Studio for Playful Inquiry Thinking About Curiosity through the Language of Chalk Pastels Join Us! Join us in the month of October for dialogue in community about the value and practice of curiosity as well as experiences with chalk pastels lead by artist and educator, Kathryn Ann Myers. We are thrilled to host Shawna Coppola live in conversation on October 1. This event will serve as a guide and touchstone for our month of thinking and connecting around the topic of curiosity. Alongside our...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Who was it that said that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting something different to happen? The source is debatable. But wow is it true that we tend towards loops that fit that definition. Perhaps that’s why we deny that we’re stuck inside them, or perhaps because we’re hopeful, thinking that if we just try a little harder to do the thing, someday it will work out. In schools, for example, our pre-packaged curriculum is...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, I’m not sure of the date, but something like a million years ago Susan and I were leading a workshop in Santa Monica hosted by an organization then called the Pedagogical Institute of Los Angeles. Before we started our session, Alise Shafer Ivey offered a short presentation about the organization’s work - and it bowled us over. In Los Angeles, the group was partnering with teachers to transform their public school classrooms into spaces that offered something different to their...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Studio for Playful Inquiry September 2024: RefugeRead with Us! GET IT ON BOOKSHOP We hope you'll join us in September for our Through Line exploration centered on REFUGE. Xitlali Zárate, Alicia Bustamante, and Vanessa Esquivel Martínez of Nest Tijuana will be our Guides. We'll be in conversation with them on September 2 and members can join us live or listen to the recording when convenient . After two months of thinking together about how holding the arts at the heart is such a vital part of...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Studio for Playful Inquiry storyworkshop.studio Last Chance! Holding the Arts at the Heart: Flourishing in Living and Learning It's not too late to access the content of our current course - but it will be after August 15. We've had an incredible 6 weeks learning from artists and Studio teachers, museum professionals, early childhood experts, and academic researchers - the growing Studio community. Course participants will have access until the end of 2024. Transform members will have access...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Even though I'm someone who often overlooks birthdays and anniversaries, those that end in zero usually catch my attention. That means that I’m clearing the calendar to be with my friend Keith for his sixtieth birthday this weekend and I’m listening to Purple Rain and Double Nickels On The Dime this summer more than I would otherwise. This week marks 100 years since the birth of the always relevant James Baldwin, so it seems like a good one to spend some time with one of his...
3 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, “ Art is a place … where ideas and people are made welcome. Olivia Laing In the United States these days, we’re hearing the word “unity” thrown around a lot, which has created potential to heighten our understanding of the concept, and its value. Words can be slippery. Their meanings are often assumed, without having fully lived into their relationship to what we do. How do we struggle with that relationship, how do we embrace it? Unity is one of those words we seem to naturally...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Studio for Playful Inquiry Why are people joining the Studio for Holding the Arts at the Heart? ↓ Last week we released the first Studio Adventure in our newest course: Holding the Arts and the Heart: Flourishing in Living and Learning. This adventure is a robust exploration of ephemeral art developed for us by Miriam Beloglovsky. Miriam is co-author of the famed Loose Parts series and the CEO of Playful Transformations. Creativity is not just a personal trait, it's the heartbeat of...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Did you catch the recent conversation with sociologist Corey Keyes on Hidden Brain? Even thought that show doesn’t usually sit near the top of my podcast playlist, that episode resonated deeply. Keyes talked about his research into languishing, a state he’s identified as distinct from depression. It's a space where agency and participation begin to feel irrelevant. A void. In contrasting languishing with flourishing, Keyes talked about how important it is to feel connected to a...
4 months ago • 3 min read