The New Creative Economy
Thanks to MCC's Dona Cady for forwarding the following thematic summary of the recent New England Board of Higher Education's fiftieth anniversary conference. The issues addressed are relevant to our ongoing Question of the Year discussion as we attempt to prepare students for the future.
The theme for the New England Board of Higher Education’s fiftieth anniversary conference in Groton, Connecticut was “Channeling New England’s Arts and Culture Assets for Success in the New Economy.” Highlighting this drive towards a new Creative Economy, Daniel Pink, keynote speaker and author of A Whole New Mind, warned us all that the age of information is ending. The conceptual age is taking its place and if we aren’t ready for it, we will be left behind, for the future belongs to the right brain, to those who are innovative and creative.
According to Daniel Pink, there are three forces tilting economic security away from left brain activities – abundance, Asia, and automation. From dishwashers, to cell phones to the $17 billion a year self-storage boom (for all our extra junk), today’s middle class experiences an abundance that is truly breathtaking. Who wants a $3 toilet brush when you can buy a $6 Michael Graves original design at Target. Functionality and utility no longer guarantee success. Esthetics and design combined with emotion and spirituality now rule. Jobs that do not have this additional dimension will and have been outsourced to Asia. From routine legal work to the ease of Turbo Tax, any job that can be reduced to routine and automation will be gone. Only those jobs that infuse the creativity of right brain skills will be harder to replace.
This theme played repeatedly throughout such conference sessions as: Positioning New England in the Global Economy; Charting a Course for Arts Education; and Building Creative Communities: Local, State, and Regional Perspectives. Speakers and panelists stressed that not only can the artistic community energize and revitalize cities but that colleges provide an essential link in this process. Kay Sloan, President of Massachusetts College of Art, stressed that competitive strength is tied to a competitive workforce.
Colleges are primed to nurture and develop creative talent often in cutting edge areas that are not commercially viable. Colleges also help build audiences in the profit and non-profit arena. From professional theatre to product and fashion design to even media exhibitions, educational institutions support emerging artists so they can be economically successful. As communities, colleges, and students join in this entrepreneurial relationship, they fuel a stronger and brighter future for everyone.