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Browse our database of documents, including full length books, policy papers, guidelines on Tuning & Quality Assurance, and project specific publications.
All documents in our database are listed below. Please note that they are sorted alphabetically, and grouped by category.
The principle mission of ELIA is to represent Higher Arts Education as an influential voice and advocate in promoting the interests of its members. In articulating and demonstrating the value of arts education and artistic research ELIA is committed to enhancing the conditions in which Higher Arts Education can flourish within changing educational structures, nationally and internationally. Guided by a profound commitment to cultural diversity, social inclusion and the roles of art education and artists in our societies, ELIA’s mission continues to be both vital and urgent in the current era dominated by financial uncertainty, global ecological challenges and rapidly shifting political landscapes.
ELIA’s main objectives are to strengthen the position of higher arts education, to support the free development of education in the arts, to promote the arts as a central contributor to social and economic development, to encourage cultural diversity and foster communication between cultures.
The ELIA Teachers’ Academy is usually organised in spring and attracts roughly 150 delegates - professors, researchers, teachers and lecturers from all artistic disciplines and fields of expertise - giving the host institute(s) a unique opportunity to present themselves to higher art education institutes from Europe and beyond. The host institute’s teachers and students are encouraged to be involved in the conference.
This was Carla's last speech at the Biennial as Executive Director, since she will retire in October 2017. Her formal farewell also took place during the Biennial Conference and among others it included past ELIA presidents. During the General Assembly on 3 December 2016, Carla was appointed Honorary Companion by the Representative Board, for all her work and dedication for the past 26 years at ELIA.
ArtesnetEurope: Peer Power! The Future of Higher Arts Education in Europe This handbook is the companion volume to inter}artes, Tapping into the potential of Higher Arts Education in Europe, and expands upon the work of the Inter}artes network. It includes an extensive survey of creative partnerships, material on quality assurance and enhancement, the Tuning process, an overview and bibliography of research in the arts in Europe, and documentation of the Teachers’ Academy, July 2009.
Vindt u ook dat kunst belangrijk is voor onze samenleving? Heeft u interesse om jonge getalenteerde Europesekunstenaars te steunen bij de start van hun carrière alszelfstandig kunstenaar? Is uw antwoord hierop JA, dan zou dit iets voor u kunnen zijn.
As a platform of knowledge sharing, Making A Living from the Arts brings together academics from all over Europe, cultural professionals, cultural entrepreneurs and artists to address the challenges that the contemporary arts sector is facing and explore the creative solutions that are being developed. The NXT Conference aims to stimulate a critical debate on several topics; therefore the active involvement of the attendees is as much part of the event as the speakers are.
NXT Making a Living From the Art: A Quantitative Analysis of the Project
The ELIA Office collected approximately 200 answers from over 30 countries with a quite even balance between (independent) hubs and higher arts institutions. Quantitative data was collected through a 28-question survey.
The aims of the conference Research In and Through the Arts were to present a first comparison of the status of research in and through the arts in eight European countries and to show a broad selection of examples of recent research methods and projects. Participants were active contributors to the discussions and presentations during the conference. The international conference was the final event of the two-year project re:search - in and through the arts, a co-operation of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK) and eight European partner institutions.
he ELIA Academy 2019, which took place in Stuttgart, Germany from 25-27 September at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design and State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart brought a high level of interest to this truly timely conference on the subject of digitality.
Read the full report for an overview of the keynote speeches, key reflections and highlights of this event.
This report provides an overview of the ELIA Seminar “Becoming an Artist? Routes for aspiring artists and designers wanting to join an art school” which took place from 13 to 15 March 2019.
ELIA Leadership Symposium 2000 - The Artist in the Community
For many, arts education is concerned with the exploration of individual creativity and expression, with breaking the rules. These values have been described as modernist and romantic but they undoubtedly inform a good deal of practice in the field. The use of the arts for commercial or social purposes threatens these values partly because it requires artists to develop other social skills perceived by some as at best a distraction and at worst a direct threat to the individual's engagement with his practice. However, funding for the arts increasingly comes from programmes with social and economic goals and artists, in addition to having artistic aims have to justify their work in these terms. It is evident that performance work with community groups requires social skills, but even the creation of public art objects/ performances frequently demands that the artist negotiate with politicians, bureaucrats and communities.
