Newsletter 01/2018

Yes, this is the EDUCULT newsletter. Don’t be astonished about the new look and that you can read it on your mobile device without wondering about lower case letters and cut pictures. Not only the newsletter but our whole website comes along with a new design and some new features. It is a symbol of a change that is taking place right now.

Indeed, 2018 is a year of change for EDUCULT. Founded 15 years ago, there is no doubt today that the well-established research and project institute is not in its infancy anymore since long time. And as the youth stands for a time of major changes, EDUCULT does not remain untouched.

With the first day of the year, it was my pleasure to replace Michael Wimmer as the new managing director. The fact that this change went smoothly is due to the good preparation and the sensitivity of all those involved – my former boss, the old and new team and the long-time association board members.

The way in which EDUCULT has dealt with the cross-section fields of arts and culture, education and policy in research and practice is unique in Austria and rare in Europe. Michael Wimmer and his team have done pioneering work. It is both an honour and an obligation to go on the road with my colleagues to the future. It is a gift that the founding director continues as part of the association’s board to support us with his experience and expertise.

New times demand new ideas and critical examinations. That’s what EDUCULT stood for and stands for. Continuity and development are not antagonists but can go hand in hand. That is the aspiration we want to live with current and new projects in order to successfully meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

I am looking forward to celebrating our EDUCULT anniversary this year with you. May we have interesting meetings and inspirational discussions. And enjoy our new website!

Greetings and a pleasant reading,

Aron Weigl

and the whole EDUCULT team

EDUCULT IN ACTION provides current information on our projects.

EDUCULT TALKS introduces people with diverse backgrounds.

EDUCULT IN EXCHANGE informs about international exchange and co-operations.

EDUCULT INFORMS about international affairs, projects and meetings.

Wimmer’s Quarterly

From “The Seoul-Agenda” to “Another Road-Map for Arts Education”

This short comment is a contradiction in itself. More, it is the expression of an increasing uncertainty of the author when it comes to the claim of arts education as a globally comparable phenomenon. As a typical old WASP – some would describe me and my friends as “Default Men, who have to be dethroned” (Grayson Perry) – I took part in the preparations of the “Seoul-Agenda“ in 2010. In our exercise, the authors – most of them representing Western thinking – were following the hope that such a document encompassing the whole world could contribute to the improvement of arts education wherever it is provided. [read more]

EDUCULT in Action

European Heritage Label

Together with its partner PPMI, EDUCULT is evaluating the European Heritage Label (EHL). Its purpose is to take stock of the achievements in the first six years of the action’s existence with a view to improving its implementation in the upcoming period. Therefore, as one method of data collection, an open public consultation is online in which all EU citizens and stakeholders can participate. Do you have visited an EHL site yet? Are you even working at one of the EHL sites? Or are you just interested in the European cultural heritage? Then spend some minutes and take part in the survey. [read more]

BRIDGING

After the first partner meeting in Copenhagen in October 2017, the first working package has started. EDUCULT is primarily responsible for the conception of five national surveys about the practice of participative culture and co-creative activities in Denmark, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, and United Kingdom and has therefore developed the data collection instruments. The survey started in the partner countries in November 2017. [read more]

Evaluation of the Programmatic Focus of the Goethe-Institut in the Context of the “RomArchive” Project

In February 2018 the final report and recommendations for the future development of the Goethe-Institute were presented. The report focused on an analysis of institutional cooperation’s as well as the dialogue with representatives of the Roma-Community. [read more]

Potential for Integration of Islamic Schools in Austria

At the moment, the partners are concretising the research design. Next to that, the institutional framework of Islamic schools in Austria is analysed and a state of the art survey is carried out. Also, the empirical data collection is getting prepared. [read more]

EDUCULT Talks

EDUCULT Talks: with Kaveri Sageder

The Indian Kathak dancer Kaveri Sageder is originally from Pune/India, now mostly living and working in Vienna. Next to her work as an international performer, she runs her own Dancing Studio in Pune and regularly teaches in Vienna. To EDUCULT she talked about her first experiences and establishment as an Indian artist in Austria and, being married to an Austrian musician, cultural differences she faced, both in her private and her professional life. [read more]

EDUCULT in Exchange

Symposium Changing Politics – Changing Cultures

On 26 April 2018, the University of Applied Arts Vienna will host the one-day symposium “Changing Politics – Changing Cultures”, in collaboration with EDUCULT. Central to this event, which was developed by Michael Wimmer, are those artistic initiatives that critically aim to reflect on the new political situation and thereby counteract their apparent lack of alternative. [read more]

Second Research Colloquium on Foreign Cultural Policy

On April 12th 2018, the second Research Colloquium on Foreign Cultural Policy will take place in Munich, jointly organized by the Institute for Cultural Policy of the University of Hildesheim and the Goethe Institute. Aron Weigl is invited to present theses of his previous research on the linkage between arts education and international cultural exchange and to discuss these with representatives of research and practice at the Goethe Institute headquarters.

EDUCULT informs

intertwining hi/stories of arts education: Public Symposium and Class for MA Students

The symposium invites students, art educators, researchers and cultural producers to reflect on the histories of education in and through art. The symposium emphasizes the fact that historiography in arts education means referring to a plurality of hi/stories as perceived from different geopolitical perspectives. Presenting international and Swiss historical case studies, the aim of the gathering is to discuss: how are these hi/stories, their relations and intertwinings relevant for the development of current practice in arts education? [read more]

International Yearbook for Research in Arts Education

This yearbook is the fourth in an annual series of publications by the International Network for Research in Arts Education (INRAE). This yearbook reflects the growing practice around the world of interchanging the terms arts education and cultural education to such an extent that they may eventually be regarded as (nearly) synonymous. The authors question if there are differences, and how arts and cultural education may be interwoven in different regions of the world. With this in mind, fundamental questions of what arts education is about are reconsidered. This month’s Wimmer’s Quarterly by Michael Wimmer will also be published as an article. [read more]

Culture Action Europe-Campagne: 1% for Culture

The European budget faces a tough challenge to fund more with less. As the negotiations over the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) move forward, Culture Action Europe launches the #Double4Culture #Commit1% campaign, calling the European cultural sector to become loud and visible and support their demands to double the budget for culture in absolute terms, and ensure that at least 1% of the next MFF is allocated to culture across policy fields and funding programmes. [read more]