UNESCO Chair John Johnston speaks in London on art and social change

At the invitation of the embassy’s Cultural Department, Johnston gave the lecture Staying with the Trouble. In it, he explored how artists, teachers and communities can relate to issues that have no simple solutions, such as climate change, inequality and migration.

According to Johnston, the strength of art does not lie in providing quick answers, but in creating space for encounter, reflection and collective imagination. Art can make complex social issues visible and open to discussion, while offering new perspectives on how people can navigate these challenges together.

Art as social practice

The lecture built on research and projects by the UNESCO Chair in Issues-Based Arts Education, which explores how art education can contribute to social engagement, social justice and community building within ArtEZ. International collaboration plays an important role in this work, including ArtEZ’s site-specific activities in Belfast.

Using examples from Northern Ireland, Johnston showed how art can function as a platform for dialogue in situations where different interests, perspectives and histories come together. In precisely these kinds of contexts, artistic practice can contribute to new forms of understanding, engagement and collaboration.

International exchange

After the lecture, Johnston spoke with ambassador Paul Huijts, deputy ambassador Annemijn van den Broek and staff members of the Dutch embassy about the role art and culture can play in social engagement, social resilience and international exchange.

The conversations created space to share experiences and perspectives on how art practices can contribute to public conversations about current social issues.

Connecting art, education and research

The gathering shows how the UNESCO Chair connects artistic practice, education and research with broader social issues in different international contexts.

Through the UNESCO Chair, ArtEZ works on international networks in which artists, researchers, teachers, policymakers and social partners enter into dialogue about the challenges of our time. In doing so, the work of the UNESCO Chair contributes to new perspectives on the relationship between art, education and society.