As a platform of knowledge sharing, Making A Living from the Arts brings together academics from all over Europe, cultural professionals, cultural entrepreneurs and artists to address the challenges that the contemporary arts sector is facing and explore the creative solutions that are being developed. The NXT Conference aims to stimulate a critical debate on several topics; therefore the active involvement of the attendees is as much part of the event as the speakers are.
NXT Making a Living From the Art: A Quantitative Analysis of the Project
The ELIA Office collected approximately 200 answers from over 30 countries with a quite even balance between (independent) hubs and higher arts institutions. Quantitative data was collected through a 28-question survey.
This letter of petition created by Scholars At Risk Network appeals to European governmentsa and EU institutions to take action for Afghanistan's scholars, researchers and civil society actors given the current political climate under Taliban rule.
The following paper: Barcelona, Beijing, Birmingham by Jonathan Harris, PhD, Birmingham City University, highlights and questions the ideas of independence and autonomy as these apply to Brexit and higher arts education institutions. The essay was originally published in Third Text Issue 5-6: Lost in Europe: In the Wake of Britain's Inner Emigration: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09528822.2018.1555356
CCI Paper: Higher Arts Education and the Creative Economy This paper provides arguments that will help higher arts education institutes to sharpen their own approaches and, in particular, define their relationship with the wider creative economy. This intersection can be considered as a space where alternative presents and futures can be discussed and as a driver for alternative value chains. It is written and supported by the ELIA Board 2012-2014 and ELIA experts. As the topic of this paper is subject to many changing factors in society it will be presented as a dynamic paper, meant to be updated when needed.
Position Paper ELIA/AEC for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation The European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) and the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) together represent more than 600 institutions for higher arts education in all European countries. The higher arts education sector in Europe provides a natural synergy between education and culture, which is of crucial importance to supporting creativity and innovation not only in the arts sector, but in society at large. Both organisations are uniquely positioned through their experience and mission to subscribe, enhance and contribute to furthering the aims of the EU Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009.
An ELIA Position Paper in support of the establishment of a new European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) within Horizon Europe.
Thank you to the contributions from David Crombie, European Research, Centre for Research & Innovation, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and Stella Donata Haag, Research Officer at Film University Babelsberg.
ELIA/AEC Open Letter on Key Competences of the EC's European Area of Education and Culture 2025 Project
ELIA and AEC have drafted a joint statement with the aim of propose some amendments in the European Area of Education and Culture 2025 project in order to highlight the importance of culture as a core connector of competencies in society.
ELIA/AEC response to the EC's European Area of Education and Culture 2025 Project
Following the announcement from the European Commission on the strategic aim to establish a European Area of Education by 2025, ELIA and AEC have drafted a joint statement.
The European Alliance for Culture and Arts welcomes the opportunity to discuss the central role regions and cities play to address key challenges in future European policy making and cooperation between EU Member States.
The member institutions of ELIA and the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC), representing more than 550 higher arts education institutions across Europe that provide higher education in architecture, fine art, dance, design, media arts, theatre and music, remain strongly committed to the principles of the Bologna process, and continue to support the European ministers for education in seeking greater comparability and readability of qualifications as the platform for a stronger, more integrated European space of higher education. The objectives of both have been to gain a better understanding of both existing differences and common values, to create an ongoing dialogue between higher arts institutions at a European level and with national and European professional bodies. At the same time we are mindful in respecting and supporting the rich diversity of learning and teaching approaches, artistic traditions and practices.
Political Statement on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Rome Treaties
60 years ago, the treaties of Rome prepared the ground for the European Union. When celebrating their 60th anniversary in March this year, Member States will have the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to fundamental European values whilst creating a new understanding of a sustainable European project, deeply grounded in the European societies. This is essential in times of deep societal changes, when European citizens feel disconnected to the Union. Culture and the arts can help to strengthen the European project; therefore, the 33 signatories of this statement call on European institutions and Member States to include culture and the arts in the strategic goals of the Union.
