Press Room
Town Hall Discussion Moderated by CNN’s Frank Sesno
Frank Sesno, special correspondent for CNN and a professor at The George Washington University, opened the discussion seeking a definition of what is meant—or what should be meant—by the “creative economy.” The first answer came in more in the form of a question: “How do we engage marginalized people—those who have not been touched by the redevelopment success of the creative economy—in the conversation?”
A conference participant from State College, Penn., offered that there were several things that could be done. She is involved in an arts project that touches on the history of the community. She said the personal connections formed by projects like this are what is critical to reaching out to all members of the community, including the people who have been traditionally marginalized.
Dr. Toffler echoed an observation by Bill Gates, that the American education system needs to be replaced, not reformed. He said it was critical to get away from the industrial model of education that was created more than a century ago.
In addressing the question about how to engage marginalized residents, Chairman Connolly noted that Fairfax County is the wealthiest in the nation and that sometimes it’s difficult to remember that some residents have not participated in the county’s success. Many low-wage earners have been forced to move away. He said Fairfax County has several programs addressing these kinds of issues, especially preservation of affordable housing.
Another member of the audience noted the tension between creating community and those people creating a horizontal link between people. Of particular note are issues involving our aging population. She suggested that we will need to tap our creativity to create a support system that will be needed to address the explosion of need from older adults.
Mr. Sesno then turned the focus of the discussion on what business and the private sector can do to promote creativity.
One participant said companies need to donate more of their time, resources and money to influence public policy and public awareness. As an example, she noted the $130 million that was donated to the Americans for the Arts advertising campaign. She said that more civic participation was needed from companies, which would help employees of those companies feel greater pride about where they work, not to mention benefit the community.
Another audience member echoed comments presented earlier by Mr. Toffler, who said American industry created the structure of the American education system. She suggested that business should play the same role today and use its influence to reform the education system so that students graduate with job skills that are relevant to today’s economy. Businesses should tell educators what they need, she said.
For another participant, the creative economy means putting “humanity” back in “human relations.” Part of that means instituting workplace flexibility and accommodations such as on-site child care. He opined that people are naturally creative, but we need to help them find a work-life balance to help free up that creativity.
A “mindset shift” is needed, another participant said. She said energy in the community should be put to work making “small changes” that people can make. She cited her experience with staging a children’s opera involving kids from a broad diversity of families who came from various parts of the world as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival. She noted that participation by businesses and arts professionals made it possible.
A participant from Chico, Calif., thought that the underlying theme for the two days has been the value of people to an economy. She said that the talents and interests of people need to be leveraged to work toward creative solutions.
Another participant held up her experience with the Herndon, Va.-based Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce as evidence of the power of collaboration—educators, business and government leaders—who worked on a program that taught students some of the keys of being successful. If she had to do it again, she would have made sure to broaden awareness of the program, even to national audiences.
One gentleman suggested that colleges and universities are the cornerstones of the creative economy, and that higher education would be a good avenue for businesses to invest.
Finally, Karen Gagnon from Michigan’s Cool Cities initiative related her experience in falling through the ice of a frozen-over lake. As she flailed around in the water, thinking she may drown, her brother ordered her to “stand up,” whereupon she realized that the water was only knee-deep. The point, she said, is that we can’t do this alone, that we need to go back home and tell people what we’ve learned here, and “keep it going!”
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All photos by Kaveh Sardari. These and many other high-resolution images from the National Conference on the Creative Economy may be viewed and purchased from www.sardari.com.
