Collaboration among Creative Professionals

Weisman museum

Buried in today’s Strib article on Frank Gehry’s planned addition to the Weisman Museum on the University of Minnesota’s campus is a detail that was more fascinating to me than all of the rest of the article combined.

According to the article “highlights of the addition include a new studio and exhibition space for “creative collaboration”. This new studio space “will allow the museum to launch a new program promoting creative collaborations between artists, designers, scientists, engineers, writers, doctors and other members of the university community as well as the public”.

Weisman Director Lyndel King explained the new studio space. “The philosophy behind it is that, while the idea of individual genius is still important, creativity in the 21st century will come more out of a collaborative process.”

Sound familiar? It should; this concept is also the impetus for the Building for Creative Professionals. We believe that such collaboration among members of the creative class will not only foster creativity but stimulate economic development.

However, we plan to use a local architect.