Three finalists selected for $10,000 Peoria Prize for Creativity
Posted on April 25th, 2005

Cash prize and medallion recognizing creativity through collaboration to be awarded at Discovery Forum

Peoria, IL – Three finalists have been selected from a diverse field of entries from throughout the country for the first Peoria Prize for Creativity national competition. The $10,000 prize will be awarded to the winning submission on April 29 at the Discovery Forum 2005: A Celebration of the Art & Science of Life at the Peoria Civic Center.

The recipient of the Prize will receive a $10,000 award, underwritten by the Peoria Civic Federation, and a custom designed medallion created by renowned sculptor and Bradley University faculty member, Fisher Stolz.

The one-of-a-kind Peoria Prize national competition was established in 2004 to foster, recognize, and reward visionary and innovative creative projects that result among individuals representing the arts and sciences. Nominees must show evidence of collaboration between members of the science and technology, business, or educational communities with members of the arts and humanities community. Ultimately, the Peoria Prize recognizes the powerful economic impact that takes place when a culture of creativity exists in a community.

A panel of local judges representing the disciplines of science, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, education and the humanities reviewed all submissions and was responsible for the careful selection of the three finalists. A separate panel of internationally recognized jurors was established to make the final award selection. This elite group of judges included Peggy Van Pelt, Ph.D., retired Walt Disney Imagineer, retired Caterpillar Inc. Chairman and CEO Glen Barton, and Vice President for Technology and Economic Development at the University of Illinois David Chicoine, Ph.D.

The winner of the 2005 Peoria Prize for Creativity will be revealed at Discovery Forum 2005 on April 29, 2005 at the Peoria Civic Center. The Prize will be awarded at 3:30 pm by Glen Barton, retired Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc. and Chairman of the Peoria Civic Federation.

Finalists for the 2005 Peoria Prize for Creativity are:

“Before Recognition: Experiments in Arts and Science at the Threshold of Perception”
Pamela Davis Kivelson, et al – Stanford Humanities Lab - Stanford, CA
This project was an exhibit of art and science that premiered at the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana from October 2004-January 2005. It originated as a collaborative project at the Stanford Humanities Lab.

Recent work in the psychology of perception has shown that our visual perception is largely constructed by inference and imagination, rather than from direct sensory input. “Before Recognition” strives to illuminate the physical and human limitations that shape our perceptions of the world. The relationships between knowledge, experience, and perception are interactively explored in these installations.

“Hands Across the Ocean: The Lost Chord”
James Oliverio, et al - University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute – Gainesville, FL
On February 17, 2005, this demonstration premiered to the United Kingdom and to the rest of the world over the high-speed network, Access Grid, linking ethnic musicians spread across nearly 40,000 miles and four continents to produce a global, real-time music performance.

The project demonstrates that Access Grid technologies can be used to enhance education by making any classroom the epicenter of a truly global education. The concept was similar to a traditional piece of “musical theater,” except that the cast and crew represented five different musical cultures from around the globe and were located in four continents.

Involving nearly 70 engineers, artists, actors, dancers, computer scientist, educators and directors across the world, this project embodied an international partnership among five institutions: The Australian Centre for Interactive Design at Queensland University of Technology, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the United Kingdom’s Digital Knowledge Exchange, the New World School of the Arts and the University of Florida’s Digital Worlds Institute.

"The Virtual Raft Project”
Bill Tomlinson, et al - University of California, Irvine - Irvine, CA
This project is an interactive art piece designed to describe the relationship between real space and virtual space, through an interactive installation built on a heterogeneous network of mobile and stationary computers in which desktop computer screens serve as “virtual islands” and tablet personal computer’s serve as “virtual rafts.” The project enables people to become physically engaged with virtual creatures.

All members of the team have significant expertise in one or more areas relating to the project – computer science, animation, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, mobile computing, sound design and interface design.

This project was exhibited at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology and will be exhibited this month at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Portland, Oregon and at the Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in Taipei, Taiwan in May.

More information on the Peoria Prize for Creativity

More information on the Discovery Forum

Peoria NEXT is dedicated to leadership in discovery, innovation, and commercialization. The mission of Peoria NEXT is to create a healthier future for our regional community evidenced by increased economic growth and diversity, improved physical well-being, and the resultant social stability and opportunity.

ArtsPartners of Central Illinois promotes the not-for-profit arts organizations of the Peoria region to members of the community and to visitors, and to increase the vitality of arts and culture in the area.

The Peoria Civic Federation is composed of leaders from 40 of the region’s top employers. The organization was created to provide input and guidance on civic initiatives taking place throughout the greater Peoria region.