The Creativity Conference Returns

What do actor and farmer Isabella Rossellini, cartoonist Roz Chast, New York Times best-selling author Paul Greenberger, toy designer Cas Hollman, ecologist Carl Safina and musician Paul Winter have in common? They are all speakers at The Church’s upcoming 2023 Creativity Conference.

This second annual gathering will explore ideas and creativity in the arts and sciences, featuring six accomplished leaders. Each speaker will present his or her own creative practice and life and follow with a panel involving the group as well as a Q&A. Held on The Church’s main floor, the day will offer an intimate and in-depth look at how the speakers are changing the world through creativity — and how you can cultivate your own.

The day will conclude with a wine and cheese reception, giving attendees the opportunity to converse with the lecturers at the end of an informative, insightful and inspiring day of talks, questions, curiosity and creativity. This year’s program was guest curated by Carl Safina alongside The Church’s Co-Founder, April Gornik, and Executive Director Sheri Pasquarella.

Tickets for the conference are $100 ($85 members) at thechurchsagharbor.org which includes all presentations, Q&A, breakfast and a wine and cheese reception with the panelists. Attendees are welcome to come to as many talks as their schedule permits. No tickets will be sold for individual talks. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.

8:30 a.m. — Doors open; light breakfast and coffee provided.

9 a.m. to noon — Session 1: Three speakers present consecutively, with 30-minute presentations each. This will be followed by a group Q&A with speakers and a moderator.

Noon to 1:15 p.m. — Lunch break.

1:15-to 4:30 p.m. — Session 2: Three speakers present consecutively, with 30-minute presentations each. This will be followed by a group Q&A with all 3 speakers and a moderator.

4:30 to 6 p.m. — Roundtable and wine and cheese reception.

The Speakers:

Roz Chast is a longtime cartoonist for The New Yorker. Her graphic memoir, “Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?” was a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2014. Her newest book, “I Must Be Dreaming,” will be published by Bloomsbury in October 2023.

Paul Greenberg is the author of the James Beard Award-winner “Four Fish” as well as “American Catch” and four other books. A regular contributor to The New York Times and a frequent guest on national radio and television, Greenberg is currently the writer-in-residence at the Safina Center and a visiting scholar at The University of Washington’s Ocean Nexus Center and teaches at New York University’s Animal Studies Program. His most recent book is “The Climate Diet” published by Penguin Press.

Cas Holman has been designing playthings and play spaces for two decades that encourage exploration, imagination, and collaboration. Through her company Heroes Will Rise, Cas creates intuitive toys that inspire creative, open-ended play, including the award-winning Rigamajig, a line of playful building kits used in schools and public spaces worldwide. An educator of 12 years, her philosophy and approach to designing for play was recently featured in the award-winning documentary series “Abstract: The Art of Design” on Netflix.

Isabella Rossellini grew up in Paris and Rome. At 19, she moved to New York City and had a very successful modeling career and was a model and spokesperson for Lancôme for over 40 years. Rossellini has appeared in numerous films including “Il Prato,” “Blue Velvet,” “White Nights,” “Cousins,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Fearless,” “Big Night” and more recently in “Joy.”

Founder of Mama Farm, an organic farm in Brookhaven, Rossellini raises endangered breeds of farm animals. Her other philanthropic interests embrace preservation of her family’s cinematic heritage, including the films directed by her father, Roberto Rossellini and those featuring her mother, Ingrid Bergman. Rossellini, a mother of two and a grandmother, resides in Bellport.

Carl Safina’s lyrical non-fiction writing about the human relationship with the living world has won a MacArthur “genius” prize and Pew, Guggenheim and National Science Foundation fellowships. His work has also been awarded the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals; and book awards from the National Academies, the Lannan Foundation, and Orion Magazine. Two of his books have been New York Times Notable Books of the Year.

Safina is the first Endowed Professor for Nature and Humanity at Stony Brook University, and founder of the not-for-profit Safina Center. He lives on Long Island with his wife, photographer Patricia Paladines, and their dogs and feathered friends.

Paul Winter’s musical odyssey has long embraced the cultures and creatures of the world. His concert tours and recording expeditions have taken him to 52 countries and to wilderness areas on six continents, into which he has traveled on rafts, dog sleds, horses, kayaks and tugboats. He has recorded over 50 albums, seven of which have been honored with Grammy awards. Concert in the Barn was released to critical acclaim in 2022 and showcases the dynamic repertoire of the latest iteration of The Paul Winter Consort.