MPS 604 – SUMMER 2007 – INTERNATIONAL CREATIVITY POLICY
How big is creativity? Some estimates put the revenues generated by the global creative industry or Creative Economy to be in excess of $2 trillion. This class will
- Introduce students to the concept of the Creative Economy and its scope and dimensions.
- Give students an introduction to how governments are developing policies to advance and accelerate creativity and innovation in their countries.
- Investigate how cultural policy fits or clashes with other types of development policies.
Readings:
We will use “Creative Industries,” edited by John Hartley (Blackwell
Publishing, 2005) along with selected articles provided by the
instructor,
Schedule:
We will meet for five weeks at three hours per session, Monday
nights, from June 18 through July 16, 2007.
Student Research:
Each student will select a country other than the United States
and research that country’s cultural policy and initiatives.
About the Instructor
Tom Tresser is a consultant, producer, educator and trainer who
can help individuals, companies and communities leverage and amplify their
creative assets in order to solve problems, create economic value and
trigger civic engagement. Tom has acted in some 40 shows and produced
over 100 plays, special events, festivals and community programs. He was
an arts activist, having organized support for pro-arts candidates and
developed a cultural policy think tank at Roosevelt University in the
early 1990’s, where he taught "Arts & Public Policy." He
was director of cultural development at Peoples Housing, in north Rogers
Park, Chicago, where he created a community arts program that blended
the arts, education and micro-enterprise. He has used creativity in the
field of executive development, working with Fortune 500 companies on
innovative and experiential strategic executive learning programs. During
the Internet boom Tom served as a marketing director and community affairs
manager for OurHouse.com, an e-commerce start-up. In 2003 he was appointed
Visiting Fellow in Arts and Culture at the DePaul University College of
Commerce’s Ryan Center for Creativity and Innovation. Tom was elected
to the Abraham Lincoln Elementary School’s Local School Council
and served from 2004 to 2006. He is teaching a number of classes on art,
creativity and civic engagement for Loyola University and DePaul University.
He is currently acting as strategic planning and audience development
consultant for Collaboraction Theater, one of Chicago's hottest and most
innovative young performing arts groups.
Web site: http://www.publicservice.depaul.edu
