Justin Gitlin answers students’ questions at Garfield Elementary School’s annual Career Day
Updates
On February 18, 2014, OhHeckYeah was invited to Garfield Elementary School’s annual Career Day for an all school assembly to talk about creative placemaking and video games. Garfield Elementary is a LISA school (Loveland Integrated School for the Arts) where students learn core subjects through a variety of artistic mediums. Since receiving our grant, most of our meetings have taken place in board rooms. When Garfield invited us to their school, we didn’t really know what to expect and as it turns out, the visit was one of the best experiences we’ve shared since the project started. The students at the school asked insightful questions and patiently waited until it was time to play our prototype video game. The minute the game was projected on the wall, the whole auditorium immediately filled with excitement and screaming. With no instruction, the students stepped up to play and intuitively knew how to control the game mechanics. And as we’ve experienced before, after the winner was determined the game players instinctively hugged and congratulated each other on a good game. For us, what we thought would be a fun conversation about following your passion turned into a proof-of-concept moment.
OhHeckYeah Visits Garfield Elementary School in Loveland, CO from OhHeckYeah on Vimeo.
Recent Wins
OhHeckYeah Gives Garfield Elementary School Students a Taste of Immersive Video Arcade
OhHeckYeah at the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts Luncheon
Insight/Provocation
VALUE & TIPPING POINTS
Since the 2014 Creative Placemaking Summit in LA, we have been thinking about how we make creative placemaking a movement and/or field. The question seems similar to one we’ve been asking ourselves here in Denver: How do we transform Denver into a creative city? Our thinking points in the direction of creating a value proposition for mass market buy-in. How have other cities, like New York City, created a market for creative production? As a field, how can we learn from them? How can we create a meaningful value proposition that creates a tipping point for our work?