StoryDome

Awe and wonder create a sense of reverence for the whole, quiet the voices of self-interest, and help us to update our core beliefs. We call it the evolutionary advantage of being awestruck. In December 2011 we took delivery of our portable StoryDome (formerly known as the Whidbey GeoDome) and began a most remarkable, wildly creative, and highly su... ccessful year. Our first production was a 30-minute immersive dome film for all ages called EARTH PORTAL: A Guided Tour of the Universe and Our Place in It. As part of the public exhibit for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the 1962 Seattle Worlds Fair, it was housed in a beautiful wooden pavilion below the Space Needle. Earth Portal ran from April to October 2012 and received rave reviews from more than 5,000 visitors. We held numerous special events with educators, artists, and scientists to explore the use of the StoryDome to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Several schools brought students to the Earth Portal to experience the awe and wonder that is our Universe and to ask deep questions about what the cosmic big picture means for life on Earth. In October 2012 we took the StoryDome to San Rafael, California where we were a featured exhibit at the 2012 Bioneers Conference, the largest sustainability conference in the U.S. The level of enthusiasm and interest in our work was truly amazing with long waiting lines to get into the show. Subsequently we presented at the Institute of Noetic Sciences on Worldview Literacy, the Sustainability and Contemplative Practice conference at the Whidbey Institute on The Power of Immersive Storytelling and the Neuroscience of Empathy, the Living Futures unConference on sustainability and green building, and most recently the Whidbey Winter Gathering on Thriving Resilient Communities and the 40th Anniversary Festival, both at the Whidbey Institute.Read More