(Author is former Dean of Faculty, Columbia School of the Arts): Writtor and profressor: She lectures on art, artists and their place in society, and feminist theory, to quote wikipedia.)
A thought provoking article or blog, for me at least which perhaps caught me in a bad moment, and admittedly the following reflections are opinion based, and not factual.
While the article defends well the notion that at an economic summit the arts have an important place, I found this piece to lack critical and analytical reflection. It talks about important social reflections but bypasses the very clash of the setting of a such an event, and name drops at every possible occasion.
If we think about representation within that setting (“Corporate membership of the World Economic Forum costs anywhere from $100,000-$1 million per year, and hotel rooms in Davos easily cost $3,000 a night, meaning that time is money while you’re in Davos for WEF.”), it begs to ask, is this forum just a tick the box setting where the arts and the social welfare creative projects come and present, to fulfill the quota of inclusivity, or is there a chance for debate and real representation? It wasn’t clear to me.
- How did the piece influence your consideration of the aims and purposes of your teaching?
Context: who are we creating art for? Why are we creating art? How can we contextualize and work with devides, in this case, the economic v’s creative arts etc etc?
Be critical and analytical, even if you are being paid to reflect positively on a situation, include your positionality.
Just a thought.