International perspectives on participation and engagement in the arts

20th-21st June 2014

at the Department of Media and Culture Studies, Utrecht University, Netherlands

• Networking between academics, policy makers and practitioners
• Transfer of best practices in participatory arts and participatory decision-making in cultural policy
• Policy transfer between different countries, municipalities and
public service sectors
• International speakers for comparative analysis

Since the 1980s there has been a growing international focus on participation in public policy, whether as a means to compensate for diminishing state investment or to give voice to grass-roots activism. This has led to an increasing discourse about models of participatory practice, the values that underpin these, and their social and political impact, in the worlds of the arts and cultural activities no less than in other sectors.

For the last two years Leila Jancovich & Franco Bianchini from Leeds Metropolitan University, with the support of Arts Council England and the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), have been coordinating a knowledge exchange network, bringing together academics, policy makers and practitioners to share research and debate issues, on participation and engagement in the arts. In the Netherlands similar activities have been carried out since 2009 by the national expertise centres for arts education and amateur arts, recently merged into the National Centre of Expertise for Cultural Education and Amateur Arts (LKCA), and by the Cultural Participation Fund.

This conference is the culmination of this work, and aims to draw together current research and practice internationally to assess: firstly, the relevance of the participation and engage-ment agenda for professional arts and cultural heritage organisations, voluntary arts organisations, and policy makers at local and national level; secondly, which theoretical and political assumptions underpin this agenda and its implementation; thirdly, which models of participatory arts practices have been developed and have proved to be successful.

The conference is organised by Leeds Metropolitan University in co-operation with the Na-tional Centre of Expertise for Cultural Education and Amateur Arts (LKCA), the Cultural Par-ticipation Fund in the Netherlands (FCP), and the Department of Media and Culture Studies at Utrecht University.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, see the IFACCA International News listing.

Further information about the conference, including registration and the programme will soon be available.