IE University is much more than a hub of entrepreneurial talent. If a student at our Santa Cruz de la Real campus located in Segovia wishes to combine their university studies with the development of any kind of creative aspiration, the university will support them throughout their venture—providing them with all the human and technological resources needed to succeed. This is because IE University is an institution that understands that education extends beyond the classroom—it respects that each student is unique and that the next generation is full of creative talent.
Some of the most notable names in history—such as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Steve Jobs—knew at a young age how to apply their powerful creativity in every single one of their thoughts and actions. This is what made them unique and helped them to invent new ideas that contributed to the development of humanity. If a university student has a creative spirit and is aware that the arts and humanities will help them grow both professionally and personally, IE University will support their curiosity every step of the way.
The most obvious example of this philosophy is IE University’s Creativity Center—an innovative space which promotes original thinking, expressive imagination, the exchange of ideas, and the planning and implementation of cultural and entrepreneurial projects. Under the tutelage of IE Campus Life, this future-forward space has just completed its third year of operation.
Like other international higher education institutions, such as Stanford University in the US, IE University has added a building to its state-of-the-art facilities specifically designed to increase the creative potential of its students. Located in the Casa de la Moneda complex in Segovia, the Creativity Center’s objective is to encourage IE University students—and other young people in the city—to explore their inner painter, photographer, or musician. IE University champions an ecosystem of innovation, where young people can share and enhance their creativity, cultural hobbies, and entrepreneurial skills.
Granted to IE University by the Segovia City Council, adapting and equipping the building required an investment of close to 100,000 euros. This initially funded the creation of a total of ten different spaces, including an exhibition hall, a conference room, and a rehearsal room for theater, dance, painting, and plastic arts, among other cutting-edge facilities.
IE University, which is responsible for its staff and maintenance costs, has recently constructed new rooms. As a result, this year a new space for entrepreneurs has opened in the Center—Area 31—which is dedicated to promoting the entrepreneurial spirit of IE University students.
According to the artistic director of the Creativity Center, Segovia’s own Carlos Redondo, the profile of the typical student who takes advantage of the facilities “strays away from the typical prototype of a university student; they don’t limit themselves to only trying to be a successful professional in their field of study, but they are also very culturally inquisitive, eager to enrich their knowledge beyond the classroom. They understand that the Creativity Center is a very special place where the professional, intellectual, and creative opportunities are endless.” And Redondo stresses that “there are students who have chosen IE University due to the added incentive of the arts and humanities woven into their academic programs.”
The truth is that the Creativity Center has brought in first-class professionals, across a variety of fields related to the arts and entrepreneurship, to give master classes and workshops; the space also has given leading artists the chance to showcase their latest works. These include professionals such as Alberto Barreiro, Viet Ha Tran, Agnieszka Holland, Andrew McCarthy, Mónica de la Fuente, Javier Tolentino, Luther Russell, Jon Dornaletexte, Bart Davenport, Manuel Tevar, Manuel Feijóo, Andrea Caruso, Ritxi Ostarix, Matan Mayer, David Goodman, Regina Llamas, and Vicent Doyle.
Redondo emphasizes how the Creativity Center is also open to young people from Segovia, who can sign up for the different workshops and courses that take place there. For this 2019-2020 academic year, for example, the program has included several courses on a wide range of subjects: painting with Segovia native and artist, Alberto Fernández Hurtado; film directing with Pedro Collantes; corporate identity with illustrator Fede Yankelevich; music production with Segovia’s David Gómez (Four Hands Project); and art theory with Carmen Van Bruggen.
“The easiest way to really explore the IE University universe and the multilayered dimensions of the Creativity Center is to get to know each other there and participate in the courses we offer,” explains Redondo. The director also highlights the involvement of the Center in the development of the city’s cultural life, as “we collaborate with festivals such as Muces, Hay Festival, Mujeres que Transforman el Mundo, Winter City, and the Festival de Música Diversa.”
“Summing up these past three years is difficult because we have achieved success in a variety of areas,” Redondo says. He emphasizes that “what our activities intend to accomplish is to encourage interaction between the talented students of IE University and other young people in Segovia, and to promote inherent innovation in the city, with its unique artists and thinkers, in order to create a global network revolving around creativity.”
Staff in charge of Campus Life are already preparing new activities for next year. The most notable is Creativity Day, which is usually held at the end of January. Currently, the Center houses an interesting pictorial exhibition by María Joaquina Sánchez Dato. Under the title Norias, the Murcian artist presents a collection of around forty works, such as sketches and paintings of different sizes, until December 15. The opening times of the Creativity Center are Monday to Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.