The Department of Arts and Humanities is pleased to present its Symposium on Creativity, Imagination, and Innovation, which grows out of our efforts over the last several years to consider the place of these ideas in education. We take as our conceptual platform the notion of “ubiquitous creativity,” believing creativity to be a democratic imperative of exceptional importance to knowledge-oriented societies and to all disciplines.
To the extent that creativity is an important disposition, one that can be nurtured or discouraged, cultivating creativity is a practical as well as theoretical concern that needs to be considered in all educational contexts. Research commissioned for the Symposium and ongoing research by Teachers College faculty in several departments explores the ways in which creativity, imagination, and innovation can be developed in formal and informal educational contexts.
The Symposium builds upon the longstanding Teachers College legacy of John Dewey and Maxine Greene in reminding educators of the critical role of creativity and imagination in sparking innovation. We believe that nothing could be more important for education in the 21st century.
We invite you to join us on April 28th and 29th for this exciting event. The Symposium is free and open to the public. Please spread the word!
Margaret Crocco and Lori Custodero, Symposium Co-Chairs
Schedule for Creativity, Imagination, and Innovation Symposium
April 28 & 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28
5:30-6 PM: Registration in Zankel Hall
Nuyorican Poets’ Café spoken word troubadours will perform
Welcome - Margaret Crocco in Macy Gallery
Reception and art exhibit
7 – 9 PM: Experiential Workshops in Creativity and Imagination
Participating in Democracy through Garage Bands with Randall Allsup
Documenting Creativity through Videography with Margaret Crocco and Social Studies students
Exploring Computer-Generated Sound with James Frankel
Reimagining a Renaissance Image of Education: Michel de Montaigne and Creative Teaching with David Hansen and Megan Laverty
Creating Worlds with Photomontage with Olga Hubard
Engaging in Multi-disciplinary Artistic Experiences with Lee Pogonowski and the Creative Arts Laboratory Team
Creating a Digital Story with Hua-Chu Yen
Interpreting Poetry Through the Visual and Performing Arts with Pat Zumhagen
Friday, April 29
9:15 AM: Coffee and registration outside the Cowin Center
10 AM: Welcome - Hal Abeles
Greetings by Provost and Dean, Thomas James
10:15 AM: Seminar Creativity, Imagination, and Innovation – Moderated by Ron Gross. What is it? How do we nurture it in K-16 education and adult organizations, especially in an age that puts such a premium on standardization and accountability? How do we “know it when we see it”? Does it look the same around the world?
Participants: Sharon Bailin, Emeritus Professor, Philosophy, Simon Fraser University
Lori Custodero, Associate Professor, Music Education, Teachers College
Michael Hanson, Adjunct Professor/Director of the Creativity Degree Program, Teachers College
Beth Hennessey, Professor, Psychology, Wellesley College
Xiaodong Lin, Associate Professor, Technology and Education, Teachers College
Victoria Marsick, Professor, Adult Education, Teachers College
Keith Sawyer, Associate Professor, Psychology, Washington University
Michael Wesch, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Kansas State University
Noon: Lunch On Your Own
Afternoon activities will take place in Cowin Center
1:30 – 2:00 PM: Flourishing in & Surviving the Creative Life
Welcome - Joan Jeffri, “Art Cart: Saving the Legacy Artists”
Betty Blayton, artist
Eva Deutsch Costobel, artist
Ray Grist, artist
Diana Kurz, artist
China Marks, artist
Peter Ruta, artistParticipants:
Edward Clapp, author of 20 under 40
Lori Custodero with creative children, Claire (11 years) and Lucy (8 years) Hafteck
Maxine Greene, Emerita Professor of Philosophy, TC
Eric Oberstein, Artist/Musician/Arts Administrator
Nick Sousanis, Comics creator, & founder of detroiter.com
2:30 - 3:30 PM: Intergenerational Salons- Creative Conversations with Creative People
3:30 – 4:00 PM: Coffee break
4:00 PM: Keynote Address - by Steven Berlin Johnson, author of Where Good Ideas Come From http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/
5: 15 PM: Jazz ensemble performance
For more information, please contact Tim Patterson at tjp2123@columbia.edu
This design is based on work done by David Ort for TC's Office of External Affairs.
Additional graphic design by Barbara Metzger.
