Reinventing Cultural Policy? Cultural Policy and Good Governance
An event by the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Concept: Michael Wimmer / EDUCULT
Date: 3 June 2013 09:00-19:00
Location: University of Applied Arts, Aktsaal, Oskar-Kokoschka-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna
Please register until 29 May 2013 via pr@uni-ak.ac.at
Participation is free of charge.
An event by the University of Applied Arts Vienna in cooperation with Der Standard
Find the conference programme here
Cultural policy in Europe has arrived at a critical juncture. The on-going financial and economic crisis has led to a massive withdrawal of public engagement in a range of countries. In addition, there are many evidences that participation in state-funded arts and culture is changing alongside the fragmentation of social milieus. The cultural policy scenery is diversifying both on the global and on the local level and new actors – public, private, civil – are emerging. As a result, we are now talking about multi-level and multi-actor cultural governance.
This implies that the role of the state in cultural policy is changing, potentially weakening. Instead, there is a growing need to open up the narrow discourse of administrators, policy-makers and experts in cultural policy and involve new voices in decision-making processes.
Rather than focusing on “access to culture“, defined by the state and its institutions, we need to look into ways to represent the diversity of voices also in the decision-making on cultural policy and thus in deciding on the offers.
Central Questions
How can the principles of good governance – transparency, participation, efficiency, responsibility, market economy, rule of law and justice – be realised in cultural policy? How does this enable a “democratic turn” of cultural policy? What role do artists and cultural institutions play? What is the role of businesses? How can civil society initiatives and individuals be empowered to participate? How is social diversity represented? What is the role of universities, the academia and cultural policy researchers? Last but not least: what is the role of politicians and administrators on the local, regional, national and European level?
Behind all this is the question how to reinvent cultural policy in order to respond to the challenges – economisation, globalization, individualisation, and pluralisation.
Participants
The conference addresses experts from cultural policy practice and research as well as artists and cultural managers and practitioners, business people and culturally engaged citizens. The conference main language will be German (some parts in English).
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