Creativity is precisely what we need at times of great change and yet for many, the mythology, the stereotypes, and the baggage associated with creativity keeps us from engaging. The volatility of the world we navigate today demands a set of behaviors like; tolerance for ambiguity, wonder, curiosity, imagination, and play.
In this talk Cindy Foley will outline the role art educators play in developing cultures where creativity can thrive, not only in classrooms but for entire schools. She will demonstrate how our own willingness to model curiosity and to enable a type of thinking that imagines the world not as it is, but as it could be, can lead to a more beautiful, just and equitable society.

Art’s critical value is to develop learners that think like Artists which means learners who are creative, curious, that seek questions, develop ideas, and play. For that to happen society will need to stop the pervasive, problematic and cliché messaging that implies that creativity is somehow defined as artistic skill.

This shift in perception will give educators the courage to teach for creativity, by focusing on three critical habits that artist employ:

1. Comfort with Ambiguity
2. Idea Generation
3. Transdisciplinary Research

Building on these theories, this talk will focus on ideas around Radical & Courageous Imagination. Addressing the needs of our current environment and how our collective imagination is needed in order to heal and once again find hope.