CreativePush Collective

This semester, I took on an Independent Project working with the CreativePush Collective in composing a full-length performance piece to be featured in RhinoFest 2013. CreativePush is run by Jenny Magnus and Sherry Antonini who are both faculty members at Columbia. These two play an integral role in the curriculum offered in the Interdisciplinary Arts MA program. Jenny teaches Drama, Sherry instructs in Word and Art as Practice, and together they present the summer 5-day intensive Connected Images. So, working together to help others push forward in the creative process is nothing new for them.

The CreativePush collective is a new endeavor for this dynamic duo. When I found out about the opportunity to work with the two of them outside of the classroom to expand upon the work that I was making in their classes last semester, I knew it was an opportunity that I should seize. I had been musing about the possibility of presenting my “Dream Show” (title of paper that was written and conceptualized for the Drama class), but you see…besides that Drama course that I took at Columbia in the fall, I have no experience with theater. CreativePush are willing to help you give shape to your ideas and cultivate your specific vision for work.

The RhinoFest runs January 12 through February 17, 2013, and I will be working with the Collective through the end of January to compose all components of my show. I came to the table with written text, including monologues and poems, and ideas for projection and sound, and I asked the professionals to help me transform it into a performance. We began in October.

For years, I have been a solitary artist working alone in my home studio to produce visual art and creative writing and have always been in awe of those who are able to collaborate creatively. Through this endeavor, I have become aware of the magic inherent in this process.

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Stay tuned for more info regarding “Branch & Bough” coming to RhinoFest 2013…