The Transformer Series

The Detroit Cultural Center Planning Initiative (CCPI) is an effort to reimagine the public space that connects 12 cultural institutions across an 83-acre site. In addition to planned enhancements to the physical environment, the initiative is also developing approaches to make the space more accessible and interactive with an investment in technology.

Transformer is a new series of moderated panel discussions and learning opportunities focused on how cultural organizations, artists, creative technologists and others are creating compelling digital experiences, engaging audiences, and building resilient strategies and models for the future. Curated and produced by rootoftwo and presented by Midtown Detroit Inc., these convenings will engage local, national and international thought leaders over the course of six 90 minute sessions from April - June 2021. 

The sessions are anchored by ongoing opportunities for staff at CCPI institutions to exchange and expand their knowledge and expertise, brainstorm with peers and presenters, and develop pilot ideas for new creative digital experiences. It is our objective to build a shared basis of understanding and tools for both creating new visions of the use of technology in the Midtown cultural center as well as implementing those new ideas, and to form a cross-institutional learning community around technology.

Open to all employees of the Cultural Center institutions, the sessions will also welcome others from related organizations in Midtown and beyond with targeted artists/creative practitioners included as well.

The Transformer Series will consist of live virtual events with opportunities for interaction and discussion. Sessions will involve a combination of guest speakers that serve as case examples and references, accompanied by recommendations for pre/post readings and media for further exploration.

Transformer Fund

Open to Cultural Center Planning Initiative institutions, Transformer Fund offers financial support of up to $20,000 per project for the creation of novel forms of digital expression, storytelling, and engagement. Transformer Fund explores issues of community participation and connection through technology with a view to transforming the social, green, and built spaces within the 83-acre center.

The objective of this fund is to identify, develop, and produce new digital modes of action, interaction, and collaboration within the Cultural Center. Transformer Fund welcomes proposals for projects that extend beyond the physical boundaries of the institution into the wider campus and online. The fund strongly encourages proposals that explore experimental and interactive projects which engage audiences within participatory experiences. Preference is given to projects that include and financially support artists, creative technologists, and culture-bearers with a clear connection to Detroit residents and neighborhoods.

Deadline:
August 2, 2021 | 11:59:59 PM

TALK #6

Momentum: Digital Transformation in the Creative Sector
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
5:00-6:30 PM
Zoom Webinar

This session broadly explores the shifts, new norms, and structures needed to make culture, humanities, and artist-led digital transformation work. The session will share out the resilient strategies, resources and recommendations for supporting digital transformation in the creative and cultural sector, especially as it centers and uplifts the experiences of BIPOC communities. The session also looks at ways that culture and creativity can foster digital inclusion and engagement with visitors, communities, and residents.

Moderator: Cézanne Charles, rootoftwo

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

• Jax Deluca, Media Arts Director National Endowment for the Arts

• Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director American Library Association

• Koven J. Smith, Senior Director/Arts The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

• Elizabeth Merritt, VP, Strategic Foresight & Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums, American Alliance of Museums

REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transformer-series-momentum-registration-160825981841

RESOURCES + REFERENCES: https://transformer.rootoftwo.com/

#TransformerTalks
#CCPI
#detroitculture

TALK #5

The Power of Piloting: Seeing, Showing & Growing What Works
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
5:00-6:30 PM
Zoom Webinar

This session looks at the way artists, designers, creative technologists, and other cultural leaders are using data, observation, prototyping, and other approaches to inspire and empower visitors. The session is also interested in how collaboration and partnerships within and between institutions can overcome silos and merge different organizational cultures, creating richer experiences. 

Moderator: Cézanne Charles, rootoftwo

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

• Katie Moffat, Head of Digital, The Audience Agency (London, UK)

• Matt Elliott, Head of Creative & Digital Experiences, The Henry Ford (Dearborn, MI)

• Shawn Lani, Director, Studio for Public Spaces, Exploratorium (San Francisco, CA)

• Diane Jean-Mary, Partner / Chief Strategy Officer, LaPlaca Cohen (New York, NY)

REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transformer-series-the-power-of-piloting-registration-158618370817

RESOURCES + REFERENCES: https://transformer.rootoftwo.com/

#TransformerTalks
#CCPI
#detroitculture

TALK #4

New Horizons: Aesthetics & Ethics of Participation
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
5:00-6:30 PM
Zoom Webinar

This session looks at the way artists, creative technologists, and cultural leaders have developed and presented ambitious participatory art and technology projects which meaningfully engage diverse audiences. This session also explores how museums, festivals, collectives, and organizations are operating as experimental spaces and hubs for new forms of social, civic, and cultural production that center artists and communities.

Moderator: Cézanne Charles, rootoftwo

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

• Salome Asega, Artist and Researcher

• Stephanie Dinkins, Artist and Researcher

• Dr. Julie Nagam, Artistic Director, Nuit Blanche Toronto 2020/21

• Roddy Schrock, Executive Director, Eyebeam

REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transformer-series-new-horizons-registration-156724544331

RESOURCES + REFERENCES: https://transformer.rootoftwo.com/

#TransformerTalks
#CCPI
#detroitculture

TALK #3

Cross Platform: Digital Outreach, Engagement, and Learning
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Zoom Webinar

This session looks at the way artists, creative technologists, and cultural leaders have developed digital forms of expression for storytelling, outreach, learning, and engagement before and during the pandemic. We will explore how these novel approaches may evolve and remain a part of how the field builds relationships with and between practitioners, organizations, and communities -- contributing to city-building, belonging, and lifelong learning.

Moderator: Cézanne Charles, rootoftwo

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

• Lauren Ruffin, Co-Founder Crux Cooperative

• Jane Alexander, Chief Digital Information Officer The Cleveland Museum of Art

• Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programs Bemis Center

• Heather Norton, Vice President Learning Experiences, Discovery Place

REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transformer-series-cross-platform-tickets-153338153545

RESOURCES + REFERENCES: https://transformer.rootoftwo.com/

TALK #2

Of Public Interest: Interactive Experiences to Engage People + Place
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Zoom Webinar

As we begin to gather and inhabit outdoor spaces again, this session considers the ways that artists, creative technologists, festivals, and other placed-based creative organizations are reinventing the interactivity and physicality of developing works for the public realm. This session also takes a look at the way we engage in memorializing the complex histories and geographies of people through public art, monuments, and storytelling, with an emphasis on hybrid digital/physical approaches.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

• Cheyenne Concepcion, Cheyenne Concepcion, Artist and Artistic Director, New Monuments Taskforce

• Kendal Henry, Artist, Curator and Director of NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art program

• Jen Krava, Director of Programming + New Initiatives, Forecast

• Rachel Chanoff, Founding Director, THE OFFICE performing arts + film
  

RESOURCES + REFERENCES: https://transformer.rootoftwo.com/