Participatory Creativity in Practice

On the 19th of March Dr. Michael Hanchett Hanson, Teachers College, Columbia University, USA, gave a public lecture on the topic ‘Participatory Creativity in Practice’ at Webster Geneva Campus. This talk was part of the Creativity and Innovation Lecture Series organized on campus by the Webster Center for Creativity and Innovation (WCCI).

Dr. Hanchett Hanson started by outlining different approaches to creativity, from individualistic to sociocultural, with a focus on distributed and participatory frameworks. These frameworks emphasise the social, material, temporal and cultural dynamic of creativity and situate it within the developmental context of the person in view of his or her life trajectory. The talk presented the Possibility Project, a theater-based youth development program, and examined the role of creative participation in creating meaning, overcoming traumatic experiences, and “changing the world” through art.

The lecture was followed by a Q&A and a small reception, giving new opportunities to interact with the speaker and discuss the practical applications of participatory creativity.

A short discussion with Dr. Hanchett Hanson can be found on our new podcast site at podcast.webster.ch.