A Successful Year of Imagination Conversations

November, 01 2010

It's been a year since the start of Lincoln Center Institute's national Imagination Conversations initiative, a series of moderated public panel discussions in which leaders from education, government, business, science, and the arts gather to talk about the role of imagination in their work and life. For LCI, the project's ultimate objective is to revitalize American education by the inclusion of imagination, creativity and innovation in to school curricula. So far, 45 Conversations in 36 States have occurred or been planned, building momentum for America's Imagination Summit at Lincoln Center in July 2011, which will feature a call for action and present a series of steps towards education policy change. Five Conversations happened in October alone—in Indiana on the 12th, Texas and Ohio on the 14th, Colorado on the 20th, and New Jersey on the 22nd.

Host organizations around the country are tailoring their events to their own goals. The theme of the July 28 Wisconsin Conversation at Nicolet College, for instance, was rural innovation, while the themes of the Indiana and New Jersey Conversations (the first held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the second at Rutgers-Newark) were creative industry and education governance. The three Conversations in Ohio have bolstered Governor Ted Strickland's effort to develop creative learning environments there. These are just some examples of the ways in which the initiative is addressing state needs as well as national ones.

The rich dialogue that the project has generated is due to the diversity of voices that have contributed to it. Some prominent past and future participants include: Massachusetts Education Secretary Paul Reville; Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry; Michael Weiss, President, CEO, and Director of Express, Inc.; Dr. Jeffrey Davis, Chief Medical Officer at NASA's Johnson Space Center; and Shakespeare & Company Artistic Director Tina Packer. The unique experiences of these figures are shaping LCI's thinking about what imagination is and how to foster it. We're also considering the concerns and advice of our National Advisory Committee members—the National Education Association, Council on Competitiveness, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce—as we move toward our proposal of new education policy at America's Imagination Summit.

The summit, the culmination of the Imagination Conversations, will happen on July 21 and 22, 2011, at the Lincoln Center Campus in New York City. The centerpiece of the event will be the presentation of an action plan for policy makers, educators, and community activists to bring imaginative teaching and learning to American classrooms. Representatives from all 50 states and other elected officials, Imagination Conversations national sponsors, legislators, education experts, business leaders, scientists, and artists will attend this high-profile conference. It promises to be a milestone in the development of 21st-century approaches to education, which are needed if our students are to become imaginative thinkers who can compete in today's global economy.

If the first year of Imagination Conversations is any indication, the next will bring much valuable discourse on this critical issue—and some enjoyment, too, for anybody who attends one of these always stimulating meetings of minds. To find out how to do so, or how to host a Conversation or sponsor the project at the state or national level, visit our Imagination Summit website.

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