UGA Arts Collaborative

Quantifying the Arts in this Moment: A Community Conversation

Quantifying the Arts in this Moment: A Community Conversation
Tuesday, September 16 at 4 PM
https://a2ru.org/event/quantifying-the-arts-in-this-moment-a-community-conversation/

This event is free and open to the public

Please join a2ru for the second in a series of community conversations, following up on June 30’s Mapping Creative Futures: A Community Conversation. From that discussion, we pulled out several topics that participants marked for further exploration. September 16th’s discussion will explore the productive tension between the need for “return on investment” or quantifying the value of the arts (in economic terms, audience numbers, etc.) versus the pitfalls of minimizing the influence of the arts through reliance on these reductive measures alone.

Creating Knowledge in Common, Together: A Round Table

Creating Knowledge in Common, Together: A Round Table
Friday, September 26 from 1 to 3:30 PM
https://a2ru.org/event/creating-knowledge-in-common-together-a-round-table/

The editors of “Creating Knowledge in Common”, the 2024 special edition of Ground Works focussed on university/community partnered arts integrative research, invite all those engaged in such work to an online session that seeks to turn A2RU’s network towards action in this area. Among the themes that emerged in the special edition and subsequent public programming were the many (and growing) unmet needs associated with realizing these projects; these needs have only increased since the edition’s launch because of the shift in federal priorities and structures.

Welcome Fall 2025

Welcome to a new semester at UGA! If this is your first visit to the UGA Arts Collaborative website, please take a few moments to explore and learn about some of the current and past projects and events. You may be interested in joining the Arts Collaborative listserv, a newsletter with local events and opportunities in the arts.

Please also welcome our new recipients of Graduate Assistantships in Interdisciplinary Arts Research: Eve Brown (Art), Jet Stephen Chong (Music), and Jennifer Leigh Whitehead (Theatre and Film). These exceptional graduate students will develop creative research and collaborative work across disciplines with faculty, students, and community members.

Reading Room: In Pursuit of Creativity

In Pursuit of Creativity
Newsletter from the UGA Torrance Center for Creativity
https://thecreativepursuit.substack.com

What we see today in the world is so much of creativity being used for dark purposes

A conversation with Robert Sternberg on how our notions of creativity and intelligence are outdated and misaligned with the challenges we currently face.

How do you teach students how to create?

A conversation with Keith Sawyer on his book Learning to See (2025, MIT Press)

Reading Room: Centering the Arts in the Age of AI

Centering the Arts in the Age of AI: Advancing Education, Innovation, and Workforce Development through Creative Practices
By Daragh Byrne (Carnegie Mellon), Maryrose Flanigan (the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities), Benjamin Knapp (Virginia Tech), Aaron Knochel (Penn State) & Lisa McNair (Virginia Tech)
https://a2ru.org/centering-the-arts-in-the-age-of-ai-advancing-education-innovation-and-workforce-development-through-creative-practices-executive-summary-now-available/

The recent ubiquity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage highlights the need for literacy, experimentation, and productive perspectives on these tools. As higher education prepares students to enter the workforce, we know an integrated curriculum with attention to informed use of AI will not only prevent the harms we know are inherent in the technology but will also ensure a human-centered, skilled workforce essential to our democracy and global citizenship. Interdisciplinary perspectives and skills are the only way to make this happen, and to develop elevated awareness in the development, use, and adoption of AI now urgently needed. That means integrated study and use – artists, engineers, technologists, humanists, scientists, and medical experts working together.

Mapping Creative Futures: A Community Conversation

Mapping Creative Futures: A Community Conversation
Monday, June 30 at 2:30 PM
https://a2ru.org/event/mapping-creative-futures/

Free and open to all

Earlier this spring, when the a2ru Executive Committee drafted a statement about the effect of executive orders, one of many points we talked about was how this network is structured to combat isolation. We also talked about how the arts play an integral role in processing change; how the arts give voice to those who have been marginalized; and how the arts are uniquely situated to mark a productive path forward in times of uncertainty. In that spirit, we invite you to “Mapping Creative Futures: A Community Conversation,” a virtual gathering to discuss the ongoing challenges we continue to navigate in the arts and higher education, from changes to funding at all levels to shifting parameters that fundamentally shape our work.

From this and any subsequent conversations, we will capture insights to inform our actions as we navigate this climate collectively. This session is designed to share ideas, swap stories, strengthen network connections, and collaborate.

This frank discussion among our community will be facilitated by Chris Walker, a2ru Executive Committee member and Special Advisor to the Provost on the Arts at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, the host of the upcoming 2025 a2ru national conference, “Creative Futures: Driving Interdisciplinary Innovation Through the Arts.”