Unblocking creativity genes & wearable empathy tools

Stories from Canada’s future arts sector

Peter Drucker famously said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

It can be hard to think about the future, particularly while experiencing a global polycrisis. In Zainub Verjee’s keynote presentation at the Arts Services Organizations (ASO) Convergence Conference held January 23 and 24, 2023, Verjee describes three crises impacting the arts sector - public health, social upheaval and economic decline. 

In the midst of these challenges, Mass Culture, the conference host, decided to use the power of the arts, to collectively imagine a thriving arts sector in the future in order to inspire the ASO community. Instead of hosting a discussion, Mass Culture decided to host a creative map drawing game. 

The Convergence Space

The game involved imagining a fictitious future world that supports a thriving arts sector in 2030, called The Convergence Space. Conference participants were interviewed to share their ideas, values and decisions about this future space. Their answers were then translated in real-time into a visual map by Betty Pomerleau, the artist cartographer. 

Some of the questions asked were: 

1. What resources are part of the convergence space? The arts and culture sector will have the resources of risk-taking, inclusion and listening.

2. What is a hard-to-believe legend about the convergence space that makes it unique and thriving? The arts sector takes a more holistic approach to how we share stories with one another.

3. Imagine that there is a giant human made structure on the convergence space, what is it and what is its purpose? A tall, fabric-made and porous structure that reaches out to the edges of the map in a wavy pattern to reflect the ebbs and flows of ideas, thoughts, collaboration and connection. 

4. What is a place on the map that has endured environmental trauma, and what is this trauma? The Canadian north and our Arctic is being completely transformed by the warming trends. In 2030, the arts and culture sector will allow us to engage in really tough conversations and share stories about how people have come to terms with what has happened and to start the process of healing and rebuilding. 

After asking 15 conference participants to answer various questions about a thriving arts sector in 2030, the map was revealed. 

This is where Creative Futures stepped in. We facilitated a session during Day 2 of the conference in order to build shared understanding, explore and experiment with the Convergence Space. We did this by hosting an interactive session - Makerspace 2030 - where participants had an opportunity to build further meaning through the creation of an artifact from the future, a performance from the future, or a story from the future.

Makerspace 2030

In small groups, participants opened up their kits and created various situations and objects that might exist in the thriving arts sector in the future. Some of the ideas shared were:

• A device that can repair our creativity gene so that everyone is able to access and connect with their creativity and imagination;

• An object that we could wear on our head or ears to be able to better communicate with others and build empathy, particularly in a world experiencing mass migration;

• A reverse job interview where one candidate interviews multiple arts organizations in a future where artists are valued; and,

• A story of the future where an ASO worker has time and space to do their work well and prioritize well-being.

Aligning on Hope

There are a range of possible futures on the horizon and none of them are certain. By imagining the possibilities and focusing on what we hope to see in the future, it can inspire us to take action. It was clear from the session held at the conference, that many of the participants were already aligned about their hopes for the future. 

We were also reminded that hosting a non-traditional process, like a creative map drawing game, means that it may not go exactly as planned. The visual map ended up being more abstract than we expected however it still provided an excellent jumping off point for the makerspace. Upon reflection, the abstract nature of the map makes sense given future uncertainty. Perhaps it was even a language from the future that we can’t read, at least not yet.

Learn more about this project.

Photography credit: Sariena Luy & Jazmine Snow