Thanks to everyone who attended and made the 2012 Symposium a success!
What is the future of the ensemble? How is technology shaping the future of the book – or for that matter, dance, theatre, visual arts, motion picture arts, creative writing and music? And what effect will this have on teaching and learning in the arts? Information, Space and Time: The Arts, Creativity and Learning in the 21st Century is a conference that will explore the issues, options and future challenges of the arts through keynote addresses, live performances and exciting panel discussions. Discipline-specific sessions will provide immersive forums and roundtables focused on individual art areas.
In addition, peer-to-peer discussion groups will meet at key times throughout the symposium to reflect on keynote sessions. The individual discussion groups will stay together throughout the symposium so that major lines of reflection and thought can be shared and developed cumulatively with the same people. (If you are coming as part of a team, you may wish to have your team stay together in one discussion group, or have team members join different discussion groups.)
AGENDA (subject to change)
Wednesday, October 10
| 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Opening Welcome in Corson Auditorium |
| 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m | Opening General Session with Sheryl Connelly in Corson Auditorium The world we live in is changing before our very eyes. But how? Why? And what can we do to plan for these changes? Enter Sheryl Connelly, Ford Motor Company’s Global Consumer Trends and Futuring Manager. She is responsible for identifying and tracking trends in the social, technological, economic, environmental and political arenas to understand the shifts that may influence consumers’ values, attitudes and behaviors. She will discuss the changing workforce, how companies are adapting to different preferences in a world market, and how arts and culture help shape her views for Ford now and into the future. |
| 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. | Discussion Groups |
| 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | Dinner |
| 7:30 p.m. | Evening Performance by Jack Ferver with the Interlochen Arts Academy Theatre Co. in Corson Auditorium "These Young Men and Women" is an original interdisciplinary and multimedia work involving 21 of the theatre majors at Interlochen Arts Academy. Three tragedies by Euripides are used for the source material: "The Medea," "Elektra" and "The Trojan Women." Using the timeless human themes from these plays, Ferver and the ensemble of actors take on modern day tragedies of American youth. This evening length work is built from interviews and improvisations with the company, combined with Ferver's original text and choreography. Together they juxtapose forms from the classical to the contemporary, from the epic to the quotidien, and from the mythic to the personal. Recommended for mature audiences. |
Thursday, October 11
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | General Session with Billy Childs in Corson Auditorium Legendary pianist and composer Billy Child made his recording debut in 1977 and never looked back. He has garnered 10 Grammy nominations and won three, received a Guggenheim Fellowship and was awarded a Chamber Music America composer’s grant – and that’s just the short version. But what education and experiences were most important in preparing him for life as a musician? What has remained constant throughout his career, and what has changed the most? Childs will present the realities of being a performer and creator through conversation and, of course, performing his music. |
| 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Discussion Groups |
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. |
Comparative Arts, Creative Writing and Music: Lunch Dance, Motion Picture Arts, Theatre and Visual Arts: "Collaborative Leadership and Effective Teambuilding: A Musician’s Perspective" with Guillermo Figueroa in Mallory-Towsley Center for Arts Leadership |
| 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. |
Dance, Motion Picture Arts, Theatre and Visual Arts: Lunch Comparative Arts and Creative Writing: Session with Carolyn Forche in The Writing House Music: Session with Billy Childs in Corson Auditorium |
| 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Panel on "The Future of Leadership: New Roles for Individuals and Groups" featuring Eric Bartlett, Sheryl Connelly, Steve Hayden, Mary Palmer, Stephanie Perrin and Stanford Thompson in Corson Auditorium What challenges do leaders of educational and artistic organizations face? What skills will future leaders need to negotiate the new boundaries of time, space and information? This panel will focus on what it takes to be a leader, and what we need to do to inspire and motivate new leaders for the future. |
| 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. | General Session with Steven Goodman in Corson Auditorium Steven Goodman graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1975 as a visual arts major. Today, he is a conservation biologist who studies and documents the endangered, diverse and previously unknown plants and animals of Madagascar. Discover how the McArthur Genius grant award winning scientist believes that his work parallels his experience as a sculptor, and what he believes it takes to push for new boundaries in both science and the arts. |
| 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. | Discussion Groups |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Panel on "Art and the Environment: Natural, Social, and Technological" featuring Judith Burton, Andrea Gibson, Steven Goodman, Liz Lerman and Cory McAbee in Corson Auditorium What impact will the environment – physical, natural, technological, scientific, socio-political – have on the creators, performers and consumers of the future? Join this diverse group of panelists as they discuss how the changing world around us will define future generations of artists. |
| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner |
| 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. | Evening Performance by Andrea Gibson in Corson Auditorium Andrea Gibson is not gentle with her truths. It is this raw fearlessness that has led her to the forefront of the spoken word movement. The first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam, she has headlined prestigious performance venues coast to coast with powerful readings on war, class, gender, bullying, white privilege, sexuality, love and spirituality. Discover what influences drive her to write and perform, and enjoy an evening of slam poetry that truly reflects the times in which we live. |
