Founded in 1991, The Foundation for Human Potential is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization established to develop and implement, through collaboration with neuroscientists, educators, psychologists, and artists, unique teaching methods designed to maximize learning potential for children and adults. Founder Andrea Shindler took inspiration from the revolutionary set of principles presented by Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences to began asking questions and researching the brain’s compensatory processes, which often emerge after the loss of brain function due to trauma or illness. Shindler and FHP presented the first symposium devoted to the subject of “Art and the Brain” in 1988 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The success of that first symposium prompted her to establish, in 1991, The Foundation for Human Potential, for the purpose of continuing such public education programs to explore issues concerning creativity and learning. Since then FHP has presented seven symposia on different topics in the field, including Art and the Brain (1988); Music and the Brain (1992); Sports, Dance, Movement and the Brain (1995); Emotional Intelligence, Education, and The Brain (1997); Learning and The Brain: Myths and Realities (2000); Passion on the Job: The Brain and Innovation in the Workplace (2002); and Mental Health and The Brain: Implications for Lifelong Learning (2007).
To follow FHP’s previous line of inquiry, and in light of new evidence in brain plasticity, The Foundation for Human Potential will present Inspirations: The Arts, the Brain, and Human Potential, on Friday, November 8, 2013 at the Chicago Cultural Center. FHP is seeking artists with an interest in the topic to volunteer at the one-day conference, and help facilitate the day’s presentations and activities. Volunteers will assist with attendee check-in, creating a smooth flow between events, and assisting the lecturers with presentations. Presenters include Jacques D’Amboise (Founder, National Dance Institute); Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D. (NYU Center for Neural Science), and Homer Hans Bryant (Dancer, choreographer, and founder, Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center).
For more information on volunteering for this event, please contact FHP’s Andrea Shindler at 847.421.8401, or andreafhp@comcast.net
