Tag Archive for: creativity

Creativity Conference at SOU set to begin

Sixth annual Creativity Conference at SOU set to begin May 16

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The 6th annual Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University will kick off Thursday, May 16, and run through Sunday, May 19. The four-day event features a dynamic, global lineup with over 100 presenters, including five keynote speakers.

Drawing together many of the world’s leading scholars, researchers and practitioners from the field of creativity, alongside a diverse array of professionals seeking to infuse creativity into their endeavors, the conference is set to spur curiosity and innovation, and generate conversations to transform and inspire creative thinking. The conference will feature research presentations, artistic exhibits and performances, and hands-on demonstrations. See the conference website for a full listing of this year’s program.

The conference will feature both in-person and remote presentation formats. In-person presentations, demonstrations and performances will run Thursday, May 16, through Saturday, May 18. Attendees joining in-person will have the option to view these sessions in designated venues in SOU’s Stevenson Union. Sunday, May 19, is devoted exclusively to remote presentations. All sessions – remote and in-person – will be accessible via livestream, ensuring inclusivity and engagement. Additionally, archived presentations will be available for viewing post-event.

“This conference showcases internationally renowned speakers, researchers and artists who are at the forefront of creativity research and application,” said Conference Co-Executive Director Dan DeNeui. “Their insights will ignite imagination and challenge attendees to reimagine their ideas about creativity.”

This year’s conference will again feature unique presentations and demonstrations on artificial intelligence and creativity. On Friday, the conference will feature an AI forum where attendees can learn about how faculty, students and innovators are using AI technology, and get hands on experience with AI tools.

Attendees can expect a diverse range of formats, including 60-minute panel discussions, 40- to 50-minute individual presentations, 15-minute “boom talk” sessions delivering concise insights, and engaging poster presentations. Each format will provide ample opportunities for interactive dialogue and exchange.

Distinguished keynote and invited speaker/performers for this year’s conference include:

  • Indre Viscontas, Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco
  • Tuomas Auvinen, Dean of the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture at Aalto University in Finland
  • Sandra Russ, Distinguished University Professor Emerita at Case Western Reserve University
  • April Matson, Executive Director of Rock The Rez
  • Bob Root-Bernstein, Professor of Physiology Emeritus at Michigan State University
  • Derek Keller, Assistant Professor of Music, Southern Oregon University

The SOU Creativity Conference serves as a global platform, offering cutting-edge insights and resources for individuals interested in the science and application of creativity research. The event fosters collaboration among creativity researchers, facilitating the expansion of professional networks and knowledge exchange.

Aligned with SOU’s strategic vision, which prioritizes creativity, innovation and essential human skills, the conference underscores the significance of creativity in driving progress and meeting the evolving needs of society.

Interested individuals can register for the conference by visiting the Creativity Conference website.

Those with questions can reach out to either Dan DeNeui at deneuid@sou.edu or Mark Runco at runcom@sou.edu.

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The Creativity Conference at SOU is this week

Fifth year of Creativity Conference at SOU to unfold this week

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The fifth annual Creativity Conference at SOU will begin a four-day run on Thursday, May 18, with a lineup of 123 presenters, including seven keynote speakers. The conference is expected to draw many of the world’s top scholars, researchers and practitioners in the field of creativity, along with a wide variety of working professionals looking for ways to bring creativity into their work.

The conference, first held in 2018, will be presented in a hybrid format. Thursday, May 18, will be reserved for remote presenters and those presentations will be livestreamed via the conference app. In-person attendees will have the option of watching the streams for those events in designated rooms on SOU’s campus. In-person presentations will be held Friday, May 19, through Sunday, May 21, in Southern Oregon University’s Stevenson Union, but all of those sessions will also be livestreamed and available to remote attendees. Attendees will also be able to view archived versions of all presentations.

Registration remains open for the event, which begins with an 8:30 a.m. “kickoff” address on May 18 by Mark Runco of SOU, who co-created the conference with Dan DeNeui, SOU’s Associate Provost.