| 9:30 p.m. - 10:45 p.m. | "Late Night Special" with Cory McAbee in DeRoy Center for Film Studies He was born in North Carolina. His bio claims that the fact that he graduated high school was an act of charity. He has worked as a doorman and bouncer, and once had a job in a factory painting faces on mannequins. He has performed in the musical group "The Billy Nayer Show," presented the first multi-media event ("The Billy Nayer Chronicles") at the Sundance Film Festival - a festival he has presented work at numerous times - and has given us such works as "The American Astronaut" and "Reno." Tonight, we’re giving him a stage and a microphone. Will he sing, dance, show films, tell jokes? Let’s just say his is one late night special you won't want to miss. |
Friday, October 12
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | General Session with Carolyn Forche in Corson Auditorium Carolyn Forché is a poet, editor, translator and human rights activist who’s perhaps best-known for coining the phrase “poetry of witness.” Hope J. Smith commented in the Madison Gazette that “Forché’s work is unusual in that it straddles the realms of the political and the poetic, addressing political and social issues in poetry when many poets have abandoned these subjects altogether.” Discover what led her to write, and how she feels the boundaries of time, space and information are influencing not only her works, but the entire craft of writing. |
| 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Discussion Groups |
| 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Creative Writing, Comparative Arts, Dance, Motion Picture Arts, Theatre and Visual Arts: Lunch
Music: Session with ETHEL Quartet members in Corson Auditorium |
| 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Music: Lunch
Creative Writing, Comparative Arts and Theatre: Session with Andrea Gibson in Phoenix Theatre Dance: Session with Liz Lerman in the Dance Building Motion Picture Arts: Session with Cory McAbee in DeRoy Center for Film Studies Visual Arts: Session with Judith Burton in Dow Center for Visual Arts |
| 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Music: "Musical Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century: How Non-Musical Skills and Experiences Can Impact and Advance Your Artistic Career" with Eric Bartlett in Mallory-Towsley Center for Arts Leadership A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra since 1983, cellist Eric Bartlett is recognized as a leading performer of contemporary music. Join him for a discussion on how artistic career paths can be created and enhanced when musicians become artist citizens by cultivating and employing their non-musical skills and experiences to address challenges in their ensembles, organizations or personal artistic lives. Creative Writing, Comparative Arts, Dance, Motion Picture Arts, Theatre and Visual Arts: Panel on "The Future of the Book" featuring Matt Bell, Jeremiah Chamberlin, Annie Martin, and Doug Stanton in Corson Auditorium |
| 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. | General Session with Liz Lerman in Corson Auditorium Liz Lerman is a choreographer, performer, writer, educator and speaker who was described by the Washington Post as "the source of an epochal revolution in the scope and purposes of dance art." She has pushed the boundaries of time, space and information through dance – rethinking movement and multiple forms of expression in her choreography, and redefining the role of dance as therapy, healing, generational learning and expression. Discover what influences her, and find out why she believes creators and performers must think differently to continue to push boundaries. |
| 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. | Discussion Groups |
| 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Panel on "The Future of Teaching and Learning in the Arts" featuring Judith Burton, Jack Ferver, Mary Palmer, Stephanie Perrin and Stanford Thompson in Corson Auditorium Teaching in the arts has been revolutionized by changes in time, space and information. How, when, who and where learning in the arts can occur has changed dramatically over the last few years. What are the new options and paradigms being created, and what challenges will these bring to existing systems? Join this panel of artists and arts educators to find out. |
| 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner |
| 8:00 p.m. | Evening Presentation by Tony Kushner in Corson Auditorium Jeff Kimpton, President of Interlochen Center for the Arts, and William Church, Interlochen’s Director of Theatre and Comparative Arts, will host a conversation with Tony Kushner. Mr. Kushner is a Pulitzer Prize, Emmy Award, Obie Award and Tony Award-winning, Oscar Award-nominated playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his two-part epic, "Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.” He will share the life experiences that have shaped who he is today, and discuss the roles of contemporary thought, social justice and world issues in his plays. |
Saturday, October 13
| 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Panel on "The Future of the Ensemble" featuring ETHEL Quartet, Jack Ferver, Liz Lerman, Stanford Thompson and Eric Bartlett in Corson Auditorium Panelists representing multiple artistic genres will discuss how “the ensemble” is changing, specifically addressing the idea of having a full spectrum of the arts in one “ensemble” performance. What changes would this type of performance create in terms of the different arts disciplines, audience engagement, arts education and more? |
| 9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. | Q&A Sessions
Creative Writing, Motion Picture Arts and Theatre: Tony Kushner in Harvey Theatre Comparative Arts, Dance, Music and Visual Arts: Liz Lerman in Mallory-Towsley Center for Arts Leadership |
| 10:45 a.m. - noon | Brunch |
| noon - 1:15 p.m. | Closing Panel featuring Billy Childs, Sheryl Connelly, Carolyn Forche, Andrea Gibson, Steven Goodman, Tony Kushner, and Liz Lerman in Corson Auditorium |
| 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Closing Presentation by ETHEL in Corson Auditorium Acclaimed as "one of the most exciting quartets around" (Strad Mag) and "as a necessary jet of cold water in the contemporary classical scene" (Pitchfork.com), the string quartet ETHEL has been a post-classical pioneer since it was founded in 1998. ETHEL invigorates contemporary concert music with exuberance, intensity, imaginative programming and exceptional artistry. With an eye on tradition and an ear to the future, ETHEL is a leading force in concert music’s reengagement with musical vernaculars, fusing diverse traditions into a vibrant sound that resonates with audiences the world over. The New York City-based quartet comprises Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), Kip Jones (violin) and Tema Watstein (violin). |