Creativity Takes Center Stage at Two-Day Expert Exchange
Creative thinkers will converge on the Buffalo State campus June 14–16 to share ideas, hear results of creativity research, and honor one of the founders of the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) during the 14th annual Creativity Expert Exchange.
Approximately 100 participants from across the United States and Canada are expected to attend the conference, which is hosted by ICSC and wraps up the college’s observance of Year of the Innovator. Events will be held in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall and Rockwell Hall.
Attendees represent the fields of education, the arts, business, and organizational development, said Gerard Puccio, chair and professor of the ICSC.
"They are a mix of program alumni, current students, and creativity professionals, but primarily alumni,” Puccio said. “This yearly conference provides a stimulating and rejuvenating time where they can reconnect with classmates and share ideas.”
The exchange kicks off with a banquet on Sunday, June 14. James Kaufman, professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut and author of more than 26 books, including Creativity 101 and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity, will discuss “Dissecting Creativity.”
Also during the dinner, the conference will hold a tribute to the late Alex Osborn, whose seminal work in creativity education in the ‘40s and ‘50s led to the establishment of the ICSC in 1967. Osborn introduced the concept of brainstorming and creative problem-solving in his books Your Creative Power: How to Use Imagination (1948) and Applied Imagination (1953). About a dozen members of Osborn’s family are attending the banquet, Puccio said.
The sessions taking place June 15 and 16 will include a discussion from faculty members Cyndi Burnett and John Cabra on the effectiveness of teaching creativity online as part of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) held for the first time this spring. The two also will present findings from the “Bus Study,” which looks at the connection between creativity training and the effectiveness of problem-solving. Visiting speakers will lead a number of sessions ranging from developing your creative potential to strengthening creative leadership.
Conference tickets are $200 per day for alumni/professionals and $130 for students. Full conference registration, including all sessions, maters classes, workshops and most meals, costs $450 for alumni/professionals and $280 for students.