CONNECTICUT IMAGINATION CONVERSATION ...
Imagination Conversations bring together leaders from an array of fields to discuss the importance of imagination.

The International Centre for Creativity and Imagination presents the next Connecticut Imagination Conversation at the The Studio @ Billings Forge in Hartford, Connecticut, on May 24, 2010. This conversation is presented with the University of Connecticut Bachelor of General Studies Program and Billings Forge Community Works, in affiliation with the Lincoln Center Institute.

The Connecticut Imagination Conversation is part of a national dialogue -- 50 conversations in 50 states -- sponsored by the Lincoln Center Institute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Steven Dahlberg, head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, will moderate the conversation. Special guests to be announced soon!

ABOUT THE IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS
Imagination, the ability to visualize new possibilities, is a prerequisite for success in the 21st-century global economy. America has long been at the vanguard of creation and innovation, but an economic downturn and increased worldwide competition mean that we cannot take our position for granted. Now more than ever, we must teach imagination in our schools and nurture it in our communities. The Imagination Conversations respond to this need and prepare us for the future by:

• Building national awareness of imagination as a vital tool in work and in life.

• Sparking dialogue about imagination across the professional spectrum.

• Leading to the creation of an action plan to make imagination an integral part of American education.

The Imagination Conversations, a project of Lincoln Center Institute and a part of the Lincoln Center 50 Years celebration, run from the fall of 2009 to the spring of 2011. Many are hosted by state government, business, and cultural leaders. They feature diverse groups of panelists with distinctive perspectives and draw a wide range of audience members from the public and private sectors. Moderators facilitate the conversations, some of which reach viewers nationwide via live and archived streaming video. This two-year initiative will culminate in America's Imagination Summit, to be held at Lincoln Center in the summer or fall of 2011.

ABOUT THE HOST:
Steven Dahlberg is director of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, which is dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities. He teaches "Creativity + Social Change" in the Public and Community Engagement theme at the University of Connecticut. He has nearly 20 years of experience in this field, and has worked with Yale University, Guggenheim Museum, Yahoo!, Americans for the Arts, Danbury Public Schools, UNESCO, Louisiana's Office of the Lt. Governor, New Economics Foundation, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, World Knowledge Forum, City of Providence, 3M, Aldrich Museum, State of Connecticut, and Rhode Island College, among other organizations. He has helped toy inventors launch a creativity consulting business, directed an international creativity conference, and taught an undergraduate creativity course for incarcerated men. Dahlberg edits the Applied Imagination blog, authored the foreword to the book, Education is Everybody's Business. He is particularly interested in creative community building, creative education, local food and sustainable agriculture, and creative aging.