“This conference features internationally renowned speakers and presenters who are prominent in the study of creativity,” DeNeui said. “The material they present will spark imagination and cause attendees to rethink how they approach their work.

“This year we are featuring a keynote address and numerous presentations on the role of artificial intelligence and creativity.”

Individual events at the conference will again be held in any of four formats: 60 minute panel presentations by two or three people; 40- to 50-minute presentations by individuals; 15-minute “boom talk” presentations that quickly get to the “so what” of their topics; and poster presentations. All varieties of presentation formats will all offer time for questions and answers.

This year’s keynote speakers are Arthur I. Miller, emeritus professor of the history and philosophy of science at University College London ; Ivonne Chand O’Neal, founder and principal of the creativity and arts impact research firm Muse Research, LLC; Roger Beaty, and assistant professor of psychology at Penn State University and director of PSU’s Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Lab; Roni Reiter-Palmon, Varner Professor of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and director of the I/O Psychology graduate program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and Ted Adams, founder of Clover Press, author of graphic novels and member of the SOU Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Mark Runco will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from SOU at the 2023 Creativity Conference. He is past president of the American Psychological Association’s Division 10 and editor of the Journal of Creativity. He is editor emeritus of the Creativity Research Journal and has co-edited three editions of the Encyclopedia of Creativity. His creativity textbook has been translated into over a dozen languages (the 3rd edition is due out any day). Runco was previously the Torrance Professor of Creative Studies at the University of Georgia and is currently director of creativity research and programming at SOU.

The SOU Creativity Conference is an international event that provides cutting-edge information and resources for those who are interested in learning more about the science and application of creativity research. The conference provides an opportunity for creativity researchers to collaborate and broaden their networks.

SOU’s strategic plan specifically emphasizes creativity, innovation and other human skills that augment technical skills and are particularly valued by employers.

Those with questions about the conference may reach out to either Mark Runco at runcom@sou.edu or Dan DeNeui at deneuid@sou.edu.

-SOU-

The Creativity Conference returns to SOU in July

Call for proposals: Creativity Conference at SOU

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The annual Creativity Conference at SOU will return to the Southern Oregon University campus July 14 to 17, and all members of the SOU community are encouraged to propose presentations or consider attending the four-day conference.

Last year’s conference, which was held remotely, featured 112 presenters and 243 attendees from more than 30 countries. The 2022 conference will operate on a hybrid format, hosting presenters and attendees both in-person and online through video conferencing.

Faculty members and others who wish to make presentations at the conference should fill out the call-for-proposals form on the Creativity Conference website. Poster sessions at the event are considered to be a valuable interactive format for all researchers, and ideal for students seeking feedback on their work.

Those with questions about the conference may reach out to either Mark Runco at runcom@sou.edu or Dan DeNeui at deneuid@sou.edu.

This year’s scheduled keynote speakers include Bonnie Cramond, a professor emeritus at the University of Georgia. Cramond is the former director of the University of Georgia’s Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, and has served on the boards of several national and international organizations and journals related to creativity and giftedness.

The international conference features many of the world’s top scholars, researchers and practitioners in the field of creativity. It provides cutting-edge information and resources for those who are interested in learning more about the science and application of creativity research.

Three SOU Professors Awarded Presidential Funds for Research, Creative Work

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The SOU Seal(Ashland, Ore.) — An international study of teen bullying, an artist-in-residence program in Budapest and a live art performance in New York—these are just three of the scholarly and creative projects that Southern Oregon University faculty are pursuing.
Because of the significance of these projects nationally and internationally, SOU President Mary Cullinan chose them as recipients of the 2012 President’s Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Fund. This is the second year that these funds have been made available through the SOU Foundation.

“SOU faculty are being widely recognized. Their research and creative endeavors enrich their teaching and provide extraordinary experiences for students,” says Cullinan. “I want to increase the visibility of our faculty’s work on campus and beyond.”

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