on 10-02-2009 01:51

By JON BAKER

PAWTUCKET — When Allison Randall received word Hasbro, Inc. wanted her to display her exotic sculptures at its second annual “Inspiration Expo: Arts & Sciences,” the 26-year-old Seekonkian admitted she was stunned — and, naturally, honored.

“I was, like, are you kidding me?'” said Randall, a ceramist who's chasing her Master's of Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. “At first, I couldn't believe it. I wasn't afraid or nervous, though, because I figured I'm as much a designer as I am an artist. That's why I jumped at the chance to meet people who design toys for people around the world.
“There are so many people here with a variety of skills and talents,” she added while molding a small, ceramic piece she named “Octo-Pumpkin” – that is, a gourd with an octopus' tenticles as its base. “My sculptures are called biomorphic, meaning they have ambiguous, organic shapes, and they're meant to spark the imagination. I genuinely like to make those who see my creations curious. They'll ask me, 'What the heck is that?' so I tell them.”
Randall was just one of about 30 artists, inventors and others to descend on the company's mammoth cafeteria and courtyard Thursday afternoon, and they did so to trigger the creative juices of those in Hasbro's design division.
“We pride ourselves on being an innovation-centric and creation-centric organization, but we work so many hours here, we don't have a lot of time to go out and search for some inspiration,” said Leigh Anne Capello, Vice President of Design in Hasbro's “Future Now” group. “So we elected to bring some people with great ideas here, under our own roof.
“You know, it's really funny how we select these people,” she added. “It's just the random result of talking to people, going to art shows and searching the Internet. We just pay attention to the world around us, and this is the end result.
“What's thrilling to us is these people are really excited about coming here to be a part of the expo, and help us come up with new ideas. Among the exhibitors are artists, innovators, inventors, performers, dancers, sculptors, etc. We gain inspiration from these people; it's to give the creative minds at Hasbro an opportunity to explore, experiment and immerse themselves in multiple areas of creativity.”
A year ago, Capello stated, the event organizers didn't know what to expect, though their findings surprised them.
“The exhibitors themselves told us how inspired they were, when we were trying to inspire our own; we never thought we'd be a source, too,” she noted. “Honestly, our people raved about it, and wanted to know if we could have (an expo) more than once a year. They said it provided new ways to think and look at our brands, as these artists and inventors have a genuine passion to create.”

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Hasbro, Inc. CEO Brian Goldner welcomed the crowd, as did Brian Chapman, Senior Vice President of Global Design.
“We're all looking for personal inspiration, and one of the ways to do that is to see how people make cakes, or fire up their Raku pottery, or make creative fondue, or restore boat-cars,” Chapman said. “The idea is to get motivated. We have hundreds of artists here, and – after five years of inventing new Tonka or Transformers toys – you can get stale, run out of ideas. You have to stretch your thinking.
“This is also a tremendous networking opportunity,” he continued. “Who knows? We may end up hiring some of these people.”
Among those who attended this “Meeting of the Minds” included Brian Berg, considered the world's greatest cardstacker; Ten31 Productions, which offers the highest quality of “living art;” Glen Halliday and his team, which created the “Kids Crooked House” phenomenon; Khipra Nichols, a Rhode Island School of Design professor who came up with the notion of “mobility for a Third-World country” (something like a go-cart); Lisa Lichtenfels, a figurative sculptor who uses fabrics to create realism; and Tom Hall, who fashioned an exhibit explaining how mathematics and origamy are related.
Even John Ratzenberger, the famed “Cliff Clavin” from the TV sitcom “Cheers,” had a booth, displaying information about his “Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs” organization (The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.).
“Why'd I come here? Because I was invited,” Ratzenberger, the founder of “Nuts, Bolts & Thingamjigs” and now a spokesperson, said with a mischievous grin. “No, really, this is an outlet for young artists and innovators. This is the foundation of America. Those who create, innovate and manufacture – I mean, building things is what we do. That's why we sponsor camps for and give out scholarships to children who want to learn how to make things. It could be cutting wood, soldering metals, whatever.
“I've found that kids don't 'tinker' anymore, hardly at all, and that's the basis of all creations,” he added. “I wanted to get kids involved again.”

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Perhaps the oldest invitee to the event was Rumford's own Sterling P. Newberry, who claimed at age 94 no one is too old to learn. (He also read, during the opening ceremony, a poem he wrote entitled “The Search for Tomorrow.” It left the audience spellbound).
“Years ago, we started a company named Microbit; it was up off of Route 128 near Lexington,” said Newberry, who called himself a futurist. “I wanted to use my ideas about electronoptics to reduce the size of a device which records information. Simply put, I wanted to make recording devices smaller.
“You know, there are two types of futurist – one is those people who are appointed by someone, and the other is those who appoint themselves,” he continued. “I'm the second type, one of those who looks so far out, it's way beyond even the distant future. I'm here to share with young people the importance of such technological devices, and how they came to be.
“Understanding how things developed in the past is key. Without looking back at inventions, you can't look ahead. This is to give the young folks an idea of progression … I'm really fascinated by the array of artists and developers here. These people are all good, but everyone has different abilities. The ones who look at and understand their limitations while focusing on their strengths, they're the ones who will be successful.”
Then there was Dan Butterworth, 63, a Pascoag puppeteer builder who conducts his own shows.
“I was shocked when I was invited to this thing,” he offered. “It came out of the blue, though I think it's because I worked with a couple of guys from Hasbro at a toy exhibit at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center. They told me they liked what I did, so I guess mentioned my name.
“It takes me about three weeks to build one of my marionettes, and that's because I like them precise, to look almost real,” he added. “Seeing these other people here stirred me up, got my juices flowing. They have given me ideas on how I can improve.
“One huge inspiration was 'Big Nazo,' who makes huge puppets that can go over a person's body, and that's related to my field. I may be able to use that idea to make my marionettes better … I'd come back in a second; I know I'd have a chance to meet a new group of creators, and maybe I could get even more ideas.”

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