Your post reminded me of the wonderful "Crochet Coral Reef" initiative and the power of artist-led futures. From what I have learned of this imaginative community-based (worldwide) art project it seems to serve as a moral and compassionate response to climate change. For reference, check out: https://crochetcoralreef.org/about/theproject/

Excellent article ... as a society we have forgotten how the bottom layer of the pyramid is the bedrock underlying systems change. As Gregory Bateson once said: "Yes, metaphor. That's how the whole fabric of mental interconnections holds together. Metaphor is right at the bottom of being alive."

Beautifully said. Thank you for sharing your perspectives and including many useful external links for further reading. Your post re-affirms (at least for me) the need for people who will have the courage to step up and catalyze change in their communities. These "civic innovators" need not have positions of power or formal titles but through their background efforts, commitment and sacrifice create the conditions that enable community flourishing.

Your question led me to associate an interesting phenomemon referred to as the "Overview Effect". Worth a read is Ethan Siegel's recent article where he describes the “overview effect”, experienced by astronauts when they view the Earth from outer space, irrevocably changes your perspective as a human. https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/william-shatner-cried-upon-returning-from-space-the-overview-effect-explains-why-1f3415a51815

Prescient article written before the pandemic shock.

Creating and making accessible such a space (aka, futures room) might reveal new "opportunity spaces" by connecting ideas with people, and people with ideas.

Yes your definition captures the essence of the word "innovation" ... over time I similarly distilled the three dimensions you note: "new", "done" and "value". I now believe that what we should strive for society is the encouragement and support of more "innovators" rather than trying to hash out a consensus over the definition of the word “innovation”. The world needs a greater proportion of value creators than value extractors/value consumers.

Thank you Dr. Rimmer for sharing this information! I agree with the notion of "remaking the maker movement". It is a healthy sign that we advocates of the maker movement continously question our assumptions driving our work as well as seek new approaches and perspectives. My own thinking about makerspaces has evolved considerably in the past decade especially in their potential as community-based "third places" (Oldenburg & Brissett, 1982).