Creative facilitation for arts, education, and community leaders in a challenging time.
Host: New Hampshire Arts Learning Network
Format: Statewide conference, in four locations
Role: Creative Facilitator and Session Design Lead
Lead Facilitator: Catherine Stewart / Make Create More
Why This Convening Mattered
Arts partnerships sit at the intersection of multiple systems: education, culture, public policy, and community wellbeing. During moments of uncertainty, these systems often feel fragmented — even as the need for collaboration grows.
This conference responded to that tension by prioritizing connection, shared inquiry, and imaginative thinking. Rather than focusing solely on programs or outcomes, the convening invited participants to reflect on how partnerships are built, sustained, and transformed — and what creativity makes possible when people learn together.
Project Overview
Make Create More was invited by the New Hampshire Arts Learning Network and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to facilitate sessions for the 2021 Arts Partnership Conference, a statewide convening of educators, artists, administrators, and community leaders working at the intersection of arts and learning.
The conference created space for participants to reflect on partnership, practice, and possibility — centering creativity as a vital force in education and community life during a time of profound disruption and change.
Our Approach
Creative Facilitation for Large-Group Learning
Make Create More designed and facilitated sessions that balanced structure with openness, allowing participants to engage meaningfully across disciplines, roles, and regions. The facilitation approach drew on theatre-based methods, reflective prompts, and participatory dialogue to support both individual insight and collective learning.
Imaginaton as a Learning Tool
Participants were invited to use imagination not as escape, but as a way to reframe challenges, surface shared values, and envision more equitable and responsive approaches to arts education and partnership.
Metaphor, storytelling, and reflective practice helped participants articulate what they were holding, what they were learning, and what they hoped to carry forward into their work.
Accessibility & Care
Designed for an in-person format as people began to gather again after COVID 19 lockdowns, the sessions prioritized accessibility, pacing, and multiple modes of engagement. Attention to care, presence, and relationality helped foster trust and connection — even across screens.
Outcomes & Impact
Through facilitated dialogue and creative reflection, participants:
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deepened their understanding of partnership across sectors
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connected with peers across the state
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reflected on their roles within broader educational and cultural ecosystems
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identified values and questions to guide future collaboration
The conference functioned not only as a professional development opportunity, but as a shared moment of pause, learning, and recalibration for the field.
Who This Work Is For
This approach to facilitation is well-suited for:
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conferences and convenings
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arts and education networks
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statewide or regional initiatives
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professional learning communities
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organizations seeking creative approaches to dialogue and learning
Interested in a Convening Like This?
If you’re planning a conference, gathering, or learning event and want facilitation that centers imagination, connection, and shared inquiry, we’d love to explore what that could look like together.
