special Studies workshop on "Imagine What Next: Composing a Creative Life on Purpose" at The Chautauqua Institution, to be led by Steven Dahlberg - Week 7: Imagine - August 9-14, 2009 - Chautauqua, New York

Steven Dahlberg leads "Engaging Creative Communities" panel at World Cultural Economic Forum - October 30-31, 2008 - New Orleans, Louisiana

"Creativity and Social Change" undergraduate course in the Creative Community Building Program at the University of Connecticut - Co-taught by Steven Dahlberg - 6:00-9:00 p.m. - Tuesdays and Thursday, September 9 to October 23, 2008 - Storrs, Connecticut

Steven Dahlberg teaches "Principles of Problem Solving" course at Brooklyn Correctional Institution - Fall 2008 - Quinebaug Valley Community College - Danielson, Connecticut

Steven Dahlberg appointed to serve on Ad-Hoc Committee on Economic Development for the Town of Windham, Connecticut - July 2008

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"Every human being is an artist ... called to participate in transforming and reshaping the conditions, thinking and structures that shape and condition our lives."
:: Joseph Beuys