Creative economy
The climate crisis, the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, and the growing gap between rich and poor. When it comes to the urgent, complex issues of our time, creativity is increasingly and emphatically seen as one of the prerequisites for finding a solution.
The value of creativity has long extended beyond the cultural and creative sectors: within our knowledge economy, creativity is necessary for innovation, as is now widely recognized. Creativity serves not only as a tool for innovation but can also guide social change at a much deeper and more fundamental level: at the system level. It is this deeper level of meaning-making—the ability to bring about radical change in our (economic) thinking through creativity—that is central to the theme of the Creative Economy.
The focus of Fontys
Within the theme of the Creative Economy, the Fontys Knowledge Center for Creative Economy contributes with creativity to the fundamental societal, economic, and ecological changes needed to solve the complex issues of our time. Social innovation is central to this effort. The ecological approach of the knowledge center focuses on the distribution of resources and wealth, respect for nature, and the recognition that humans are part of an existing ecology. The knowledge center aims to uncover a deeper level of meaning-making through creativity—by offering new perspectives, creating new realities, and thinking beyond the existing.
The theme of the Creative Economy is inherently linked to the other knowledge themes at Fontys: all major, urgent issues of the current era require a creative economy as a driving force to arrive at innovative solutions. Artistic and creative practices establish connections with sectors such as healthcare, technology, and education.
The Creative Economy knowledge centre was officially launched in 2023. The knowledge centre is an initiative of the professorships of Danielle Arets (Fontys Journalism), Bart van Bezooijen (Fontys Marketing and Communication), Tessa Cramer (Academy for the Creative Economy) and Falk Hübner (Fontys University of the Arts) and is always looking for new and inspiring internal and external collaborations. The knowledge centre aims to use creativity to bring about the fundamental change needed to enable a liveable world for future generations.
Want to learn more? Read our program plan.
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Involved lectorates
Please note: unfortunatly, all hyperlinks refer to our Dutch website at the moment:
- Designing the future
- Artistic connective practices
- Ontwerpen aan de Journalistiek
