Districts of Creativity

A Worldwide Initiative

 

In 2007 Oklahoma was acknowledged as an official “District of Creativity” and received into the 12 member international network of creative districts based in Flanders, Belgium.  The DC Network offers participation in a robust network of economic development, education, and cultural leaders from around the world with annual regional study missions, the Creativity World Forum, a shared website, and collaborative opportunities between regions.  Oklahoma hosted the 2010 Creativity World Forum which was the largest to date with over 2600 attendees from 38 states and 18 countries.  Oklahoma is currently the only North American district of creativity represented in the DC Network.  The 2012 Creativity World Forum will be held this November in Rio de Janiero with an Oklahoma delegation attending the Forum and Oklahoma artists participating in the second DC Network Biennale (begun by Oklahoma in 2010), Oklahoma speakers participating as conference presenters, and an Oklahoma exhibition of creative businesses and endeavors at the exposition. The 2013 Creativity World Forum will be held in the member region of Finland.

Founded in 2004, the Districts of Creativity (DC) Network unites 12 of the most creative and innovative regions around the world, with Oklahoma as the only representative district in North America. Our international orientation makes us a unique network of regions that put creativity and innovation high on our agendas. We believe that cross-border collaborations contribute to advance a creative and entrepreneurial culture. Therefore the DC Network was formed to foster the exchange of best practices and experiences in business, culture and education.

From the USA to China and Scotland to India, the Districts of Creativity Network spans the globe and continues to grow. Current members include: Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Catalonia (Spain), Central Denmark (Denmark), Flanders (Belgium), Karnataka (India), Lombardia (Italy), Oklahoma (USA), Nord-Pas de Calais (France), Qingdao (P.R. China), Rhône-Alpes (France), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Scotland (United Kingdom), Shanghai (P.R. China) and Tampere (Finland).

Creativity World Forum, the annual gathering of the DC network

One of the primary collaborative projects of the Network, the annual Creativity World Forum, brings together government leaders, entrepreneurs, and knowledge institutions from the DC regions to exchange ideas about how to tackle economic challenges and make their regions hotbeds for innovation and creativity.Ingredients include business, education and social networking and have featured inspiring speakers like John Cleese, Malcolm Gladwell, Steve Wozniak, Sir Ken Robinson and Tom Kelley.

1st DC conference in Flanders, Belgium 2004

2nd DC conference in Maryland, USA 2005

3rd DC conference in Flanders, Belgium 2006

4th DC conference in Qingdao, China 2007

5th DC conference in Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium 2008—www.creativityworldforum.be

6th DC conference in Baden–Württemberg, Germany 2009—www.cwf2009.de

7th DC conference in Oklahoma, USA 2010 – stateofcreativity.com/cwf

8th DC conference in Flanders, Belgium 2011 - www.flandersdc.be/en/events/cwf11

9th DC Conference in Rio de Janiero, Brazil 2012

For more information please visit the Districts of Creativity Website