UNESCO Chair John Johnstom: “Art can be the language that reconnects people”

Dr John Johnston believes deeply in the power of art and education to connect people and overcome the complex challenges of our times. While he was head of the international Master Artist Educator (iMAE) at ArtEZ, he challenged students to view their practice as an open, inquiry-driven process that does not seek ready-made answers. Now that vision is gaining global recognition: Johnston has been appointed UNESCO Chair in Issues-Based Arts Education, Intercultural Dialogue, and Social Cohesion, making ArtEZ the first university of the arts in the Netherlands to host such a Chair. But what does this title really mean?

In academia, a ‘chair’ refers to a professorship. However, in this case, it’s an official designation from UNESCO, where the chairholders' research, experience, and drive are seen as the inspiration behind the award.

The art of a good plan

The prospective Chair must submit a detailed plan with concrete research questions, methodology, methods, and a strong theoretical foundation on which to build their Chair. In ArtEZ’s case, that meant drawing on some of the key ideas developed within iMAE. Johnston: “These include the one-word entity of the artisteducator, meaning-centred learning, site specificity, community-based partnership, and of course the Issues-Based Arts Education method. All these concepts must then be placed into a clear structure that explains how you and your team will put them into practice and deliver your mandate.”

Issues-Based Arts Education

The Chair allows Johnston and his colleagues to continue and deepen the work that they have been developing over the past nine years. Their focus is Issues-Based Arts Education (IBAE) - an approach that’s very different from traditional art education. It places urgent social issues as a point of departure for the creative learning process. “The questions and challenges of people, places, and times provide reason, while the intersection between the artisteducator and society provides shared meaning,” Johnston says.

UNESCO Centre for Arts and Learning

Why is it called a UNESCO Chair and not simply UNESCO? Johnston laughs. “I get that question a lot. You can’t just say something is UNESCO. That’s strictly regulated. Everything under this program must include the term Chair. It does sound a bit personal, though, and I never work alone. That’s why I wanted to create the UNESCO Centre for Arts and Learning (UCAL), and fortunately they agreed to that. It’s a space where researchers, artists, educators and other communities collaborate on new ways of learning through creating.”

A new chapter for research at ArtEZ

The appointment marks not only a personal milestone for Johnston, but also a significant step for ArtEZ. “It’s quite rare for a university of applied arts to receive this kind of recognition, as what we call traditional research universities normally host UNESCO Chairs,” he explains. “There’s also no funding attached to the award, so we must generate the resources to enable our activities to take place.” Thanks to the support of the interim ArtEZ board, as well as the colleagues in the ArtEZ Research Center and the art education departments, they now have the recognition they need to build UCAL and integrate their work across the institution.

What does that mean in practice? “Time,” Johnston says. “Time to build a team, conduct research, and form local and international partnerships. This recognition allows me to focus more deeply on the questions that have underpinned my career and vision on arts education: How can art foster social cohesion, prevent conflict, and promote intercultural dialogue?”

Art as a response to global challenges

IBAE connects directly to major global and societal issues. The United Nations has identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encompassing a range of issues from human rights to international cooperation. UNESCO, as part of the UN, addresses these challenges through education, science, and culture. 

“While our work could be seen to relate mainly to goal 4 (Quality Education), we also directly address reduction of inequality, promotion of peace and prevention of conflict and promotion of global partnerships. Indirectly, we can see how we address other goals such as gender equality and health and well-being.” To achieve the 17 goals, Johnston believes our education system needs to shift from a self-gain orientation to a societal gain orientation. “This requires the growth of a culture based on empathy, what I call the empathetic objective of learning. In this way, we approach education not just as a system constructed on an industrial scale, but as a way of helping people reconnect to the essence of what it is to be human.

Instead of teaching students only how to draw, paint or perform. We ask: Why do you make art? What is your purpose and meaning? In this regard, issues-based art education offers a new aesthetic language through which people can truly understand themselves and their relationship to others. I firmly believe that it can nurture empathy in an increasingly divided world.”

Arnhem 

While the UNESCO Chair was awarded to ArtEZ, Johnston sees it as his obligation to connect and represent the city of Arnhem. “Mayor Ahmed Marcouch is very enthusiastic about how this Chair can help put Arnhem on the international map, while also having a tangible local impact in our own communities.”

A concrete example is the collaboration with local education initiatives such as Presikhaaf University, which encourages lifelong learning among residents. “They’re now officially affiliated with the UNESCO Chair,” Johnston explains. “The projects we develop together - such as initiatives on migration and social cohesion - will gain international visibility through the UNESCO UNITWIN network.”

Looking ahead

What does he hope the appointment will ultimately achieve? “That ArtEZ continues to grow as a place where art is not only made, but also used to drive social change. ArtEZ already has a strong foundation for this. Our art education and artist educator programmes are deeply connected to social themes. Students and teachers work from their artistic practice in collaboration with communities, both in the Netherlands and abroad.”

Beyond ArtEZ, Johnston hopes the Chair will contribute to education that makes a real difference in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities. “Every country emerging from conflict needs a different kind of education. Repeating the same old methods won’t help. Through an issues-based approach, we can design education that helps prevent crimes against humanity and teaches young people to think both critically and compassionately.”

About the UNESCO Chairs Programme

The UNESCO Chairs Programme was established in 1992 to strengthen international cooperation between researchers and institutions through networks of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN partnerships. These Chairs form a global network that advances research and education in areas aligned with UNESCO’s mission — fostering peace, human rights, sustainability, and intercultural understanding.