Turbulent times in world politics, with student protests spreading all over the world, are affecting many working and studying in Higher Arts Education institutions. We have been hearing from several of you and I thank you for sharing your stories. Where we can help, we will continue to do so. Creating a safe space for our members to see and share what has been done and said is key. We hope you will find this helpful, and I encourage you to reach out to myself or the ELIA Team should you need this kind of support. 

 

We were delighted to welcome Finn Schumacker, the new Executive Director of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC), for his first visit to the ELIA office last week. Finn comes to AEC with a broad spectrum of experiences, including playing the tuba for the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, as well as running a symphony orchestra and managing a conservatoire, both in his native Denmark.

 

We had already worked together online several times, since he took over from his predecessor Stefan Gies early this year – but having a face-to-face meeting in ‘our place’ provided an opportunity to talk a bit more. ELIA and AEC often join forces when it comes to advocacy both at the European and global levels. We were glad that ELIA’s Advocacy Manager Irene Garofalo was there to join us.

 

In other news, did you know that, ELIA currently offers at least one online event every week, and sometimes even two? These online events provide easy access to ELIA’s knowledge community without having to travel, or incurring any other expense.

 

One event I particularly want to highlight is our collaboration with the Council for Higher Education in Art and Design (CHEAD), Creative Education Manifesto, taking place online on 14 June 2024. During this event, we  will be giving the floor to our members and colleagues in the UK to tell us more about the Creative Education Manifesto. This manifesto was created last year by a broad coalition of art universities and creative industry partners, and it includes a pledge to strengthen creative education at all levels. We were impressed by this collective action – which is likely to play a role in the expected UK elections later this year. Is such an action transferable to Europe and the rest of the world? What can we learn from this collective and evidence-based approach? These and other questions will be discussed at this event, which is also open to non-members and  supported by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD). Please spread the word, so that we all learn together and give some international attention to this important initiative.  

 

More online events in this newsletter – and of course, the invitation to join our General Assembly on 17 June 2024, especially for the voting representatives of your organisation! In addition to the annual accounts for 2023, you will also hear an update on ELIA’s projects and on the development of our new strategy.  

 

Wishing you a productive week and – really – a few moments of Zen in the midst of all the turbulence.  

 

ELIA Executive Director, Maria Hansen