Art, Literature and design

Common and Unusual Instruments in the String Family

David Littrell, University Distinguished Professor of Music

An introduction to the cello, double bass, viola da gamba, viola, and baroque cello.

The Artistic Process: How Do Artists Create?

Joyce Yeagerline, Associate Professor/ Director of Dance

This workshop begins with a collaborative mind-map, then takes the abstract ideas from the mind-map to be developed and translated into performance pieces by students. Following the showing of the informal performance pieces, we discuss the artistic or creative process that the students experienced.

Creative Thinking: A Design Process

LaBarbara James Wigfall, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional Community Planning

Creative Writing and Creative Reading: What American Literature Teaches Us about How to Live Our Lives

Gregory Eiselein, Coffman University Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor of English

Using examples from a range of American classics (from Emerson to Dr. Seuss), this interactive presentation asks students to think about how we should live our lives. We will explore classic topics such as self-reliance, the keys to happiness, paths to success, and the importance of empathy, community, and gratitude.

Save it or Tear it Down? The Choices We Make for Progress

LaBarbara James Wigfall

So You Think You Can Dance?

Joyce Yeagerline

Do you have what it takes to become a dancer? What kinds of things do you need to know? What do you need to do? What kind of training do you need? What kind of life does a dancer lead? What is it like? These questions and more will be explored in this discussion.

Stimulating Creativity: You Can Be Creative Even Though You May Not Be Artistic

Donita Whitney-Bammerlin, Academic Program Coordinator, Department of Management

At a time when the need to be efficient is at an all time high, the need to be innovative is competitive for the same incentives. Creativity leads to innovation and innovation contributes to efficiency, yet many of our current workplaces do not stimulate, reinforce, or reward creativity. There are few formal trainings that teach creativity and much of society views creativity as an art form or something that does not belong in a corporate setting. This sessions deals with the biases of creativity and facilitates ways that it can be stimulated in the everyday workplace of corporate America.

Understanding the Role of the Built Environment in Successful Aging

Migette Kaup, Associate Professor of Apparel, Textile, and Interior Design

What I Think about When I Conduct an Orchestra or Play the Cello

David Littrell