Colombia prepares a national conference on arts education

Dramatic Online,
22 November 2006, Colombia

The Ministry of Culture, through its Children and Youth Directorate, the Ministry of Education and the Colombian Association of Art Faculties (Acofartes), are presenting the Arts Education National Encounter, which will be called “Arts Education, a common purpose” and will take place December 13, 14 and 15 in Bogotá. It will examine these topics: public policy action in arts education; arts education in primary, middle and high schools; non formal arts educations; higher arts education, and its future in Colombia. Experts from Venezuela and Colombia will participate, as well as the German expert Marcus Meier. One of the meeting's goals is to help to guide public policy for the period 2006-2010. The meeting will be relevant to primary, middle and high school art teachers who work in education or cultural institutions (both formal and informal); university professors; artists involved with education; government employees responsible of arts and culture education; social sciences, arts and pedagogy, and other professionals interested in creation, production, distribution and exhibition of cultural goods and services. Subscription is free and online here. The conference picks up the declarations pronounced at the regional conferences on arts education developed in Lisbon and Bogotá and sums up efforts that Colombia has already undertaken in this field: the Latin American and Caribbean Conference, which took place November 28, 29 and 30, 2005, was organized by the Colombian ministries of Culture, Education and International Relations, and Unesco’s Latin America and Caribbean Regional Bureau for Culture (ORCALC). Conference papers can be found here.