The 2026 Institute for Creative Teaching (ICT) is intended to provide a place of safety, kindness, and acceptance for us all to take time to replenish, to allow the influx of healing new ideas, and to experience the power that comes from making and being listened to. You’ll be joined by keynote speakers Danielle SeeWalker and Eiko Otake, alongside other teaching artists and practitioners who will lead you through this restorative hands-on experience.
ICT 2026 will take place June 9th to 11th, 2026 at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). This program is open to educators of all subject areas and grade levels. Participants will earn up to 21 hours toward educator re-licensure and will have the option of registering for 1 continuing education graduate credit from UNC for a small additional fee.
Keynote: In this keynote, Eiko Otake will present why, what, and how she teaches her interdisciplinary college course "Delicious Movement: Time is Not Even, Space is Not Empty." A working artist, first-generation immigrant, and a cultural activist, Otake has developed creative teaching tools that she hopes the conference participants can adopt and use. Her students read, draw, discuss, write, move, perform, create, and work on their own projects, thus contributing to her syllabus and their own "one-of-a-kind" experience. Her presentation will include videos of her work as a performing artist and as a classroom teacher. She will also show examples of her students' final projects.
Workshop: Designed to compliment her keynote speech presentation, this workshop is grounded in her concept of a “body-based democracy.” Empathetically non-competitive, you do not need any previous dance or physical training to join this workshop. Participants only need to be willing to experiment, be with others, and converse with or without words. Seeing movement of others and being seen moving can be a transformative experience that brings a new appreciation of our humanity, and of the time and space we occupy.
Think 360 Arts
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