Creative Generation is pleased to announce the Capstone Project of our former Communications & Operations Resident, Parker Stephen Nolan. The project, titled Network Theory: How Can Its Application Cultivate the Conditions to Support Young Creatives?, will produce a final report based on findings from five interviews with network leaders. The report will include vocabulary for utilizing Network Theory, abstract modeling, observations of trends that enable greater success in existing networks, and considerations on how to better support young creatives by utilizing Network Theory.
As observers to the culture, education, and social change fields, Creative Generation witnessed the chosen organizational structure of “networks” come into vogue - particularly as smaller, community-based organizations have begun to participate in larger-scale, collaborative initiatives. In almost all examples, the individuals and organizations involved do their collaborative work through a “network,” using any number of connections and patterns. Over time, groups of individuals and organizations engage in a process to select the use of “networks” to be the infrastructure of their work.
As Creative Generation supports young creatives to catalyze social change, we often collaborate with project coordinators to determine how to organize their work. Thus, we wondered: How can the application of network theory cultivate the conditions to support young creatives? Based on our findings and considerations for the future, it is our hope that the report will inform the next generation of project leaders.
Creative Generation was founded in April 2019 as a research initiative and has grown its work throughout the United States and around the world. Through pioneering research in the arts and cultural education field – and the relentless support of arts and cultural educators in their work to cultivate the creative capabilities of young people – the organization regularly seeks to better understand what kinds of environments best serve young creatives through the Incubator for Creative Impact.
About Creative Generation
Contributing to the development of thriving communities and a more just world, Creative Generation works to inspire, connect, and amplify the work of young creatives who catalyze social transformation and those who are committed to cultivating their creative capabilities. Founded in 2019, Creative Generation operates four signature programs: The Campaign for a Creative Generation, the Institute for Creative Social Transformation, The Academy for Creative Leadership, and an Incubator for Creative Impact.