Students for a Creative Iowa

The following information is for all Appraisers in regard to training.

What you will do: You will be trained in a single Challenge that is different from the Challenge the team you represent will be doing, or in Instant Challenge.

Where: Choose one of these locations.

Jan. 31 – Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids (Cedar Hall), 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW. See map here: http://www.kirkwood.edu/maincampus

Feb. 7 – Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll (109 S. Clark St.) Get directions here: http://tinyurl.com/bxyz8z

Feb. 14 – Ames Middle School in Ames (3915 Mortensen Road). Get directions here: http://tinyurl.com/abuugn

When: Check-in is between 8:30 to 9:00 a.m., followed by an introductory session. The day will finish at 3:00 p.m.

Lunch: Bring $5 for 2 slices of pizza and a beverage, or bring your own sack lunch.

What to bring: Visit http://www.cre8iowa.org and click on Appraisers, then Forms. Bring 2 copies of page 5 (Appraiser Registration with Sections 1 & 2 completed), and 1 copy of page 8 (Appraiser Agreement). Please do not bring young children with you, as child care is not available.

Please note the following:

1. There will be no Appraiser training for Challenge A (Operation Cooperation) in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 31st.

2. The ONLY place where Appraisers will be trained for Challenge E (A New Angle) is in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 31st.

3. Appraiser training is for those adults who represent competitive teams, not for volunteers who represent Rising Stars teams. Rising Stars volunteers need to show up at the sales & registration table at the regional tournament where the team they represent is participating. They will serve a 2 to 3 hour shift and will be able to observe their team perform, assuming they arrive early enough to serve their shift.

Questions? Contact Judy Nolan at judynolan@aol.com or 515-270-4514.

A huge thank you goes to the students who took the time to create and send in entries for the cre8iowa Pin & Shirt DIsign Contest. These entries are displayed below so that you can decide which one(s) you like best. Student voting begins in the box to the top right of this screen. You may vote for more than one design if more than design appeals to you, but please vote only once!

Voting closes this Friday, October 17th, at 11:00 p.m. Please note the following:

• Students (not adults) will vote in the box to the upper right to choose their favorite entry or entries.
• Final selection of winning DIsign(s) from among the top vote receivers will be made by Students for a Creative Iowa. Students for a Creative Iowa may select separate DIsigns for T-Shirts and pins or may select a single DIsign for both.
• DIsign(s) may be modified by Students for a Creative Iowa to fit printing and/or stamping requirements.

Let the voting begin!

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DIsign 1: Dairy Products

DIsign 2: Treasure Chest

DIsign 3: Diving for Creativity

DIsign 4: Iowa’s Gone Crazy With Creativity

DIsign 5: Just Flying By With a DI “Hi!”

DIsign 6: Iowa Ain’t Corny When It Comes to Cre8ivity

DIsign 7: I Dub Thee Creative

Overview

The Des Moines Art Center is pleased to announce that, in collaboration with the Iowa Architectural Foundation, it will once more offer an “Ideal Object Workshop” this summer. The 2008 Ideal Object Workshop builds on the success of the 2007 Ideal Object Workshop (see last article in newsletter), which was inspired by the work of artist Tom Sachs and his interest in manipulating real tools, toys, and domestic machines to create objects that function exactly the way he wishes them to, often performing in new or enhanced ways. While innovation continues to be at the center of this program, this year the Ideal Object Workshop will look to the Art Center’s exhibition, World Histories, for inspiration.

World Histories will be on view at the Art Center from May 16 to August 31, 2008. The eleven artists included in this show are from all over the globe and represent the forefront of the international contemporary art scene. They each make artworks inspired by the different regions of the world they grew up in, as well as the various countries they have seen as both aspiring and professional artists.

This summer, Iowa’s Destination ImagiNation teams will be challenged to create innovative and functional “ideal objects” for a room in a modern-day, middle-class home from one of the countries represented by an artist in World Histories: Indonesia, Guatemala, Japan, New Zealand, Iceland, or Ghana. Six teams of 4 to 7 students each in grades 6-12 (or students who will be in 6th grade in fall 2008) from all around the state will be accepted to this program based on their completion of a designated Instant Challenge. In an effort to maximize success, teams will participate in a two-day skill-building conference and be given a budget of $600 from which to build their objects. An architect will be assigned to each team to serve as that team’s client and mentor. Each team’s object will address three specific criteria as requested by their client.

Selected Team Managers will be paid an honorarium of $300 at the conclusion of the workshop for their efforts. Additionally, two hotel rooms per team will be paid for by the Ideal Object Workshop.

Des Moines Art Center Objectives

1. Introduce students to contemporary art, design, and architecture via the Art Center’s permanent collection and exhibition, World Histories.
2. Produce a workshop that focuses on creative problem-solving and teamwork.
3. Create a learning environment based on envisioning (guiding students through the process of imagining an abstract idea, to putting the idea into visual form, and finally realizing the concept in three dimensions).
4. Demonstrate positive and productive collaboration methods.

