People might be curious about how speakers are chosen for CreativeMornings/Vancouver. You might think it's all the work of Mark Busse, founder (and Industrial Brand partner and design director). You would not be entirely correct. Mark is first of all, but one member of a multi-disciplinary team, and its members collectively choose the speakers. And that is sort of the same attitude that led the team to invite Amanda Gibbs of Public Assembly to share her story with us—this notion of being part of a collective.
Mark collaborated with Amanda during her tenure as Director of Engagement at the Museum of Vancouver, and hearing her talk about the role of a museum and the city at Interesting Vancouver (which Busse also co-produces) in 2010, became enamoured with her storytelling style and felt she had more to share about the role creativity and collaboration could have in our community. When a CreativeMornings/Vancouver team member suggested her as a speaker, we jumped on the idea.
We also felt that the many talented, creative women in our community don't get the spotlight often enough, and having Amanda speak was one way to change that.
In this video of Amanda's talk, titled "Convening Is The New Killer App," she speaks about the unconventional evolution of her own creative life from dancer to writer, to critic and community builder, to what she terms a "politicized creative practice" whereby she works with communities for social good. Amanda believes in narratives as a powerful way to build connections between communities and ideas. Her talk ultimately turns to her thoughts on the city as the locus for where transformational change is happening, which perhaps will inspire you to find ways of involving your own community in your creative life.
http://vimeo.com/35076722
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