As part of The Office of Creative Propulsion’s placemaking mission, we host forums for sharing research, developing new connections and learning as a community.

Imagining America

In the 25-26 Academic Year, we began hosting the Imagining America Open Forums, a recurring gathering space for faculty, staff and students interested in public scholarship, community engagement and creative approaches to addressing contemporary challenges.

Building on JMU's membership in Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life, the Open Forums create opportunities for participants to engage with ideas, resources and conversations that connect the arts, humanities, scholarship and civic life. Through shared readings, multimedia resources, facilitated discussion and informal dialogue, participants explore how creative and scholarly work can contribute to communities both on and off campus.

These forums are designed to foster connection across disciplines, encourage thoughtful exchange and create space for reflection on the role of higher education in public life. Whether participants attend regularly or join a single session, they become part of an ongoing conversation about creativity, collaboration and community impact.

For Updates on 2026-2027 Open Forum Dates, please sign up to receive OCP’s monthly newsletter.

Office of Creative Propulsion Launches Imagining America Open Forums  (Sept. 15, 2025)

“We urgently need to bring to our communities the limitless capacity to love, serve, and create for and with each other. We urgently need to bring the neighbor back into our hoods, not only in our inner cities but also in our suburbs, our gated communities, on Main Street and Wall Street, and on Ivy League campuses.” —Grace Lee Boggs