Reaction of the European Alliance for Culture and the Arts to the European Commission’s proposal for the EU future budget
The Alliance argues for a long-term, considerable and balanced funding of the cultural and arts sectors at the EU level, allowing for sustainable development and ensuring their crucial role in the revitalisation of Europe.
ELIA is a part of the Alliance for Culture and the Arts.
The 'Florence Principles' position paper was presented by Andrea Braidt (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna), chair of the working group, during the 14th ELIA Biennial Conference in Florence. It is intended as a position paper on the doctorate in the arts for policymakers, university leaders, curriculum designers, research funding agencies and addressed to universities of art and science alike, helping the former to secure recognition for their endeavours.
Releasing the Potential for Arts & Design Research in Europe
ELIA and the SHARE Network have jointly written this paper to convince European Commission officials that Arts & Research forms part of the European research landscape and to create openings within the next generation of European Research Funding 2013-2020, which is now being prepared.
NEU NOW, an initiative of ELIA, existed from 2009-2017 as a transdisciplinary art festival devoted to presenting the work of exceptional emerging artists across Europe. This special, digital publication, wraps up the project as it existed with a digital publication, showcasing the work from one artist selected from each of the nine years.
New Practices/New Pedagogies is a collection of essays inspired by Cómhar, the 7th Biennial conference of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) in Dublin, Ireland at the end of October 2002. The conference title Cómhar is a Gaelic word signifying cooperation and companionship and from the 24th – 26th of October, 2002 over 600 arts educators and practitioners gathered in Dublin to discuss, debate and participate in a series of symposia, talks and workshops on key issues affecting higher arts education.
On the Move: Sharing Experience on the Bologna Process in the Arts Realising the European Higher Education Area is not just a question of national Ministers of Education coming together, having shared visions and demanding changes. It requires hard work by Schools and Universities in restructuring curricula, developing new innovative programmes and surviving within current constraints and changes (local, national and international) in the higher education system, the rapidly changing employment market and a competitive global economy. In a number of countries the required implementation of the two-cycle structure (undergraduate and postgraduate levels) still causes problems and confusion in arts education.
Available in English (2013), French (2007) and German (2007) Institutional guidenlines and subject review for Higher Arts Education programmes as developed by Inter}artes and revised by ArtesnetEurope
Reaction From the Higher Arts Education Sector on the Call for Ideas Intercultural Dialogue 2008
The Higher Arts Education Institutions in Europe are rooted in their societies and are more and more involved in local community initiatives in a number of ways. Programmes are undertaken in partnership with neighbourhood organisations, primary and secondary schools, and organisations from ethnic minorities. Some of these could be identified, evaluated and exchanged in the form of case studies and serve as good practice in an intercultural dialogue on a European scale.
Reaction From the Higher Arts Education Sector on the EU Call for Communication on Culture
Immensely popular DJs, Europe’s world class musicians, dancers, visual artists, designers and controversial theatre makers shape Europe and Europe’s identity more than any formal European policy. Cross-national cultural/artistic production, vibrant artistic communities (traditional, contemporary, and controversial) are essential to build a Europe, which is more than a common market, institutions, and guidelines. Supporting an open and plural climate through EU policies, coordinated member state policy and supportive concrete initiatives will help to make them effective for Europe. There is a strong need for support for mobility, exchange and the EU should strive for shared standards of quality and dignity, mutual understanding and transparency within Europe.
ELIA and SHARE Reactions to Revision of the OECD Frascati Manual
The European League of Institutes of the Arts – ELIA in collaboration with the SHARE Academic Network, a group of art universities and academies across Europe, working on the promotion of the third cycle of arts research, are glad to respond to the consultation on the 2013-2014 Programme of Work of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP). We welcome the anticipated revision of the Frascati Manual and are very optimistic that the next version of the Frascati Manual will acknowledge the appropriate status of the Arts and Arts research.
Reflections on the Challenges: Facing Arts Institutions
Following the success of the first elia Leadership Symposium in Los Angeles hosted by the Getty Center in 2003, the University of the Arts in London hosted the second ELIA Leadership Symposium for chief executives and senior management in art education institutions in November 2005. Sixty-five people from twenty-four countries participated in an active programme of site visits, keynote presentations and facilitated discussions.
