Late Night Creativity Challenges are something I look forward to each month. The energy, originality, and competition unleashed in the galleries of the Museum is so inspiring. The visitors who participate in these activities are able to look at the artwork in our collection in a whole new way.
Here are some of the thoughts of our challengers and participants:
“The creativity challenge helped me step out of my ‘corporate head’ and connect with the artwork in such a way that I was able to make a connection with the pieces and see them with new eyes. The artwork my team was assigned to work with was not something I would normally have gravitated to in a visit to the museum, yet by the end of the challenge, I was quite fond of the work!”
“I really enjoy the challenges, they make me appreciate the art and it’s fun to go by paintings I’ve written songs about or made Facebook pages for because of the challenge. It makes me really look into the piece and walk away with a better understanding and more of a connection rather than reading a brief synopsis and walking away. Not only have I been able to go in depth with a few pieces but have been able to remember other pieces fellow participants have made things about. Interacting with art was something I thought I could never do. Appreciating art was something I also considered out of my reach. Creativity Challenges have proven me wrong in both of those regards and created a whole new experience for visiting the DMA”
Me with our special guest Robert Sabuda
The latest challenge was inspired by the paper mechanics of the great author, illustrator, and pop-up creator Robert Sabuda. Having been inspired by Sabuda and a longtime fan of his work, I was thrilled to create a program inspired by him. And did I mention that he was also our guest judge for the creations?
The theme for our March Late Night and the fuel for my Sabuda Creativity Challenge was the wonderful Wizard of Oz. The teams were challenged to create their own shoes inspired by Dorothy’s ruby slippers, which of course gave Dorothy the power to go home. Each team had to create their own magically-powered shoes with the limited materials of paper and tape. After they created their shoes, the teams modeled their creations and explained what magical powers their shoes possessed, all while walking down a handmade yellow brick road leading them into the gates of The Emerald City–well, the gates to the DMA’s The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection to be more exact.
“The most rewarding experiences (and the projects that are most successful) have occurred when people work together. The winner of the latest creativity challenge is a good example. The family that won made red shoes with fringed red construction paper, and each person in the family had a specific job. Their project was successful, I think, because they developed prototypes together and found usefulness for everyone. From my perspective, the most creative teams are typically the larger teams. While the art hanging on the walls is certainly inspiring, the collaborations and conversations between team members seem to be the best idea-catalyst.” – C3 Volunteer
Here are a few examples from the challenge:
These shoes were unique for many reasons, but what struck our guest judge and I the most was the power the shoes had to take the person who was wearing them into any situation. They could be courageous when wearing the shoes and defeat any obstacle that came across their path. They also named the shoes after our guest judge, which is always a nice touch!
Come join in the fun next Late Night on April 19!
Amanda Batson
C3 Program Coordinator
