News

• Journal of Business Strategy to Publish New Special Edition on Arts-Based Learning in September 2008

  August 2007—The Journal of Business Strategy (JBS), one of the world's most prestigious and respected management journals, has invited Creativity Connection Director Harvey Seifter and Boston Consulting Group's Ted Buswick to guest edit a special edition entirely devoted to arts-based learning in business. In 2005, JBS engaged the same two editors to create "Arts-Based Learning for Business," a pioneering look at what was then a newly emergent field. Three years later, with arts-based learning an increasingly widespread and mainstream business practice, JBS believes that the time has come to address the role of the arts in fostering innovation in business, including creativity as the "front end" of innovation. The edition will highlight the role of the arts in developing "soft skills" that are increasingly defined as critical to the success of new product development processes, how arts-based models help companies adapt to the potentially disruptive challenges posed by the emergence of open source and "wiki" competitors, and arts-based learning as a tool businesses can use to remediate the increasingly well-documented workforce "innovation deficits" in critical skill areas. The target audience for this publication will be international business leaders.

• Rob Kapilow and Todd Siler join Creativity Connection!

  July 2007—Two new artist practitioners join the Creativity Connection roster of experts in the field of arts-based learning: Rob Kapilow—nationally recognized composer, conductor, National Public Radio and television commentator, and creator of the "What Makes It Great®" brand—brings with him more than 15 years of experience in creating interactive programs that make the listening principles behind great music applicable to diverse corporate settings.  Renowned artist and educator Todd Siler helps corporations foster creativity and innovation in new product development and strategic planning through his Think Like a Genius workshops.  For more information, please visit the creativity resources section of our website, or visit www.robkapilow.com and www.thinklikeagenius.com

• The Academy of Management Publishes Study on Arts-Based Learning

  December 2006—In the latest issue of the Academy of Management Learning and Education Journal (Vol. 5, No. 4), Professor Nancy Adler explores how the rapid changes taking place in today's business environment create a need for new and more innovative strategies for management and leadership, and how artists and artistic processes are aiding corporations in achieving this goal. The article is available for purchase here.

• Creativity Connection Launches New Partnership with The Second City

  October 2006—Creativity Connection and Second City Communications, the corporate services division of the world’s most famous improvisational theater company, The Second City, announced their new partnership that will offer American businesses custom designed training programs to help them meet a wide range of their organizational learning and employee training needs. In this alliance, the two groups will complement and leverage each other’s strengths to expand a growing business market interested in arts-based learning as a tool in addressing development objectives. Creativity Connection will also market the unique services of Second City Communications to meet growing demand for innovative learning and development methods by corporate clients.

• Creativity Connection Showcased in Arts and Business Event

  November 2006—Creativity Connection partnered with the Entrepreneurs Organization, a unique community of highly successful entrepreneurs, to present an Evening of Arts and Business on November 15th at the historic Players’ Club in New York. The event provided a select group of entrepreneurs and business leaders the opportunity to engage in a variety of hands-on, arts-based learning workshops, and revealed how learning programs based in music, film, drawing, theater, and dance can help businesses surface creativity and foster innovation. The event culminated with an interactive panel discussion on the burgeoning field of arts-based learning in business, accompanied by short films and artwork created by participants earlier in the evening.
  

• Creativity Connection Now Offers Exciting Film-Style Teambuilding

  September 2006—Creativity Connection welcomes aboard award-winning producer/director Joel Leskowitz to its roster of acclaimed artist trainers who are working to bring arts-based learning and creativity training programs into corporate culture. Through his internationally recognized “15 Minutes of Fame” workshops, Leskowitz and his team of film industry veterans challenge business professionals to flex their right-brain muscles and uphold creative visions under pressure as they make short films. During these hands on, experiential workshops, business participants are responsible for everything from scripting to shooting, acting, and directing—and at the end of the sessions, the films are screened at a gala-awards banquet. Beyond breakthroughs in personal and team communication skills, executives from companies like Boeing, American Express and Bank of America have reported benefits in the areas of creativity, leadership…and fun!