International Arts and Imagination Network
Join the conversation.
Shape the future.
Imagination is at the foundation of all progress, and the arts are its most powerful catalyst. In a world facing complex challenges that demand innovative solutions, incorporating the arts into education is not optional – it is essential.
Whether addressing global crises like climate change or navigating advancements in automation and artificial intelligence, the arts and cultural engagement are vital. They cultivate problem-solving skills, foster emotional intelligence, and teach us how to envision and build a better future.
For international education to stay relevant and impactful, the arts must be at its core, equipping students to create a future that is innovative, inclusive, and interconnected.
Read the manifesto and the speeches made at the April 2025 launch in this article.
Read Everyday Creative Activism, a provocation by Dr Katherine Evans for the International Arts and Imagination Network, 25 September 2025.
"Imagination is what separates us from the rest of life on Earth. It is through imagination that we can create worlds in which we live. We can also re-create them.”
Sir Ken Robinson
Key themes
- The power of the arts in learning: How imagination and creativity drives innovation, resilience, and well-being in students.
- The future of education: Why human-centered skills developed through the arts are crucial in the age of AI.
- Practical strategies for schools: Proven approaches to embedding the arts meaningfully into international curricula.
- Global advocacy and collaboration: Leveraging UNESCO frameworks to advance arts and cultural education in schools.
The Freedom to Imagine Event - International Arts and Imagination Network (IAIN)
Our ability to imagine reveals something vital about what it means to be a conscious subject: that we’re creative beings who are able to step back from what is and picture what isn’t yet.
In this session, we’ll explore imagination as an existential condition of human freedom, and what that means for education, creativity, and how we make meaning.
Our featured provocation at this IAIN gathering will be offered by Skye C. Cleary, PhD.
- Date: Thursday 24 September, 4pm to 5pm
- Location: Online
The first 40 places for this event are free (select the early bird ticket). We particularly encourage independent artists, those working within non-profit organisations, and international participants for whom the ticket price may be a barrier to make use of these places.
About Skye C. Cleary
Skye C. Cleary PhD MBA is a philosopher and author of : Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment (published as in the UK), Existentialism and the Authentic Life, Existentialism and Romantic Love, and co-editor of How to Live a Good Life. You can find Skye on .