Patrick Foret’s experience with Art Basel Cities shows why lasting cultural impact begins with local relationships, shared ambition and an ecosystem that can sustain itself.
In Episode 38 of Talking Place, Patrick Foret talks place with host Tanisha Raffiuddin about the role of art and culture in shaping cities. Drawing on his experience as former Director of Business Initiatives and Partnerships at Art Basel and his work developing Art Basel Cities, they explore why cities need more than a major art fair, how cultural ecosystems can create lasting impact, and what it takes to build a cultural identity rooted in local people and partnerships.
A major art fair can put a city on the international cultural map. But a packed event calendar, a high-profile name or a week of global attention is not the same as a thriving cultural ecosystem. For cities hoping to build a lasting reputation for creativity, the bigger question is what remains after the crowds leave.
“What cities really need is an art ecosystem that delivers sustainable economic return.”
That distinction sits at the heart of Patrick Foret’s work. As Founder of Urban X Culture, and formerly Director of Business Initiatives and Partnerships at Art Basel, Foret has worked at the intersection of art, business and cities. His experience helped shape Art Basel Cities, an initiative designed to use Art Basel’s international network to support local art scenes.
From a global platform to local impact
Art Basel’s influence reaches beyond the exhibition halls. In cities such as Miami Beach, the fair has become part of a wider cultural experience, connecting collectors, artists, galleries and audiences through exhibitions, conversations and encounters across the city. Foret’s point is that this kind of impact is built over time. It depends on years of audience development and international engagement, not a single successful event.
That is why cities asking for Art Basel may be asking for something larger than the fair itself. As Foret explains, what they often want is an art ecosystem: sustained cultural activity, meaningful engagement and economic value that can continue to grow. In this sense, culture can function as civic infrastructure, something that helps a city develop its identity, connect people and create opportunities.
The distinction matters. A major art fair can bring a city international attention. Building a cultural scene that lasts is harder. The real test is what happens between editions: whether local artists find new opportunities, institutions work together and cultural life continues after visitors have gone home.
Buenos Aires: start by listening
Art Basel Cities, launched in 2016, was created to explore how Art Basel’s global reach could support cultural development in cities. Buenos Aires became its first partner city, with a programme running from 2017 to 2019. The approach was not to arrive with a ready-made formula. Instead, Foret and the team began by listening.
They spent months meeting people across the local art scene and wider city landscape, asking about their challenges, ambitions and hopes for the future. The goal was to understand what made Buenos Aires distinctive and to build a plan around that local context. This process helped bring together stakeholders who had often worked in silos, including artists, galleries, museums and public agencies, around a shared mission.
“We're not here to tell you what to do. We're here to understand your challenges, your dreams and where you see the future.”
For cities considering a similar strategy, the Buenos Aires experience points to a practical starting point: find out what local artists and institutions need before deciding what to build. A model that works in one city may not address the priorities of another.
Cultural identity cannot simply be imported. A city’s distinctive proposition emerges from its people, practices and history. External partnerships can help amplify that identity, but they cannot replace the work of discovering it in the first place.
Make room for new sources of support
For a cultural strategy to last, it also needs a realistic funding model. In Buenos Aires, Foret says the team made a commitment not to divert public funding already allocated to museums, institutions and non-profit organisations. Instead, they worked to create additional sources of support.
That meant engaging parts of government that had not traditionally funded the arts, including tourism, foreign affairs and economic development, alongside private companies and patrons. Diaspora communities and philanthropists could also play a role not only by contributing money, but by becoming involved in the experience and purpose of the work.
“Philanthropy today is not giving a cheque. It's about being part of the experience that delivers an impact.”
The approach widened the pool of potential supporters beyond the cultural department. It also gave each partner a reason to take part, whether through tourism, business partnerships or philanthropic support. For businesses, that might include a meaningful partnership with a city’s creative identity. For tourism bodies, it may be the opportunity to attract visitors who stay longer, engage more deeply and become advocates for the place.
The principle is not that every cultural initiative must justify itself through financial returns alone. Rather, a wider coalition can help create the conditions for cultural activity to continue without weakening the organisations and communities already doing the work.
Measure more than the event
The economic impact of a major cultural event is often discussed in headline figures. Those numbers can be useful, but they tell only part of the story. Foret’s account of Art Basel Cities in Buenos Aires includes changes to practical barriers facing artists, new opportunities for professional exchange, international exposure for local galleries and artists, and relationships that continued beyond individual events.
These outcomes are harder to put into a single figure, but they help show whether the local art scene is actually gaining from the investment. A city may need to ask not only how many people attended, or how much visitors spent, but whether local artists gained access to new networks, whether institutions began working together, whether new funding was created and whether residents feel a stronger connection to their city’s cultural life.
There is no universal template. Foret points to the importance of understanding what makes each place different, and of agreeing on a shared plan with local stakeholders. A strategy should be specific enough to respond to a city’s needs, while flexible enough to evolve as relationships and opportunities develop.
Culture is built with people
For cities, the temptation to seek a recognisable global brand is understandable. It offers visibility and a ready-made association with cultural prestige. But a brand cannot do the work of an ecosystem. Lasting impact comes from the people who create, support, present and experience culture, and from the relationships that allow them to work together.
For a city, attracting a major art fair may be one milestone. The harder work is building the relationships, funding and opportunities that allow its own art scene to grow with or without an international event.
“We all have that drive to create something and make a difference.”
An art fair can open a door. A cultural ecosystem gives people reasons to keep coming through it and gives the city something meaningful to build on.
Listen to Episode 38 of Talking Place with Patrick Foret to hear the full conversation on how cities can build cultural ecosystems, invest in culture as civic infrastructure and create lasting impact beyond the art fair.
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Tanisha Raffiuddin is Creative Director at Concept Culture and host of Talking Place. Conversations on placemaking, branding, sustainability and culture across the built environment.