Iowa Architectural Foundation Objectives

1. Understand how “found” objects can be combined in different ways, using different materials (architectonics).
2. Understand the difference between “art” and “architecture”. Can something be both?
3. Understand how to work with a client (owner), and also how to think like an owner.
4. Understand the difference between “design” and “construction.”

Important Dates

• Saturday, June 21, 12 – 5 pm: Ideal Object Skill-Building Conference at Des Moines Art Center
• Sunday, June 22, 10 am – 1 pm: Ideal Object Skill-Building Conference at Des Moines Art Center
• June 23 – August 23: Teams work on Ideal Objects on own schedule
• Saturday, August 23, 10 am – 1 pm: Delivery/Installation of Ideal Objects to Des Moines Art Center
• Sunday, August 24, 1 – 4 pm: Ideal Object Reception at Des Moines Art Center
• August 24 – September 24, Ideal Object Exhibition, Adrienne and Charles Herbert Galleries of the Des Moines Art Center
• September 25 – 26, Ideal Object Exhibition, American Institute of Architects Convention, Polk County Convention Complex
• Friday, September 26, 9 am – 12 pm: Ideal Objects retrieved by team managers from the Polk County Convention Complex

How to Apply

The Des Moines Art Center, together with the Iowa Architectural Foundation, will select 6 Destination ImagiNation teams from Iowa to participate in The Ideal Object Workshop this summer. Selected teams will participate in a fun skill-building conference June 21-22, and then have nine weeks to create their own “ideal object.”

Teams will be selected to participate based on how they solve an Instant Challenge. Interested teams should contact Judy Nolan (judynolan@aol.com) to request the designated challenge and application form. The Team Manager of Record is responsible for facilitating a meeting with his or her team and presenting the team with this challenge. Each team must digitally document the completion of the task and the testing of their solution. This documentation will serve as the basis for the team invitations. Solutions must be submitted on DVD no later than Friday, May 16, 2008.

All Team Managers will be notified of their acceptance to the workshop by Friday, May 30, 2008.

Clarifications

As teams polish their scripts and refine their solutions for the regional Tournaments in March, you need to remind them to read and re-read the Challenge, and then to read it again. Your team is responsible for knowing all of the rules, and for reading and following all of the Published Clarifications, and (of course) for solving the Challenge. Team Managers, repeat to yourself this mantra, “This is not my Challenge; this is not my Challenge!” Published Clarifications supercede the Team Challenge rules, and Team Challenge rules supercede Rules of the Road. Where do you find Clarifications? Visit www.idodi.org and click on Clarifications.

What do you do if your team doesn’t understand an aspect of the Challenge? See Question #7 under “General information for all competitive teams” below.

Site restrictions

Please note that there is a zero tolerance weapons policy in effect at both regional tournaments. This means that no weapons, real or facsimile, may be brought to the site. Dry ice and helium balloons are allowed as long as appropriate safety precautions are followed, as outlined in Rules of the Road. Dry ice must be handled correctly. Helium balloons must remain under control at all times. If you have questions about site restrictions, contact the Tournament Director.

Site procedures for your Challenge

If you are new to the Destination ImagiNation program, you will find the TravelGuide for Teams extremely helpful. This guide explains, step by step, what occurs at each Challenge site (including Instant Challenge), how scoring works and what may or may not be appealed, awards, and much more. Visit www.idodi.org to download this guide.

General information for all competitive teams

1. What paperwork does the team need to bring to the Tournament?

• Please note that in addition to PAPER copies of the tournament forms within the official Program Materials, you can download interactive tournament forms from www.idodi.org.
• Check in at Registration before you go to your Team Challenge site. This is very important!
• Bring at least 2 photocopies of the Declaration of Independence. One copy will be turned in before you compete in your Team Challenge, while the other one will be turned in before you compete in Instant Chalenge. Do NOT turn in both copies at the same location! If you have team members who have moved away or have dropped off the team, just write these individuals’ names on the form with an explanation in place of the signature. The Declaration of Independence may be found on page 45 of Rules of the Road.
• Bring 5 photocopies of the Tournament Data Form, which can be found at the end of every Team Challenge. Team members–not Team Managers–are responsible for completing this form. Younger teams may be assisted by Team Managers as long as the Team Manager writes down the exact words spoken by team members.
• Bring 1 photocopy (not your original!) of the Expense Report, as well as copies of your receipts and evidence of research about rental costs in case there are questions about your Expense Report. The Expense Report may be found on page 44 of Rules of the Road. Not sure what is exempt or how to complete this form? Read pages 19-21.
• Bring a photocopy of any response(s) the team has received for Clarification requests. These will be turned in to the Prep Area Appraiser prior to competing in the Team Challenge.
• Bring one Medical Information form for each team member in case of a medical emergency. This form will not be collected by anyone, but will be retained by the Team Manager. You can download a generic form from: http://www.cre8iowa.org/Generic%20Medical%20Form.pdf

2. When will the schedule be posted?

• The schedule will be posted one to two weeks before competition. Just visit www.cre8iowa.org and click on Competitions. Scheduling issues need to be brought to the attention of Deanna Jens at djensiowadi@aol.com as soon as possible, but no later than 10 days before the regional tournament.
• State tournament competition times are provided to team managers at closing ceremonies at the same time that advancing teams are awarded their regional medals. If you know now about a possible conflict, you need to notify Deanna Jens at djensiowadi@aol.com no later than Feb. 25.