ELIA organised the Regional Seminar "Internationalisation in a post-Brexit Europe" at the Royal College of Art, Battersea Campus London, UK, on 21 September 2018 to discuss the future of internationalisation in post-Brexit Europe.
The ELIA Academy 2019, which took place in Stuttgart, Germany from 25-27 September at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design and State University of Music and the Performing Arts Stuttgart brought a high level of interest to this truly timely conference on the subject of digitality. Read the full report for an overview of the keynote speeches, key reflections and highlights of this event.
This report provides an overview of the ELIA Seminar “Becoming an Artist? Routes for aspiring artists and designers wanting to join an art school” which took place from 13 to 15 March 2019.
Sectoral Qualifications Framework for Creative & Performing Disciplines
The document, Sectoral Qualifications Framework for the Creative & Performing Disciplines, is a bold attempt to produce a common set of statements about expected achievement levels for students in any and all of the disciplines represented: the visual arts, the performing arts, music and architecture. As well as seeking to define what these disciplines have in common, the framework is intended to bring into focus what sets them apart from other disciplines and gives them their distinctive character as a sectoral grouping.
The SHARE Handbook for Artistic Research Education is a poly-vocal document, designed as a contribution to the field of artistic research education from an organisational, procedural and practical standpoint. As a provisional disclosure of the state of the art within specific constituencies, this publication seeks to be serviceable to many different agendas and projects, and it attempts to do this by demonstrating the lived contradictions of what is simultaneously both an emerging and fully formed domain of research education.
Teachers' Academy 2013 - Identifying Essential Ingredients for Future Focused Art and Design Courses
Paul Barrett Birmingham City University Identifying Essential Ingredients for Future Focused Art and Design Courses
Abstract In order to fully address a rapidly changing world there now appear to be essential elements fundamental to the curriculum design and delivery of future focused Art and Design courses. In this presentation the aim is to highlight these ‘ingredients’ and consider whether they should be common to all creative arts degrees regardless of specific disciplines.
Teachers' Academy 2013 - Taking Care of Business: Reimagining the Art College in the 21st Century
John Casey - Shaun Hides -Jonathan Shaw Coventry School of Art & Design Taking Care of Business: Reimagining the Art College in the 21st century - Social entrepreneurship, Digital Technologies
Abstract This paper advances the case for open models of higher art education in the 21st century. To achieve this, we propose using open educational practices (OPAL, 2012) as a form of social entrepreneurship, supported by digital technologies. Based on our own and others recent experiences in open education we outline the nature of the problems we face, some of the practical working responses that have already appeared, and describe emerging potential solutions that can build on the progress achieved to date
Teachers' Academy 2013 - The Discursive as Production Mode
Lieve Dehasque - Filip De Roeck - Liesbet Verschueren LUCA School of Arts The Discursive as Production Mode
Abstract This workshop invites 20 participants to build a speculative flow, an installation modulated by devices as a room, 20 artist-teachers, tables and a hybrid documentation. Sparring partner is Ai Wei Wei dropping a Han Dynasty Urn.
The 'Florence Principles' position paper was presented by Andrea Braidt (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna), chair of the working group, during the 14th ELIA Biennial Conference in Florence. It is intended as a position paper on the doctorate in the arts for policymakers, university leaders, curriculum designers, research funding agencies and addressed to universities of art and science alike, helping the former to secure recognition for their endeavours.
In 2001, the International Initiatives Committee of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD) conceived of an idea to strengthen the international connections of the organization. One of the primary missions of ICFAD is to encourage global understanding and cooperation as a way of improving the arts in higher education. Throughout the years of the organization, numerous traditional student and faculty exchanges in the global community have emerged. While this certainly falls within the parameters of the stated mission, the Committee wanted to move beyond this model into one that would invite innovative global collaboration that could add to the body of knowledge, theory and practice in the arts in the transnational arena
Dance education in Europe is provided by a range of institutions including: universities, specialist academies and colleges of higher or further education. The manifold approaches to dance education mirror the variety of the art form. The variety in teaching of dance runs from the traditional vocational model with its emphasis on intensive practical training, tutor directed learning, high teacher and student contact, an emphasis on the acquisition of technical skills to the academic tradition that implies student led study, tutor/student contact and with an emphasis on individual selfexpression and creativity (e.g. coaching and monitoring). The key of all the different learning & teaching models is fostering creativity, which requires a great deal of investment of the student as well as from the educator. Along this continuum there exist many approaches that combine the two methods in a variety of ways.
