Established in 2011, Cambridge Creativity Commons bridges the gap between arts and science to offer engaging STEAM programs to Cambridge, MA students. Our work is made possible by the generosity and enthusiasm of our advisors, partners and financial supporters.
Please click on link to view a short promotional video created by Cambridge Rindge & Latin students at the Media Resource Center to honor five years of service to the Cambridge Public Schools. CCC Promotional Video
Mission
The Cambridge Creativity Commons (CCC) engages Cambridge Public School students and teachers in developing their imagination and creativity across disciplines to enrich aesthetic understanding and activate joy of learning through innovative arts-based projects.
1. Collaborate with core teachers, specifically in the sciences, to develop project-based lessons that support the curriculum through the arts, such as sculpting the planets of the solar system; creating stop-motion animations of plate tectonics; and using emerging technologies to develop interactive eco-systems
2. Partner with Cambridge Youth Centers to provide after-school and summer ‘residency’ programs that invite local visiting artists as teachers and align with learning goals and youth interests.
3. Partner with community organizations such as Cambridge Arts Council, Cambridge Arts Association and the Cambridge Public Library to exhibit student work.
How We Got Our Start
CCC was founded in the magical studio of Dorothy ‘Doffie’ Arnold in East Cambridge. This studio was filled with thousands of pieces of artwork and the spirit of an artist at work. She opened her studio to the children of Cambridge fueled by her desire to share her love of art and the artmaking process. Although we currently no longer occupy this space, CCC carries on the legacy of Doffie’s passion and the idea that art can be a catalyst and every child is creative.
Our Work to Support Cambridge STEAM Initiative
Our mission aligns directly with Cambridge Public School District’s, Innovation Agenda and the Upper School Initiative that restructured the school system to include four Upper Schools serving students in grades 6-8. Focusing primarily on this age range, director & lead teaching artist, Kyle Browne, works closely with Cambridge educators to create arts-based projects that enrich the curriculum in-school and out-of-school. Over the past two years CCC’s core work has been the integration of arts and sciences and the fertile creative ground this can provide. Collaborating with science teachers and technology specialists we have developed innovative STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) projects that are deeply engaging and give students multiple access points to the content. This also supports the City of Cambridge STEAM Initiative to bring creative and science-based opportunities to all young people in the community.
Director’s Bio
Director and Teaching Artist, Rebecca Cote believes that everyone is creative and in their creativity, lies the potential to excel. Rebecca’s uses the art making process to help youth build the skills necessary to navigate an increasingly unknown future as well as engage in their education. Through community inclusive initiatives, she hopes to build positive identity, pride and ambition in young adults. She has been an entrepreneur and professional wilderness guide for over twenty years and uses this experience to generate awareness of the connections we have with our environment. Rebecca Cote is a graduate of the Community Arts in Education program at Lesley University with a BA in Visual Art from Humboldt State University.