Impact from Creative Oklahoma’s initiatives:
- Built a new cross-disciplinary dialogue and coalition between government, business, education, culture, and civic leadership on the importance of creativity and innovation that did not previously exist.
- Focused on projects that contribute to the forward movement of Oklahoma’s economic and cultural growth, building upon the past 100 years of innovative contributions by Oklahomans.
- Raised visibility of the importance of creativity and innovation in schools, businesses, and the general public through growth in the media of creativity centered stories and documentary films.
- Partnering with Inca Productions and OETA, produced the first national public television documentary, “ReCreating America: Creativity & Learning,” for statewide distribution in 2009 and to air nationally April 2010. The second film titled “Reinventing Yourself” that tells the story of four people who changed their lives and a nation that reinvented itself was released in 2012.
- Partnering with Oklahoma Publishing Co., Creative Oklahoma developed a series of short videos on creativity in the lives of important Oklahomans which is shared digitally to OPUBCO subscribers and Creative Oklahoma website visitors.
- Partnering with The Journal Record, developed a story series about creative Oklahoma businesses and individuals running twice a week in 2010 up through the 2010 Creativity World Forum. Also established the annual “Creativity Award” with the Journal Record that is presented at their annual Innovator of the Year program.
- Partnering with OETA, has developed a series of “Creative Moments,” short videos on creativity in Oklahoma, and the “State of Creativity” television series, a 30 minute series on creative endeavors in the state showing multiple times monthly.
- Has begun to change perceptions about Oklahoma being the “State of Creativity” internally and externally, through media features on Oklahoma’s creativity and speakers carrying the message out from Oklahoma.
- Recognizes Oklahomans making national/international creative contributions through the Creativity Ambassador program.
- Helped to establish an Oklahoma Regional competition for FIRST Robotics, resulting in two years growth from one Oklahoma team to 55.
- Served as a catalyst to bring the Academy of Contemporary Music from Guildford, England, to Oklahoma City where it is an accredited program of the University of Central Oklahoma serving over 200 students in its first year.
- Partnering with the DaVinci Institute, Oklahoma’s higher education creativity think-tank, creativity has been heightened at the higher education level through their lecture program, speakers’ bureau and annual awards in creativity in teaching at the college/university level, the DaVinci Fellows, and for first year teachers, the DaVinci Scholars.
- Supports the efforts of Oklahoma A+ Schools, K-12 whole schools devoted to creativity, the network of schools has grown from 15 – over 60 statewide and includes schools in urban and rural environments and public, private and charter.
- Recognizes great creative ideas in the state through the Great Inspirations awards program. Over 20 institutions and organizations have received recognition for their work.
- Partners with Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores to encourage great creative ideas in education with small grants through the Creative SPARKS! Award program.
- Partners with Sandridge Energy to encourage great creative ideas and innovative programs through its seed fund and matching grant program, Innovation Grants. The FIRST Robotics program and the OKC Halloween Parade have been recipients of this award.
- Hosted Lincoln Center’s first Imagination Conversation in the US in Oklahoma with plans for a national summit in New York City in 2011.
- Accepted as the only “District of Creativity” in the US in 2007 by the Districts of Creativity Network (DC Network) organization based in Flanders.
- Participated fully as a member of the DC Network in 2008 and 2009 including the Reverse Missions, network information sharing, educational panels at the Creativity World Forums, and website sharing.
- Accepted to organize and host the 2010 Creativity World Forum, November 15 – 17, 2010 in Oklahoma City.
- Arranged collaboration with the Global Entrepreneurship Week, an enterprise of the Kauffman Foundation, to align with the Creativity World Forum.
- Conducted education symposiums for Oklahoma educators on creativity with over 500 attendees at the Fall 2009 symposium, The New Renaissance.
- Conducts “Creativity Conversations” around the state highlighting stories of individuals from a variety of sectors doing creative work.
- Board members and affiliated individuals comprise a speakers’ bureau speaking with book clubs, civic groups, schools, and businesses about the importance of creativity. Nationally recognized leaders in creativity are brought to Oklahoma through Creative Oklahoma and loaned as guest speakers. Sir Ken Robinson was loaned by Creative Oklahoma to multiple organizations over a four-year period of time.
- Developed and launched a series of educational webinars on creativity offered in 2010.
- Oklahoma was selected as the second US site for the ArtScience Prize with the Boston-based ArtScience Labs, due to heightened visibility of Oklahoma’s Creativity initiative.
- Developed a National Creativity Network linking Oklahoma with other US based creativity districts and initiatives. The Network is coordinated by Creative Oklahoma.
- Hosted the first-ever Oklahoma Creativity Forum on November 1, 2011 bringing together attendees from across the state to learn from one another and think “Outside the Box.”