International conference "Art as an Agent of Change: Cultural Literacy for Societal Resilience"

Description

Arts education is inherently interdisciplinary – it integrates visual, verbal, kinetic, and emotional dimensions, creating a holistic approach to human development. New sensibilities, critical self-reflection, shifting boundaries between the private and public spheres, the redefinition of taboo topics, and an awareness of the multifaceted nature of collective memory characterize contemporary understanding of culture and art.

When global and local policy priorities reorient toward military and economic security, cultural and arts education budgets often find themselves at the forefront of optimization and consolidation plans. The peculiarities of Eastern European geopolitical and economic development often marginalize the role of culture and art in political communication, prioritizing economic issues and disinformation threats.

Contemporary society faces multilayered challenges – geopolitical upheavals, fragile social cohesion, fragmentation of the information environment, and transformation of value systems. In this context, arts education reveals itself not only as a space for creativity and self-expression but as an essential interdisciplinary tool capable of strengthening societal resilience, fostering critical thinking, and creating connections between different social groups. Defining cultural and creative processes in education is challenging, as they develop in close interaction with the era's geopolitical and social realities. Similarly, culture is characterized by self-reflexive processes that cyclically return to seemingly known historical facts to reevaluate them within the spirit of the times and the frameworks of our collective and individual ethics.

The conference will gather arts educators, researchers, artists, cultural policy makers, and practitioners to jointly explore the changing role and potential of arts education in an era when cultural and educational sectors are often marginalized in political agendas. The conference will examine how arts education enriches other disciplines – social sciences, humanities, technology, and civic responsibility – creating new opportunities for knowledge synthesis and forming hybrid states in the domains of values, legality, and democracy.

How should values be developed in young people and society as a whole within the framework of arts education?
How does arts education help create a more cohesive society?
What is the role of cultural literacy in young people's lives and social development?
How can we measure the actual value and impact of art and cultural literacy on communities and society as a whole?
What methods in arts education add value?
What are art's potential implications for social change?
How can we change the discourse on the socioeconomic foundations of art and its interaction with politics?
Critical thinking, creative problem-solving, empathy, and the ability to navigate a complex information environment are skills developed through arts education that are essential not only for individual growth but also for the resilience of a democratic society.

The conference is organized by Rīga Stradiņš University and takes place within the framework of the project Cultural Literacies' Value in Europe (CLiViE) under the European Union's research and innovation program "Horizon Europe." Grant Agreement No. 101132285.

Period	22 Apr 2026
Event type	Conference
Location	Riga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International