As part of workshop 3 on The Aims of Art Education, I read Becker’s (2019) article on ‘How Art Became a Force at Davos’. Carol Becker has been the Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts since 2007 and the article tells the story of how she first started attending the World Economic Forum’s annual event in Davos around the same time. When Carol first started visiting Davos it ‘lacked a strong arts presence’, having only a small exhbition of paintings. This was something she found puzzling so she set about trying to change things by asking lots of questions and making connections with those who shared similar interests.

Along with Gilbert Probst, Dean of the Forum’s global leadership fellowship programme, Carol set up a programme at Columbia to “help future leaders gain the skills they need to succeed in a public arena.” Over time, several of the Fellows began developing content for Davos and gradually the programming gained more of an Arts focus. By 2018 both the programming and the delegates in attendance at Davos had been transformed with a wide variety of cultural leaders sharing their expertise on stage. Carol goes on to give several great examples of large scale commissioned installations that took place and how creativity has been placed firmly on the agenda.

I loved the fact that 2018 Davos conference featured the ‘handmade’ theme as in my own practice I have a craft market business, supporting artists and makers to sell their work. This is something I feel passionate about and it’s really interesting to see how craft can be elevated in this way. However, having researched further to find out exactly how this was translated at Davos, I struggled to find much and actually found various commentators reports filled with negativity surrounding Davos 2018. As it’s such a large event with many different elements, it’s likely that different commentators will have picked up different aspects of it and of course, Carol has presented the conference through her own unique lens.

I found Carol’s proactive approach and use of networks to create change very inspiring. I really believe in the power of networks and working together with others and it’s a lovely example of positive collaboration. In my own teaching, it’s something I talk about regularly in terms of how to initiate projects and get them moving. In thinking about the position of the arts in the wider world, it’s encouraging to see that over time, the power of creativity and the creative economy has grown and can therefore contribute to meaningful change. Carol was effective in contributing content to the discussion sessions at Davos rather than just artistic sideshows. As an advocate for arts education, I strongly believe that the arts and creativity should be part of world changing discussions and it’s inspiring to see Carol’s work paying off over the years. I didn’t know much about Davos before reading this article and I shall certainly pay close attention to the arts programming when I see it reported in future years. It also makes me wonder about other world forums and what arts programming looks like in different contexts.