The Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) today published the Reportand Policy Recommendations developed from the Mini Summit on NewMedia Arts Policy and Practiceheld in Singapore on 24-26 July 2008, and committed to follow up action during 2009.

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and IFACCA are co-hosting a mini-summit on government support for new media arts practice in Singapore this week.

Our latest D'Art question (the 33rd) on how government agencies support 'new media' arts will be used to prepare for a mini-summit in Singapore in July 2008.

In August 2004 the Arts Council of Finland, m-cult and IFACCA co-hosted a 'mini-summit' on media arts and media culture policy in Helsinki, Finland. The mini-summit resulted in the release of the 'Helsinki Agenda', which recommended further actions be taken by IFACCA. The IFACCA response seeks comments and feedback on a process by which IFACCA can further work on new media arts support and gauge interest among members in establishing an ongoing network.

A strategy for the international development of new media culture policy, the Helsinki Agenda, has been proposed by the participants in the expert meeting on media arts and media culture policy which took place on 22-23 August. The paper outlines the values of new media culture, provides 11 recommendations and three proposals for further action. The meeting was co-hosted by IFACCA, the Arts Council of Finland and m-cult centre for new media culture during ISEA2004, the 12th International Symposium on Electronic Art.

m-cult, centre for new media culture in association with Arts Council of Finland and IFACCA will host an expert meeting on 22-23 August to share information on policies to support media arts and new media culture. With participants from Canada, India, the Netherlands, England, Thailand and Australia, the meeting is bound to generate an interesting debate. Reports on the meeting will be published online by IFACCA and the Arts Council of Finland will pubIish (in English) a special edition of their quarterly magazine, ARSIS. The meeting is held in affiliation with ISEA2004, the 12th International Symposium on Electronic Art 12-22 August 2004. The mini-summit will also aim to: * assess implementation of new media policy, both models of best practice and failures * understand the implications of media arts-specific policy in relation to a model where "new media" is supported across the spectrum of all art forms * discuss new media culture policy, where media arts is a focus area * discuss the increasing focus on combined research and production and the challenge the approach poses for traditional divisions in funding * discover ways through which international collaborations (productions, networks, non-local organizations) could be better funded: the networked new media culture. * develop concrete collaborations, possible funding schemes, statistics accumulation, research and development projects amongst the participants ISEA2004, the 12th International Symposium on Electronic Art 12-22 August 2004, is a major media arts and culture event that spans Helsinki and Tallinn and Baltic Sea cruise. To see the ISEA2004 tabloid magazine about its programme, go to: http://www.isea2004.net/mainframe.php?id=latestnews