We sit down with 2021 Bend Design sponsor Caldera Arts to discuss creativity, Bend Design, and design thinking.
How does Caldera Arts define creativity?
Creativity is voice and a language--it’s how we articulate what we might not be able to say and how we tell stories or broadcast messages to the world in innovative ways. At Caldera, creativity resides in every one of us!
Why is creativity (and creative thinking) important to Caldera Arts?
Our work is centered around helping youth and artists explore identity, community, and issues that are important to them. Creativity provides a pathway through those explorations and allows us to forge connections with others along the way.
What does an average brainstorming session look like at your organization?
We have a great mix of visionaries and realists, so we often talk about what we dream of doing and what actually makes sense for us. One of our organizational agreements is to Accept and Expect Non-closure, so we try to be okay with open-endedness!
What is one main goal of Caldera Arts? And, where does your team find inspiration to reach these goals?
One of our main goals is to help young people and artists strengthen their identities. It’s such a privilege to find inspiration in different projects our teaching artists bring to students and in identity-based work that some of our artists in residence share.
Why is Bend Design important to Caldera Arts?
It’s important for Caldera youth and artists to see themselves represented in creative fields, and Bend Design’s diverse lineup provides just that.
What does your team feel the role of design should be in the world? Do you feel it has the ability to expand thinking and push the boundary of human capabilities?
Design at its core is about responding and problem solving. With that, there is so much opportunity for design to shape our world and how we move and think through it!
Are there any current design trends your organization feels could have a positive impact on surrounding communities and/or the world?
Having more inclusive practices during the design process is a trend we can get behind. We work hard to include youth voices in our program design and having their input in larger projects could have major global impacts.
Finally, if Caldera Arts could choose a theme song to represent your organization as a whole, what might it be?
“This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads. So many people equate Caldera with our Arts Center in Sisters, OR. It is indeed a special place, but we’ve come to learn that so much of Caldera takes place in our hearts and spirits, too!