Here’s another in our series of posts about previous Imagination Conversations. The original Conversation model designed by Lincoln Center Institute involves a moderator and panelists, but some states come up with other event formats based on what they want to accomplish. The catalytic meeting I describe below is one example of this phenomenon.
A group of fifty thought leaders gathered at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design on September 14 to craft a new creative agenda for the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The Minnesota Imagination Conversation, hosted by the MacPhail Center for Music, opened with remarks by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. Senior representatives of healthcare company UnitedHealth Group, acclaimed choral organization VocalEssence, the cutting-edge Walker Art Center, and Cargill, an international provider of food and agricultural products, then gave brief presentations on the kinds of creative thinking needed in their fields. Among the other participants were: representatives of Wells Fargo bank and the Bush and McKnight Foundations; strategic planners and alliance builders from business development networks; and prominent figures in education.
Dr. David O’Fallon, former MacPhail Center CEO and current president and CEO of the Minnesota Humanities Center, reports, “Plans are now in motion for follow-up events to … support the education of the imagination and the creative and innovative uses of it across sectors,” particularly “food industries, healthcare, design, and the arts.”
More Imagination Conversation Reports will appear soon!
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Filed under: Imagination Conversation Reports | Tagged: Bush Foundation, Cargill, David O'Fallon, imagination conversations, Lincoln Center Institute, MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis College for Art and Design, Minneapolis Imagination Conversation, R.T. Rybak, The McKnight Foundation, UnitedHealth Group, VocalEssence, Walker Art Center, Wells Fargo | Leave a comment »