Baltimore County, MD smARTS, 31 Jan 2017

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From YouTube: Rebecca Hoffberger

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On the creative spirit, from Rebecca Hoffberger, founder of the American Visionary Art Museum.

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( ♪♪♪ ).

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The american visionary art museum has been called a place where the works on display give a concrete shape to the impermanent: dreams, imagination, and vision..

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I'm here with rebecca hoffberger,, who is the founder and director of the museum,, who is just brimming with dreams and vision.

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Good to see you!. thank you, carolyn., it's good to be with you.

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I've got to ask you, you've described the american visionary art museum.

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As a location--, it's a wonderful campus.

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What do you mean by that?.

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Well,, we have 1.1 acres of the inner harbor, and it's a wonderland.. We have an outdoor movie theater that can seat 2,000 people.

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Up on federal hill in the summer for free movies.,.

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And we have a cosmic galaxy egg, you can hug at 3am. If you want outside.

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There's a huge, whirly gig that twirls in the winds.

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Taking 80-mile-per-hour winds by a farmer.

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Oh, my goodness.

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And it is a magical place. I've been there many times.

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and every time I go,, I find something new and exciting and...

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And I don't know if you know it.

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But the glittering walls of our main building is the largest program for apprenticing incarcerated and youth at risk.

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That ever took place in the country, in the mosaic tradition,.

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And being able to do commercial, tiling, afterwards.

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How long has the visionary art museum been around, rebecca?

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we opened in 1995 in thanksgiving,.

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So we'll be 22 in this year of 2017.

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All right, and you've described it as--.

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You've named it, you're, the founder, american visionary art museum..

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What's the significance of that word "visionary" for you?.

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Well,, I think that visionaries are our world's evolutionaries.

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They see potential and relationship and promise.

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Where maybe the rest of us don't so much.

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so,, we combine the fresh thought of philosophers, comics,.

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Along with that of scientists and artists in one location,.

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In one great,, thematic show every year., so all those different types of people you just mentioned,.

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I guess you could--, it would be fair to say that they share a creative spirit.

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Yes. and you, I think, are an expert on that.. If you were to talk to our viewers about what does that mean to have the creative spirit or what does that term mean to you?.

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Well,, I think it's a level playing field,.

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In that, we all have access to things-- to fresh thought.

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And many of us, you know, access that when we're driving,.

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Some great things will come, or when we're in the shower,. It's very typical.

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Or some of us, it comes in dreams,. You know.

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How do your creative..., all of the above., all of the above.

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You know,, I have like the most boring dream: life.

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people, think, like,, you're, this-- no,. I can write proposals in my head,, but I think if you really care about wanting to do something.

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That will really help in this life,. So much rushes to give you inspiration.

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Oh, interesting., so what are you doing.

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And the museum doing to help foster and nurture that creative spirit?.

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How do you do that?.

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We have seven education goals that have been used by teachers, the world over.

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And founded the lower east side, girls club in new york, city.

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And they are very beautiful, they're, very spiritual..

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You can find them on our website of the american visionary art museum.

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But basically we don't preach,. We just set out a visual feast.

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With beautiful quotes and scientific facts.

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That, hopefully, inspire greater creativity, --.

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And above all,, creative acts of social justice.

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Because to make social, positive change,, you have to be fiercely creative,.

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Because it's very, very hard to do. yeah,, all right.. So let's talk about some practical things,.

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Maybe not so creative., but when is the museum open?.

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Give us some of that information.

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We're open every day of the week except mondays.

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We're closed mondays, and we're always open from 10:00 in the morning.

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Until 6:00 at night., we do over a hundred weddings, a year. so,, a lot of brides there.

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It's a great place, for a lot of events. and tell us a little bit about the exhibit. You have going on right, now., yes., food.,.

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The great unifier of all human beings, right?.

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It's called "yum: the history,, fantasy, and future of food.".

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The main concern is that we're going to be a planet of two billion, more hungry mouths in just 30-some years.

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Very quickly., two billion more..

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How do we do that equitably?? How do we protect the land and sea sanctity?

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and not make it more a world of have and have-nots.

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And that will require visionary, thinking.

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and actually, on april 2nd,. I always do this huge free conference.

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And I'm bringing in some of the world experts on that.

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Terrific. and then I'm sure, you're already thinking about next year.

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I am. all right.. Should we wait to hear that? no. it's going to be called the great mystery show,.

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And one of my partners is the marvelous nasa.

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And the hubble space telescope folks.

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because they are penetrating the mystery every day.

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Well,, the queen of creativity,, rebecca hoffberger., always good to see you. thanks so much for all the great work that you do here for us in the region.

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Right back at ya!, okay.

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Thank you,, carolyn.