3. How many team members are required to participate at Tournament?

• Encourage all of your team members who are available to participate, both in the Team Challenge and in Instant Challenge. It is not to your advantage to compete with fewer team members. However, if everyone is not available, two participants is the minimum that is required. Team members who “sit out” during the Team Challenge will be seated with the Team Manager(s) and may not communicate in any way with team members, or else this will be construed as Interference. Team members who choose not to participate in Instant Challenge may accompany the team into theInstant Challenge room if they desire, but may not communicate with team members in any way, or else this will be construed as Interference. Team members must decide ahead of time whether they will participate in Instant Challenge.

4. Conduct concerns:

• During the time that teams are not competing, they need to be accompanied by an adult. Please be aware that classes or other activities may be taking place at the same time teams are there, so it is important to be quiet in the hallways and respectful of other people’s needs.
• There is no dumping of Challenge materials on the Tournament site unless a team has secured approval. Teams that discard any part of their Challenge solution at the Tournament site may receive an Unsportsmanlike Conduct deduction.
• There is a zero tolerance policy in place at both regional tournaments for props that represent guns, knives or bombs.

5. Interference issues:

• As students prepare for competition, it is important that they learn skills that will help them figure out how to solve their Challenge. However, to avoid Interference, Team Managers or other adults need to talk about/teach skills in a context that is different from any part of the team’s solution. For example, if a team needs to learn how to use power tools or how to sew, the team needs to practice these skills on something other than their solution. Demonstrations follow this same rule.
• It is Interference for team members to talk to the audience (or to Appraisers) during their Team Challenge. This makes the audience or the Appraisers part of the team.
• Props must be created by team members, not by adults! If repairs must be made at the Tournament site, it is Interference for adults to repair props, fix costumes or apply makeup. Ahead of time, teams should brainstorm a list of items that might be useful to include in an emergency tool kit.

6. What is the procedure to be followed if a team or Team Manager has concerns about what happened at the Team Challenge site?

• Approximately 30 minutes after the team’s performance, one adult (usually the Team Manager) and one team member may pick up raw scores from the Head Appraiser. Please do NOT interrupt a team that is performing! If you have concerns or questions about the objective portion of these raw scores, you have 30 minutes to address them. The correct procedure is to approach the Head Appraiser first for clarification. If you do not feel your questions have been adequately addressed, you may then approach the Challenge Master. If you still have concerns, you may take them to a DIalogue team consisting of at least 3 people, one of whom is the Regional Director or Affiliate Director. A final decision will be made at this point. Instant Challenge scores may not be appealed, as appraising for this part of the competition is subjective. Remember: Only objective scores may be appealed.

7. If my team has questions about its Challenge, who can answer them?

• Your team has until midnight, Pacific Standard Time (2:00 a.m in Iowa) on February 15 to submit Clarification questions to the International Challenge Masters (ICMs), the writers of the Challenges. Teams should be involved in this process! Just visit www.idodi.org and click on Clarifications. Each team is allowed to ask up to 10 questions, one question at a time. Allow several business days for a response, as questions go through several stages of review. In most instances, the ICMs will point your team to a specific page, section and paragraph to help team members gain a better understanding of the Challenge. It is all teams’ responsibility to check the Clarifications site on a regular basis, but also for a few weeks after February 15, for any general Clarifications that may have been published. Clarifications of any kind supercede the Team Challenge rules. Currently there are general Clarifications that have been published for almost every Team Challenge.
• If your team advances beyond the state Tournament, be aware that Global Finals Clarifications are often published up to the time of the Global Finals Tournament and are posted at www.globalfinals.org.

8. Can teams change their solution between the regional and state level of competition?

• Absolutely! It is encouraged and expected that teams will triple their level of sophistication between the regional and state level of competition. Treat the regional tournament as a trial run, gathering as much information as possible to prepare for success at the state level of competition. Watch other teams perform, then fine tune your own solution.

9. Is there anyone in Iowa that I can talk to about team or tournament issues?

• Please direct your questions to Judy Nolan at judynolan@aol.com. If she cannot answer your questions herself, she will direct them to the appropriate individual(s). Solution-specific questions, however, need to be submitted as Clarification requests to www.idodi.org (click on Clarifications).