What are your assumptions about creativity?

Our new podcast Processing... will question, explode, subvert, and in some cases confirm what you think you already know about creativity and the University of Pittsburgh community.

Through one-on-one conversation, Processing... explores the individual experience with creativity, with a focus on processes rather than products. Join us for inspiration, community, and a connection to your own creative process.

Today, we drop the first two episodes of our first season!

In episode 1, PhD candidate, writer, artist, and DJ Taylor Waits talks about creating across disciplines, social activism, and making in the time of physical distancing. 

In episode 2, Will Entrekin, a writer with Pitt's Office of University Communications and founder and creative director of Exciting Press, talks storytelling, digital publishing, and the universality of creativity.

New episodes will be added each week for season 1, so follow us on SoundCloud or check out our podcast page to stay up-to-date!

Tuesday, Apr. 21  |  3:30-4:30 p.m. EDT

What do you need to help you balance in these extraordinary days? Selecting and arranging images and colors can help you focus on what you want to bring into your life. Join us for a workshop that will help you to clarify your needs and create a tool for bringing those energies into your daily life.

Our April 23 open mic celebrates National Poetry Month with featured poetry performances! (And hopefully a surprise that we have brewing.) 

We'll kick off with Pitt poets, then open up our virtual mic to work in any genre: music, improv, spoken word, skits, storytelling, dance, poems or prose... Anything you can perform!

If you're shy, you can even turn your video off or perform off-screen, or put your pet in front of the camera. Or tune in just to support your Pitt community and give us those clap reacts.

Check our open mic page for details & "tickets"! 

Friday, Apr. 24  |  1-2 p.m. EDT

Writing the Pandemic focuses on exploring different aspects of this time of social/physical distance. Join us as we use writing prompts to get started on a poem or piece of flash nonfiction. For this session, our theme is "The Unexpected." No previous writing experience required!

Today, it’s just a parking space.... But what could it be?

Every September, people around the world turn metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces for one day: temporary parklets, creative interventions and social spaces.

For three years, Pitt's Center for Creativity and Department of Parking, Transportation, and Services have teamed up to sponsor a University PARK(ing) Day event.

Over 20 centers, departments, and student organizations take part, turning parking spaces into gardens, art studios, performance spaces, and more. Planning for 2020 is underway!

Join us for an online session to find out what PARK(ing) Day is, see examples of creative transformations, share ideas with other Pitt creators, and learn how your group or department can participate.

If PARK(ing) Day sounds cool, but you're not sure how or where to start, these sessions are for you! We can offer you all the information and advice you need to get started.

The COVe, a harbor for art in difficult times, collects and curates work produced during these strange days. Work need not be COVID-19 themed: our goal is to share what we are making now. Writing, collage, digital art, drawings, paintings, comics, scribbles, and other forms of 2D work are welcome. Submit by email with your attachment!

The annual Studio Arts Student Exhibition celebrates the creative work of graduating 2020 Studio Arts majors, as well as select work from students in Department of Studio Arts courses. We are excited to announce that this year's exhibition can be found online!  

Exhibiting seniors: Azize Altay Harvey, Nathan Barker-English, Abigail Benkovich, Caroline Book, Lorenzo Buchhalter, Elizabeth Masterson, Megan McKenzie, Alexandra Park McDonough, Emily Robinson, Vivian Zhang, and Zipu Zhao.

Additional works selected by faculty from: Nicole Bonomo, Erica Conner, Alexis Henderson, Isabella Hilty, Aly Jouejati, Lillian Kim, Mia Lei, Marina Maripos, Caroline Mead, Kylie Mercile, Ciera Thomas, and Clara (Xiaodan) Wang

After visiting the exhibition, please leave a message in our digital comment book and follow us on Instagram.  

This virtual art project is an opportunity for Pitt students, faculty, and staff to nurture a sense of community by creating, connecting, and sharing experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. While the past several weeks have been incredibly challenging, through flexibility, ingenuity, and creativity we are adjusting to our current situation and we want to hear how our Pitt community has adapted.

Looking for opportunities to create, collaborate, and connect with other Pitt people? 

Creative Cafe lets you work on your own project in the virtual company of other creators. We host a Zoom space weekdays from 2:30- 3 p.m. where you can work on your current creative pursuit, chat, see what others are up to, and just generally renew your making spark.  

Caretique encourages you to develop your creative work through conversation with other makers. Short stories, poetry, short films and plays (under 10 minutes), 2D and 3D designs, and music compositions are all welcome!

We'd love to hear from you with suggestions: email us!

• through April 30 | Global Open Call for Art
• South Sudanese Youth Championing Creative Campaigns In Response To COVID-19
• Keep Making Art That Counts
• Boost Your Creativity with Manhattan Theatre Club

"Sometimes good enough can be so much better than perfect." 

• 5 podcasts to spark your creativity
• From cooking to calligraphy, people stuck at home are finding new space for creativity
• Google Docs have become a strange canvas for coping with coronavirus
• 5 tips to spark your creativity while working alone, from artists who do it all the time
• Yes, You Can Channel Your Stress into Creativity. Here's How.