Beyond Green: The Arts as a Catalyst for Sustainability report

The report from the latest Salzburg Global Seminar session in the Culture, Arts and Society series – Beyond Green: The Arts as a Catalyst for Sustainability – is now available online to read, download and share.

The creative sector is playing an increasingly significant role in raising awareness of climate change and encouraging sustainable social, economic, and environmental practices worldwide. A growing number of artists, cultural organizations, and creative industries leaders are using their talents and resources to draw attention to issues, build will and agency for change, and devise innovative solutions to move us towards greater sustainability. These innovators are breaking down false boundaries between aesthetics and politics and claiming culture as an important and effective catalyst for, and site of, sustainability.

The February 2016 session examined the arts’ role in advancing sustainability at international, national and local levels.

The session’s goals were to build on path-breaking initiatives that are advancing cross-sectoral links between arts and sustainability around the world, encourage bolder efforts, and recommend strategic approaches for taking innovative grassroots initiatives to scale for greater, longer-term impact.

Sixty arts-based practitioners and thinkers committed to promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability convened at Schloss Leopoldskron. Coming from around the globe, participants included artists, designers, architects, creative entrepreneurs, politicians and policymakers, environmentalists, urban planners, educators, scientists, game developers, philanthropists, scholars, and business leaders. Fellows represented a broad spectrum of cultural expression and artistic endeavor – including visual and performing arts, literature, cultural heritage, food, fashion, architecture, and design – and came from diverse arts organizations, including theaters, music organizations, museums and cultural heritage groups, as well as business start-ups, academic institutions, national and international policymaking bodies, and advocacy organizations.

The report, written by Holly Sidford and Alexis Frasz of the Helicon Collaborative covers discussions from the various plenary sessions, on the role of art, design, cities, philanthropy and policy to advance sustainability, as well as working group recommendations. The front cover art was provided by Thiago "Mundano" Ackel.

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