Sicily invests €10.8 million economic stimulus into film and TV
Recent events have taken their toll on the global economy, however, there are numerous creative solutions to solve this problem. In Sicily, their approach is investing in the arts, a neglected sector during the Pandemic. The island has recently unveiled its €10.8 million ($11.6 million) fund Read More...
Tapping the creative force, art changes minds in a changing climate
“The arts matter because we matter, and our stories matter. We are moving miracles, walking creators engaging in a cosmic dance. The art we express is timeless.” –Mohammed Sheriff, Division Coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts (USA) By Oliver Kammeyer At The Optimist Read More...
Study: Arts programs can help increase social engagement among youth
While participating in arts programs has obvious benefits on someone’s creative potential, the positive effects of engaging with art go beyond enhancing one’s creativity and self-expression. In fact, a recent study from New York University Steinhardt has found that being part of an art program Read More...
Bask in nature’s mystique with this brilliant photo gallery
There is hardly anything more calming and satisfying than looking at galleries of incredible nature photography—well, other than going out into nature and seeing the real thing for yourself. With that in mind, the European Environment Agency recently held it's annual ‘Rediscover Nature’ photo Read More...
How a rickshaw driver’s son beat the odds to join a famed UK ballet school
Kamal Singh was 17-years-old when he first became transfixed by ballet dancers in a Bollywood film. At that moment, the son of a rickshaw driver in Delhi knew that he wanted to become a ballet dancer himself. Four years later, Singh has become one of the first Indian students to be admitted into Read More...
Research says arts and STEM depend on same type of creative thinking
Are you a math person or a writing person? Right-brained or left? New research indicates that the two might be more interconnected than we might have thought. Although we often think of arts and science as opposites, it turns out the same type of creative thinking is critical for both. A new Read More...
Professor of happiness
French psychiatrist Christophe Andre a self-confessed pessimist, unlocks the mystery of what makes us happy. Peter Van Dijk | March 2008 issue For the second time in two weeks, I took the train from the Netherlands to Paris, and for the second time in two weeks I missed my connection in Rotterdam Read More...
Painting is practice
How I get to know myself -- and the world -- thanks to art Adam Wolpert | June 2004 issue We feel the changing relationships among people and between people and nature are at the core of our modern problems. How that relationship can be restored is an ongoing theme in Ode. In Resurgence, a valuable Read More...