For the purpose of this document, the term ‘Design’ covers the following fields: industrial, furniture, interior, ceramics, glass, fashion, textile and graphic design – and to some extent also new media. Quite a number of national variations exist in what is considered design. In certain countries Design Education may be described in other tuning documents, for example fine art or architecture. Design approaches production of objects and services from different perspectives: aesthetics, functionality, usability, production/manufacturing technology, sustainability and ethics. The emphasis may vary between different fields of design, countries and universities. This document also covers design management and leadership oriented programmes.
A film school is a generic term for an educational institution, almost always at third-level, dedicated to teaching the practical skills of film-making and many, if not all, usages of the term “film school” now refer to television and video as well as film and frequently include animation and/or digital media. It must be emphasised that the subject area addressed in this tuning document is the practical teaching of film and television production, where the hands-on (?) element is at least 50% of the curriculum; theoretical media studies and analysis, even with an element of practice, is excluded.
To describe the characteristics of the subject area fine art it is necessary first to consider Contemporary Art practice and its context in Europe. Art is a creative and intellectual endeavour that involves artists and other arts practitioners in a reflexive process where the nature and function of art is questioned and challenged through the production of new art. Contemporary art is a broad and dynamic field encompassing a wide range of approaches, technologies, contexts, theories, traditions and social functions. Knowledge and reflection are embodied in artistic practices and processes. Specific to art is an aesthetic approach to questioning and exploration, opening up new ways of understanding and producing meaning and knowledge.
To summarise and outline the characteristics of the subject area of theatre (In many contexts the term ‘theatre’ is interchangeable with, or can be substituted by, the terms ‘drama’, ‘performance’ or ‘dance theatre’ as well as other variants. In this statement the term ‘theatre’ will be used to describe the totality of this broad and diverse subject) it is necessary to recognise that it is a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary art form that embraces a wide range of subsidiary disciplines (e.g., acting, directing, scenography, technical theatre skills) which may be studied individually but that will normally be learned and/or applied within a multi-disciplinary context.
During the ELIA Artistic Research Platform (Online) Meeting 2020: “Come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be…” Mapping the disciplinary state(s) of Artistic Research, attendees explored the framework of ‘archipelagic thinking’, as a heuristic device to provoke dialogue around the disciplinary status of artistic research.
Using the digital platform Padlet over two days, participants mapped the disciplinary fields of Circus, Fine Art, Choreography, Literature, Architecture, Theatre, Film, Applied Arts, Design and Artistic Research Study. As each iteration of the methodology unfolded, it connected with other disciplinary islands around common problems and challenges.
This digital pamphlet is the outcome of this meeting and has been produced by the Working Group for Artistic Research.
NEU NOW, an initiative of ELIA, existed from 2009-2017 as a transdisciplinary art festival devoted to presenting the work of exceptional emerging artists across Europe. This special, digital publication, wraps up the project as it existed with a digital publication, showcasing the work from one artist selected from each of the nine years.
From Florence to Rotterdam: Activity Report 2016-2018
Read ELIA's 2-year activity report which includes updates on its activities, projects and governance. It has been an eventful two years and ELIA is grateful to the network for their continued support and enthusiasm.
NXT Making a Living From the Art: A Quantitative Analysis of the Project
The ELIA Office collected approximately 200 answers from over 30 countries with a quite even balance between (independent) hubs and higher arts institutions. Quantitative data was collected through a 28-question survey.
This report provides an overview of the ELIA Seminar “Becoming an Artist? Routes for aspiring artists and designers wanting to join an art school” which took place from 13 to 15 March 2019.
