Minutes from Saturday February 5

Minutes Brainstorming for Future Art and Science Project

Sat. February 5 from 3 to 5 pm

2487 Montgomery Avenue, Cardiff by the Sea, 92007

RSVP Patricia Frischer

Attending

Darwin Slindee

Michelle Kurtis Cole

Jude Mathis

Kira Corser

Ron Newby

Kaz Maslanka

Thomine Wilson

Naomi Nussbaum

Patty Smith with Mary Cook, Art Bus Xpres volunteer

Jessica McKimmie

Marti Kranzberg

Irene Abraham

Portia La Touche

Cheryl Nickel

Mark Jesinoski

Kaarin Vaughn

Kay Colvin

Richard Rogalski

Aimee Dupuis

Sending regrets:
Trish Stone

Tim Swartz

Greve, Jacqueline

Mark Rodman Smith

Dear Art and Science devotees,

Thank you so much for such a wonderful turn out yesterday. It was exciting to hear all your idea and to share thoughts and dreams. This brainstorming session is the beginning of a journey which I am confident will lead to an exciting and fulfilling promotion between the art and science community.

I have taken all the information and tried to organize it to bring clarity to our discussion. I have even added in some post meeting discussions. (The last wonderful guests left at 8 pm). Please take a look at the following and give us your feedback, your additions and your corrections. Please also spread the word and send me email contact details for those you think would like to be involved in future meetings .For example, we need contacts for California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology at the University of California, Calit2 (in collaboration with the San Diego Science Alliance).

We will continue to send emails and give you notice of future meetings. For those of you who are interested the next STEAM meeting it is scheduled for Web, Feb 23 at 5:30. More information will be forthcoming from Jessica McKimmie.

Terms:
Science = science, technology, engineering, math

Art – visual, performing arts and media arts

Discussion Questions:

How can we involve the corporate world in these projects i.e. what benefits them? In SD there are over 500 tech companies with 50,000 tech employee – green tech, bio tech and high tech)

1. Creating better Civic images through:

• community involvement by creating accessibility through entry points
• creative associations
• Human Resources enhancement through:
• drawing good people to the company
• building the creative economy
• making employee more motivated and productive
• Adding the culture of art to the universal nature of science

2. Audience building through:

• Conventions
• Contests
• Projects/exhibitions which are interactive with multiple senses i.e. touch, sounds, smell

3. Supplying an art experience for employee
4. Supplying volunteer opportunities for employees
5. Supplying projects for outreach to education partners
6. Creating opportunities for case studies of art and science collaborations and their benefits
7. PR and advertising awareness for project that are news worthy through:

• clarity of communication and translation of terminology
• visual enhancement
• Propaganda uses i.e. Illustrations increase value and understanding (Example: Great Gatsby first edition $10,000 without cover, $80,000 with cover.)

8. Supplying an opportunity to create benefits in ways never before used.

The following is the result of the exercise we did with the post it notes on the window. The notes were group organized into three categories, Newness, Process and Exploration.

What is a definition of creativity understandable by both the arts and the sciences?

1. Definitions focused on Newness

• Thinking and doing something new
• The mental state which foster the development of new ideas, methods and/or forms of expression
• The synthesis of concepts/material/processes that produce new unique concepts or materials or processes
• Conceiving what never was and making it real.
• To dream or vision something out of the ordinary.
• Creativity arises with a unique discover or act.
• Finding a new way of looking at something
• Thinking out of the box
• Doing something or thinking abut something in a way that is new to you, even if it’s not new to others.
• Innovation that performs function

2. Definitions focused on Process

• Problem solving
• Both process and expression
• Freedom of thought
• Creativity is cultural (art) and universal (science) combined
• The mind operating in a state that is open to ideas and guides a person to demonstrate their thoughts in a new way
• Taking in to consideration what’s realistic and practical, mixing in the impossible and unforeseen and getting lost stirring the ingredients together. (Cziksenmihalyi or ‘flow” the getting lost, timeless event that occur when you are in the creative process.)
• Actual expression of imagination
• Inspiration leading to 1. Setting loose guidelines, 2. Setting them up do that problem solving will be needed along the way. 3. The solving of these problems always leads to the most dynamic results.
• An expression of culture rooted in time and place
• An expression of the human need (both conscience and un-conscience)
• The self-reflective process of individual and culture
• The process of taking what is and creating what isn’t
• Taking traditional virtues to represent a unique chapter in advertising and economic history
• That which results from the proper amount of wine (the better the wine the better the creativity)
  
  

3. Definitions focused on Exploration

• One result of curiosity
• The spark of impetus of creation
• A gut feeling that must be expressed
• Thinking and doing that generate Ah Ha
• Eureka
• The expansion of one’s imagination

What conditions have to be present for the "new" to occur?

1. Positive attitude, receptiveness to innovation
2. Atmosphere for freedom of expression
3. Nurturing environment
4. Absence of fear of failure
5. Abundance of information to the point of chaos
6. Time for reflection
7. Timing in history i.e. game changing times like right now
8. Having the will to exercise the right/ability to choose
9. Ability to see different views of what creativity is and new perspectives
10. Sense of value of mission (this also makes it worthwhile)
11. Knowledge that creativity is good business
12. Ability to identify what is working and what is not – acting as a mirror to reflect reality
13. Empting the mind of all information to make room for new ideas
14. Recognition of Polyaesthetics i.e. art as culture, science as universal combined

What are some of the difficulties/obstacles that can be overcome when working with each other across these fields?

1. Both have language difficulties with each other and with the general population

2. Both have situation where they want to collaborate, but hierarchy can be a matter of egos

3. Both struggle with entries points

4. Aesthetics is number one with artists/Accuracy is number one with scientist

5. All parties must be shown respect. No one should be patronized.

Please keep in mind the following criteria when thinking of the SDVAN Art and Science Project.

Explanation: SDVAN Criteria for Project possibilities

• Has to be fully MERC – aspects of mentoring, education, recognition and collaboration.
• Should create new audience
• Should be PR friendly and raise awareness about all participants
• Must include for profit corporations, businesses, individuals as well as non-profit associations
• Should display our community involvement
• Art should stimulate creativity in the sciences and vice versa
• Expansion of ideas / problem solving should be highlighted
• Cross pollination of art and science on the individual and association level should be present
• Guidelines should be positive and enhancing but set some restrictions

Reference: Historical Types of Collaborations

Type I: Artists who collaborate with Scientists on common projects resulting in both the production of art works as well as scientific discoveries.

Type 1a: Scientists working with Artists to develop technological inventions

Type 1b: Artists working with Scientists to appropriate science for the arts.

Type II: Scientists who apply their scientific research to understanding creative activity in the arts in collaboration with Artists and not just using the artists as “subjects”.

Type III : Scientists or Artists with dual careers both as working scientists and exhibiting artists.

Type IV: Artists and Scientists who engage the arts and humanities to improve the ways that the sciences are communicated to the public.

with kindest regards,
Patricia

Patricia Frischer, coordinator 760 943 0148
San Diego Visual Arts Network
http://www.sdvisualarts.net/
SmART Collector, SD Art Prize, Movers & Shakers, Little & Large, http://www.artmeetsfashion.org/
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