CONNECTICUT IMAGINATION CONVERSATION ...
Imagination Conversations bring together leaders from an array of fields to discuss the importance of imagination.

The International Centre for Creativity and Imagination presents the Connecticut Imagination Conversation at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut, on April 19, 2010. This conversation is in conjunction with the "Creativity + Social Change" course at the Greater Hartford Campus of the University of Connecticut. This course is part of the Center for Continuing Studies' Public and Community Engagement theme.

The Connecticut Imagination Conversation is part of a national dialogue -- 50 conversations in 50 states -- sponsored by the Lincoln Center Institute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Scott Noppe-Brandon, executive director of Lincoln Center Institute, will join us for this conversation. He is also the author of Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility. Steven Dahlberg, head of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination, will host the conversation. This event will be recorded for broadcast on WNPR Connecticut Public Broadcasting's "Where We Live," with host John Dankosky.

ABOUT THE IMAGINATION CONVERSATIONS
Imagination, the ability to visualize new possibilities, is a prerequisite for success in the 21st-century global economy. America has long been at the vanguard of creation and innovation, but an economic downturn and increased worldwide competition mean that we cannot take our position for granted. Now more than ever, we must teach imagination in our schools and nurture it in our communities. The Imagination Conversations respond to this need and prepare us for the future by:

• Building national awareness of imagination as a vital tool in work and in life.

• Sparking dialogue about imagination across the professional spectrum.

• Leading to the creation of an action plan to make imagination an integral part of American education.

The Imagination Conversations, a project of Lincoln Center Institute and a part of the Lincoln Center 50 Years celebration, run from the fall of 2009 to the spring of 2011. Many are hosted by state government, business, and cultural leaders. They feature diverse groups of panelists with distinctive perspectives and draw a wide range of audience members from the public and private sectors. Moderators facilitate the conversations, some of which reach viewers nationwide via live and archived streaming video. This two-year initiative will culminate in America's Imagination Summit, to be held at Lincoln Center in the summer or fall of 2011.