The Arts and Culture Festival Annual Meeting 2020

The Arts and Culture Festival at the World Economic Forum's 2020 Annual Meeting featured the 26th Crystal Awards, a series of musical performances, and various art installations. The event highlighted the role of cultural leaders in addressing global issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and human rights. A key highlight was the launch of the New Narratives Lab, a fellowship program designed to mentor a diverse new generation of artists to shape narratives that drive societal change.

• The 26th Crystal Awards recognized four individuals for their leadership in driving sustainable and inclusive change: Jin Xing for inclusive cultural norms in China, Theaster Gates for sustainable community regeneration in Chicago, Deepika Padukone for mental health awareness in India, and Lynette Wallworth for inclusive narratives regarding the natural world and nuclear weapons.
• The festival included several installations focused on environmental sustainability and biodiversity, such as the 'Partnering with Nature' exhibition. This exhibition featured the Algae Platform, which explores algae as a renewable alternative to plastic and synthetic textiles, and the Totomoxtle project by Fernando Laposse, which uses native Mexican corn to restore indigenous farming practices and ensure agricultural sustainability.
• Other nature-focused works included Sam Van Aken's 'The Tree of 40 Fruit', which uses grafting to preserve heirloom fruit varieties in Switzerland, and the 'Tree VR' experience, which allows participants to simulate the life of a rainforest tree to witness its fate.
• The World Economic Forum launched the New Narratives Lab, a year-long fellowship supported by the Ford Foundation. The lab provides a $15,000 stipend and mentorship to artists from under-represented communities to help them develop leadership skills and shape narratives to address issues like inequality and climate change.
• The event featured a diverse group of over 40 cultural leaders from 20 countries, including artists and experts focusing on accessibility, human rights, and the intersection of AI and art.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). The Arts and Culture Festival Annual Meeting 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_AM20_Cultural_Leaders.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Arts and Culture Festival Annual Meeting 2020. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_AM20_Cultural_Leaders.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Arts and Culture Festival Annual Meeting 2020 |date=2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_AM20_Cultural_Leaders.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020arts, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Arts and Culture Festival Annual Meeting 2020}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_AM20_Cultural_Leaders.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }