Upon checking in at Pittsburgh, participants were given a tote bag full of goodies, including a real paper notebook and a real wood-encased pen. I was pleasantly surprised, as I always feel like the only person in the room not using a laptop to take notes. At our first Emerging Leaders preconference session (with the incomparable Margie Reese and Maryo Ewell explaining our place in the history of community arts), I saw many more attendees using the notebooks provided or--like me--had brought their own pads/paper/writing implements to use. Worlds collide. Being (mostly) Millenials, we also proceeded to pull out our smart phones to tweet the conference session. Folks would jot a note, then tweet the next profound statement, comfortable switching between both written forms. During networking sessions, we exchanged paper business cards, then went and connected with each other on LinkedIn. Throughout the conference, this happy mingling of traditional and newfangled continued. A sess
Musings on Performing Arts, Arts Ecosystems & Community Enrichment, Parenting, and other Perplexities of Life