Ideation Night
Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 6:00-7:00PM
“Digital Transformation x Culture: Technology in Place”
Moderated by Cezanne Charles and John Marshall of rootoftwo
Join us for this second event of the Student Design Summit which guarantees to be a lively conversation on what it takes to develop new, engaging and immersive visitor experiences using digital tools and technology. This conversation moderated by rootoftwo, will examine how national arts and cultural institutions are experimenting with new digital applications and tools within their galleries, libraries, archives, museums and performing venues. It will then focus on how local institutions are tackling digital technology in creative ways to drive more engaging visitor experiences. It will attempt to answer “what do we mean by digital inclusion?” and “what is digital transformation and why is this important?” Students are welcome to ask questions and workshop their own ideas for how Detroit’s Cultural Center can use technology to further their missions and enhance the experiences of visitors to their institutions and to the wider cultural district.
MEET THE SPEAKERS:
Chris Barr
Director/Arts + Technology Innovation, Knight Foundation
@HeyChrisBarr
Chris Barr joined Knight Foundation in July 2012. He manages the Prototype Fund, a program dedicated to research and development for early-stage media and information projects.
With a background in design and new media, Barr previously served as an assistant professor of graphic design at West Virginia University. He has worked as a designer for a variety of organizations to combine technology development and design thinking.
Barr holds a Master of Fine Arts in media study from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in fine art from West Virginia University.
Christian Greer
President and CEO, Michigan Science Center
@Mi-Sci
Greer is a seasoned STEM professional with nearly 30 years of experience. He recently served as the Chief Officer of Science, Education, and Experience at Saint Louis Science Center where he, among other duties, oversaw Science Beyond the Boundaries—a network of over 275 science centers and museums from around the world. Greer has also served in leadership positions at Adler Planetarium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, HIVE Chicago Learning Network, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Shedd Aquarium, where he launched Midwest Regional Underwater Robotics Competition. Greer received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a Northwestern University Kellogg Executive Scholar and Chicago Community Trust Leadership Fellow. Greer is currently a doctoral candidate in learning technologies at Pepperdine University, where his research interests focus on social network analysis, distributed leadership and online collaborative learning environments.
rootoftwo
Cezanne Charles and John Marshall
@rootoftwo
rootoftwo, LLC is a research- and practice-driven hybrid design studio led by Cézanne Charles and John Marshall. Formed in 1998, their work engages in civic future-making, using design methods to facilitate people to imagine and shape collective actions for more just, resilient, inclusive, and adaptive futures. In 2019, rootoftwo was awarded the contract to masterplan the creative/civic technology aspects of the Cultural Center Planning Initiative by Midtown Detroit, Inc. and its partners. rootoftwo’s most recognizable public work ‘Whithervanes’ (interactive, headless-chicken weathervanes driven by the climate of fear on the Internet) has been commissioned by Locust Projects in Miami (2018) and originally by Creative Folkestone for the 2014 Folkestone Triennial. Exhibitions include ‘Detroit Institute of Arts| Midtown Cultural Connections Design Competition and Exhibition’ (2019 - Competition Winner); ‘Connected Objects: Are You Talking to Me? for Cite Du Design, Saint-Etienne, FR (2018); Post-Industrial Complex, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2012); ‘Trouble in Paradise / Medi(t)ation of Survival at The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan (2010). Permanent collections include the Folkestone Artworks (2014); the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute (2012) and Center for Land Use Interpretation (2012). They have been featured in Wired, FastCompany, Dezeen, Metropolis Magazine, Dwell, Studio International, Fresh Art International, and The Guardian.
rootoftwo creates innovative and tangible experiences, events, artifacts, spaces, methods, and strategies that allow us to perceive ourselves, the here and now, and the future differently.
Cézanne Charles is an artist and designer working on creative technology, social justice, and public policy projects. Cézanne Charles has more than 20 years of executive and senior management experience in nonprofit and for-profit creative industries in the United States and the United Kingdom.
John Marshall is a designer, educator, and creative technologist with over 20 years’ experience. John pursues new educational models, technologies, and tools for teaching and learning as a tenured associate professor of art & design, and architecture at the University of Michigan.