The Creative Process · Arts, Culture & Society: Books, Film, Music, TV, Art, Writing, Creativity, Education, Environment, Theatre, Dance, LGBTQ, Climate Change, Social Justice, Spirituality, Feminism, Tech, Sustainability

Neil Patrick Harris is a Tony and Emmy award-winning stage and screen performer, famous for his roles as Barney Stinson in the popular CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and as the iconic and beloved Doogie Howser, M.D., and Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events. He’s hosted the Oscars, Tony, and Emmy Awards, and performed in several Broadway shows, including Rent, Cabaret, Proof, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. His film credits include Starship Troopers , the Harold and Kumar series, and Gone Girl.www.creativeprocess.info

“So the Museum of Arts and Design historically, for me, is part of a New York avantgarde scene. It's just that it was dedicated to artists working in these historically-marginalized materials. And it continues to do that. That mission has never changed.”Elissa Auther is the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD). Previously, she was Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado and a visiting associate professor at Bard Graduate Center. A feminist public intellectual, Auther founded and co-directed for the past ten years the program “Feminism & Co.: Art, Sex, Politics” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver that focuses on issues of women and gender through the lens of creative practice.· madmuseum.org· www.elissaauther.com· www.creativeprocess.infoImage Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York

Elissa Auther is the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and William and Mildred Lasdon Chief Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD). Previously, she was Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado and a visiting associate professor at Bard Graduate Center. A feminist public intellectual, Auther founded and co-directed for the past ten years the program “Feminism & Co.: Art, Sex, Politics” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver that focuses on issues of women and gender through the lens of creative practice.· madmuseum.org· www.elissaauther.com· www.creativeprocess.infoImage Courtesy of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York

“I feel that the earth is like a classroom for soul growth and we’re put here to overcome challenges, and we may be working on something like humility or compassion or love of humanity. The challenges might be something like war or cancer. Everybody gets a challenge to work on in their lives, but they also get a great gift to help them through those challenges. You just have to know how to use those gifts.”Dr. Carolyn Waters Broe has spent years researching and writing about the classical composers. She is published in many music journals and wrote her dissertation on the music of Arizona composer Louise Lincoln Kerr. Broe is the Principal Violist of the Scottsdale Philharmonic and the Founding Conductor of the Four Seasons Orchestra in Arizona. Having taught music in colleges and public K-12 schools, she now teaches violin, viola, cello, and piano at her private studio.· www.fourseasonsorchestra.org/conductor.html · www.creativeprocess.info

Dr. Carolyn Waters Broe has spent years researching and writing about the classical composers. She is published in many music journals and wrote her dissertation on the music of Arizona composer Louise Lincoln Kerr. Broe is the Principal Violist of the Scottsdale Philharmonic and the Founding Conductor of the Four Seasons Orchestra in Arizona. Having taught music in colleges and public K-12 schools, she now teaches violin, viola, cello, and piano at her private studio.· www.fourseasonsorchestra.org/conductor.html · www.creativeprocess.info

“Dance is for everyone. That’s the mission. We see people that might not be able to encounter dance in so many ways because it’s not something that their school offers. I had a family that subscribed to the New York City Ballet, most families don’t do that, so for us to be able to offer that level of exposure…and I think traditionally ballet has felt like it can be an elitist art form. Only certain people are invited. You have to have a certain type of foot. You have to have a long neck. You may have to have finances to be able to study ballet. We would like to eliminate that and make sure that it’s available for everybody to sort of dip their toe in and get a sense of it and have an experience of dance.”Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of PNB’s Ballet School, Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York.  He began studying at the School of American Ballet at the age of 9 and became a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet in 1989. Serving the company for 22 years, Mr. Boal was featured in many ballets, including George Balanchine’s Apollo and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as works by Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, and many others.· https://www.pnb.org
· https://www.pnb.org/aboutpnb/staff/
· www.creativeprocess.info

Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of PNB’s Ballet School, Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York.  He began studying at the School of American Ballet at the age of 9 and became a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet in 1989. Serving the company for 22 years, Mr. Boal was featured in many ballets, including George Balanchine’s Apollo and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as works by Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, and many others.· https://www.pnb.org
· https://www.pnb.org/aboutpnb/staff/
· www.creativeprocess.info

“This museum, this institution has a long history and actually, the idea of a museum goes back to maybe 100 years ago when Civil War veterans wanted a monument recognizing the service and the sacrifice of African Americans during the war effort. It wasn't until the mid-late 80s when congressman John Lewis with some other colleagues started to bring forth the idea that the Smithsonian needed to have a presence to recognize the significance and contributions of African Americans to the history of this country.”Dr. Dwandalyn Reece is a storyteller, ethnomusicologist, and museum professional. Reece studied American Studies and Music at Scripps College, American Culture and Museum Practice at the University of Michigan, and Musical Performance at New York University. Her research and projects include exhibitions at the Louis Armstrong House and Archives, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the New Jersey State Museum, and the Motown Historical Museum, as well as being the former senior program officer for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Reece is currently the Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she co-curated the Smithsonian Year of Music and “Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration.” Reece also curated one of the museum’s permanent exhibitions, Musical Crossroads, and received the Secretary’s Research Prize to do so in 2017. Reece is a community-driven artist, and she uses her experience and works in the community to inspire the work she collaboratively produces.· nmaahc.si.edu· music.si.edu/dr-dwandalyn-reece· www.creativeprocess.info

Dr. Dwandalyn Reece is a storyteller, ethnomusicologist, and museum professional. Reece studied American Studies and Music at Scripps College, American Culture and Museum Practice at the University of Michigan, and Musical Performance at New York University. Her research and projects include exhibitions at the Louis Armstrong House and Archives, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the New Jersey State Museum, and the Motown Historical Museum, as well as being the former senior program officer for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Reece is currently the Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she co-curated the Smithsonian Year of Music and “Freedom Sounds: A Community Celebration.” Reece also curated one of the museum’s permanent exhibitions, Musical Crossroads, and received the Secretary’s Research Prize to do so in 2017. Reece is a community-driven artist, and she uses her experience and works in the community to inspire the work she collaboratively produces.· https://nmaahc.si.edu· https://music.si.edu/dr-dwandalyn-reece· www.creativeprocess.infoPhoto credit: AlanKarchmer

“Songwriters create the meaning in people’s lives. When you’re married, you have a song. When you fall in love, you have a song. At a funeral, they play a song. When people go off to war, they’re singing a war ballad. Songs create the meaningful moments in people’s lives. People bookmark the moment they met and kissed for the first time with a song. Songs are the bookmarks of your life. Your life is not going to have those meaningful moments cemented into your heart and soul without those songs. That’s a critically important job. That’s worth paying for.”Rick Carnes is the President of the Songwriters Guild of America and a songwriter himself, with credits on 40 platinum albums. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Alabama, and Dean Martin. Since 1931 the SGA has fought to legally protect songwriters, the music they create, and their ability to earn a living from it. Rick has served as president of the SGA since 2004. · www.songwritersguild.com· https://rickcarnes.com· www.creativeprocess.infoPhoto: Rick & Janice Carnes