Cambridge Creativity Commons – Cambridge Creativity Commons

How to Make Your Mind Move

Cambridge Creativity Commons in partnership with Catalyst Conversations invite you to the 3rd Annual STEAM Conversation April 21st, 3-5pm at Lesley University College of Art and Design.

Join choreographers/dancers Peter DiMuro and Jody Weber and scientist/dancer Terina-Jasmine Alladin from the Science Club for Girls as they demonstrate how the movement of our bodies can help us understand the world around us. Join us for a dynamic conversation followed by a dance party to express your own creative moves! This event is an El STEAM Collaboration.

Presenter at ESE Annual Education Conference

Cambridge Creativity Commons and Cambridge Public Schools STEM department presented our project, Interactive Eco-systems, at the annual State Elementary and Secondary Education conference in Marlborough, MA on Tuesday. This was to specifically highlight the Creativity and Innovation grant award and how we’ve used the new Creativity Rubric to shape and improve our project going into the second year. Thankful for the continuing support and award from DESE and CPS and excited to begin the work this year integrating art, science and technology!

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A STEAM Conversation: Learning Through the Lens of Art & Science – April 23rd!

Join us for a dynamic talk between scientists and designers from DeScience followed by a hands-on workshop where you can engage in the overlapping creative processes of both artists and scientists. The event April 23rd 3 – 4:30 at the new Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University College of Art & Design. CCC partners once again with Catalyst Conversations to organize and host this second annual STEAM education event during Cambridge Science Festival! Event supported by the Expanded Learning STEAM Network. 23c972_69b4a283e55a4379965447d158711744.jpg_srz_p_980_702_75_22_0.50_1.20_0

CCC & CPS in Hechinger Report on Coding and Creativity

The Hechinger Report, covers inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters. Last week based on the recommendation of Ingrid Gustafson, the Cambridge Public School Instructional Technology Specialist in grades 6-12, I was interviewed to discuss ways we had integrated coding and the arts together in a science class. This article highlights some of our discussion as well as other schools ideas and innovative approaches about this topic nation-wide. Click here to read ‘Should every school class be a computer coding class?’ by Chris Berdik.

Kinetic Sculpture with 8th grade artist/scientists!

We are very excited our project was featured on the Cambridge Public Schools Facebook page! This project was based on using ‘Forces at a Distance’ electricity, electromagnetism, magnetism and gravity to create a kinetic sculpture. Students were given a wide variety of materials and tools to create with, including use of power tools, batteries, decorative materials and their own imagination! Continue reading Kinetic Sculpture with 8th grade artist/scientists!

Intergenerational Art Exhibit at Lesley University

Featuring Doffie Arnold, the inspiration behind Cambridge Creativity Commons, Kyle Browne CCC Director & Teaching Artist and the students whose learning has been enriched by CCC!

Doffie’s Studio and CCC journal exhibit in Cambridge Chronicle

The Cambridge Chronicle highlighted Dorothy ‘Doffie’ Arnolds studio event, honoring her legacy as an artist. Doffie and her studio were the catalyst to launch the Cambridge Creativity Commons, it was a joy for us to be a part of this event as well as have the Putnam Avenue Uppers School Creative Journaling Project exhibit we are doing with the Cambridge Public Library mentioned in the article. To see the full article go here! http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1829414634/Bent-Street-Artists-Bidding-adieu-to-Doffie-s-studio-in-Cambridge

Putnam Avenue Creative Journaling Project on view NOW!

Putnam Avenue Upper School Creative Journaling Project: In collaboration with Dorothy Arnold is on exhibit now at the Cambridge Main Library!

Opening Reception
Wednesday December 4th, 5-7pm
449 Broadway in the Beech Room
Light refreshments & Student and Teacher comments at 6pm

In the 2012-13 school year 6th grade students at PAUS partnered with the Cambridge Creativity Commons to construct their own hand-bound journals inspired by Dorothy Arnold’s legacy of art journals. These journals are filled with pages that creatively express students’ knowledge across disciplines through image and text. A selection of Dorothy’s journals presented alongside the student journals will be exhibited at the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library November 23 – Jan 31.

Summer at CCC is quite an Adventure!

This summer CCC has partnered with four different youth centers in Cambridge to do a week-long residency with the theme of Eco-Art Adventure at each.

Eco-Art Adventures is a program that revolves around art and the environment, crossing the disciplines of ecology and art that provides outdoor and artistic exploration. The format consists of the students engaging in outdoor explorations such as a nature walks, public street art tours, kayaking and swimming and then creating art, during, and in response to their experience. This encourages observation, critical thinking, learning about various environments and personal expression. Some examples of art activities include field sketching, nature assemblage, sun-prints, photography and environmentally conscious activism art. Students will exhibit work at the end of the week to share with peers and staff.

The kayaking & environmental art field trip at Discovery Adventures in Gloucester, MA has definitely been a favorite!

About 1/2 way through here are a few photos with some of the highlights!

Cambridge River Festival!

This year CCC made its debut appearance at the 34th annual Cambridge River Festival organized by the Cambridge Arts Council (CAC). It was a day filled with interactive art-making, river serpents and quite a bit of wind to cool us off – but also make papers fly! Thanks to my hardy volunteers we secured and exhibited student work, Doffie Arnolds abstract and figurative paintings and set up a great space for children and families to come make art. Our activities included making paper river serpents using paper bags and streamers and participating in a collaborative painting of a large river serpent. The painted serpent is living at the CCC studio – but hoping to hang it in a more public venue soon! The River Festival was a great way to showcase the work of Cambridge students and highlight our strong Cambridge partnerships which include the CAC, Cambridge Community Foundation, Cambridge Public Schools, Lesley University and the Art Institute of Boston.

The quote of the day (or even month!) was by Torren, 7yrs, “When I’m painting, nothing feels impossible” – absolutely priceless!