CBU seminar series looks into leadership insights from aesthetic works
Riverside, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2019) – A California Baptist University audience received insights, from a panel of experts, into leaders who changed and offered effective innovation in their respective fields.
The Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education hosted the event, titled “Architecture, Art, Literature, and Music: Aesthetical Insights to Leadership,” on Feb. 4. The event was part of the Leadership Seminar Series. The speakers were Dr. Joseph Bolin, dean of the Shelby and Ferne Collinsworth School of Music; Mark Roberson, dean of the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD); Dr. Katherine Papineau, assistant dean of CAVAD; and Dr. Troy Hinrichs, professor of criminal justice.
Parallels can be drawn between the technique it takes to create a masterpiece such as Beethoven’s Fifth and repetitive techniques in leadership, Bolin said.
“In Beethoven’s Fifth, we hear a constant underlying theme that reminds the listeners of what they’re listening to even on the softer sections,” Bolin said. “Likewise, good leaders have an underlying mission that they should be reminding people of in less obvious ways.”
Roberson addressed how leaders can form spaces that motivate. Roberson said good architecture impacts the way individuals interact with a space. Leaders need to be aware of how created places communicates to those working within them, he added.
Papineau spoke about the 19th-century artist Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet. She noted how his realism portraits went against the norms of the time.
“Art is about process. Leadership within the arts show determination to keep changing the rules to change the world of art. Leaders today should do the same,” Papineau said.
Hinrichs discussed how literature has served as an influencer throughout history. Hinrichs said literature can also be a power form of inspiration.
Literature allows readers to go back in time and learn from mistakes and even see new issues through a different paradigm, Hinrichs said.