Forum for Creative Europe: creativity under the spotlight
Prague, March 25-27
Creativity was under the spotlight at the conference Forum for Creative Europe. The Forum explored creativity's social, educational and economic potential, not least in terms of boosting Europe's global competitiveness.
The global economic meltdown of recent times has sparked renewed interest in creativity as offering a road to recovery. ECF director Gottfried Wagner, one of the speakers on ‘creativity and society', argued against the ‘fetishising of creativity' as a cure-all for our societal and economic woes, while advocating ‘a culture of responsibility accompanied by creative citizenship'.
During a panel discussion Gottfried Wagner elaborated on an article he wrote for the forum 'Against the Fetishising of Creativity', this article is available for download here. In hindsight he also made some critical observations towards some of the contributions to the forum, which can be read here.
His contribution was made in the context of a discussion of how, twenty years after the Iron Curtain fell, culture and creativity can help us to face society's most pressing challenges.
The conference's other two themes are 'creativity and education' and 'creativity and economy'. The complete conference agenda can be found here
The conference was one of the main events of the 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation.
More about:
European Year 2009