Date of Award

4-2013

Access Control

Open Access

Degree Name

Creative Studies, M.S.

Department

International Center for Studies in Creativity

Advisor

Dr. Cynthia Burnett

Department Home page

http://creativity.buffalostate.edu/

First Reader

Dr. Cynthia Burnett

Abstract

Abstract of Project

Systems analyst and organizational behavior expert Margaret Wheatley (2006) compared healthy systems to spider webs. She contended that if a web breaks and needs repair, the spider doesn’t cut out a piece or tear the web apart; instead, she reweaves it, “using the silken relationships that are already there, creating stronger connections across the weakened spaces”(p.146). For my Master’s project, I created a website for the rural sea island community where I live--Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. Following Wheatley’s advice to consider organizations as webs of relations rather than relying on the common paradigm of looking at organizations as machines, I designed the website using a magazine-style format, and included features designed to help readers strengthen their connections to the fundamental identity of the community, to connect them to new information on a regular basis, and to provide a means for residents, non-resident property owners, major land owners and developers, and elected officials and government agencies to reach beyond traditional boundaries and develop relationships with each other. Another primary goal was to foster community members’ creativity by providing an ongoing means for islanders to provide input and make creative contributions to the magazine. At the completion of this project, I will continue to develop and maintain the website as part of my ongoing commitment to the health of the community, and as a vehicle for my creative expression. Visit the website at www.daufuskieislandmagazine.com.

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