Imagine. Create. Activate.
500 Visionaries to Gather in Chicago. Will You Be One of Them?
The innovation of artists and entrepreneurs drives cultural and economic growth in cities across America. But, as cities respond to the most significant technological, behavioral and ecological shifts in decades, the old city development playbook is changing.
Change brings both disruption and opportunity. The questions cities, companies, and entrepreneurial teams ask determine how they experience change.
Creative Placemaking Communities will host a transformative event in Chicago this June: Imagine, Create, Activate! (June 23-25, 2025). I’m excited to learn from and with my fellow speakers, Philippe Demers, Josh Miller / Hannah Drake, and alongside 500 visionaries—artists, entrepreneurs, corporate and foundation executives, city leaders, architects, urban planners, technologists, and more—as we explore how creative practice can transform the future of culture and economic development.
I'm grateful to Ann Dickson , Eric Masi / TORQUE, Jennifer Masi, Torque Social Media Engagement, and the entire Chicago and National Host Committees for organizing such a transformational gathering!
In my Culture Futurist® plenary keynote, I’ll be connecting the art and science of creativity across the three primary systems driving American innovation—culture, commerce, and media—to explore one key question:
What does it mean to be an innovator in America today?
Beneath creative industries, investor pitch decks, startup spreadsheets, and corporate on-brand messaging are real people navigating the messy, beautiful, and deeply human side of technology and future of work.
People trying to move through innovation grief while under the pressure of continuous productivity and economic growth.
People integrating artificial intelligence into their personal lives and professional dreams even as they wrestle with its unknowns.
People who know the feeling of sacrificing parts of themselves for validation from investors, markets, and the digital void.
People whose success can sometimes leave them feeling complicit in stifling the social ecosystems that sustain meaningful innovation.
People striving to stay connected to the spiritual technology that science frames as wonder, trust, freedom and joy.
My keynote will explore how these human-side insights can help innovation teams of all kinds answer three big questions that connect creative strategy with culture foresight— essential to grow and thrive through uncertainty:
Question 1: WHERE DO WE TAKE ACTION?
Brain science has enabled the next major era of human exploration. What makes today's era of discovery different from other eras of discovery throughout history?
Question 2: HOW WILL WE KNOW OUR ACTIONS ARE WISE?
Quantum storytelling offers an evolution of traditional strategic planning and development. How do teams prepare to use and benefit from it?
In a time when generative AI's Large Language Models drive much of the business agenda, could poetry be the innovation language of the future?
Question 3: WHAT KEEPS US STRONG AND CURIOUS WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS? (Because it will!)
What skills do entrepreneurs, companies and cities need to innovate and thrive in the Wonder Economy—the human side of technology and the future of work?
If you’re ready to imagine, create, and activate the future of American cities— one where creativity is currency— I hope you’ll join us in Chicago! 🔗👉 Learn more and register: https://www.imaginecreateactivate.com/
Theo Edmonds, Culture Futurist® & Founder, Creativity America | Bridging Creative Industries and Brain Science with Future of Work & Wondervation®
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