Collective Creativity in the Library
Collective creativity happens when citizens reflect and develop new ideas and artifacts together. This design-based research project explores new strategies for supporting collective creativity in libraries by developing spaces and activities to “support the user’s creativity and innovation” (The Model Program for public libraries, 2019). It is closely linked to a collaboration between the Interacting Minds Centre at Aarhus University and Studio Olafur Eliasson called Experimenting, Experiencing, Reflecting, which develops installations that examine perception, decision-making, action, notions of togetherness, collaboration, and the transmission of knowledge. We have positioned this work in Dokk1 to support their goal of generating new strategies for involving the public in creative learning here and in libraries across Denmark and the world.
This project forms the core of PhD research by Amos Blanton, a creative learning experience designer who has worked on projects like LEGO House and the Scratch Project at MIT Media Lab. It led to the founding of the Creative Learning Research Group, a team of librarians whose area of focus is on developing creative experiences to engage the public.