On the first of July the Irish Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union was kicked-off. For the next 6 months, Ireland will lead the MFF (EU long-term budget) negotiations on behalf of the Council. Their leadership can truly make a difference as crucial budget negotiations are set to happen after the summer. This includes decisions on the funding programmes Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund.

In congruence with the start of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, over 300 international representatives of the artistic and cultural research community gathered at the University of Galway for the SAR International Forum on Artistic Research. On their behalf, and on behalf of the #NamePlaceFund campaign partners, we sent an open letter to Irish Cabinet the attached Open Letter. 

Read the Open Letter to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU>

We called on the Irish Presidency to use their leadership in the ongoing MFF negotiations to support the arts and the Cultural and Creative Sector and Industries (CCSI) in the EU’s research, innovation and competitiveness funding programmes. In particular, we urged them to put three action points on the MFF agenda, which would effectively anchor research and innovation funding for culture for the next seven years: name, place, and fund culture in Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund.

The MFF creates a crucial opportunity for Europe to:

• support the role of arts and artistic research in society
• recognise and invest in the generative and transformative potential of arts and culture
• realise the substantial growth potential of the CCSI
• champion Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity

Turning this opportunity into action will clearly resonate across the CCSI and benefit the EU member states not only economically, but also in terms of their transformative capacity, creative and innovative edge and societal resilience.

#NamePlaceFund represents over 1200 institutions involved in artistic and cultural research and cultural heritage in Europe. Everyone is welcome to join the campaign.

Find out more about how to get involved through our info packages (info package one – create public awareness through social media, reach out to the members of the European Parliament, info package two – reach out to your national governments).

Become a mentor for a Ukrainian Master’s student, supporting emerging cultural practitioners and artists in their transitioning into professional life.

Submission deadline: 29 June 2026

The UAxEU project, coordinated by ELIA, is pleased to announce the launch of the UAxEU Mentorship Programme for Ukrainian Master's Students, a six-month international mentorship initiative designed to support emerging artists and cultural professionals from Ukraine in their transition from higher education into professional practice.

As part of this launch, we are inviting experienced arts and cultural professionals, educators and practitioners from European and international institutions to join the programme as mentors. The open call is now live!

What does the programme offer?

For many Master’s-level students in Ukraine, the transition into professional practice is taking place under conditions of uncertainty and limited access to international networks and opportunities. 

The UAx Master’s Mentorship Programme creates a focused, time-bound framework for individual mentorship and professional development. The programme is built around one-to-one mentorship with experienced international professionals, alongside regular peer learning sessions within a cohort that meets monthly to share insights and support one another.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for 30 professionals with experience in the cultural and creative sectors who are committed to supporting the next generation of Ukrainian cultural practitioners. Mentors may be based in cultural or arts education institutions, or work as independent professionals. 

We particularly welcome applications from professionals with experience working across national or cultural contexts who can offer insight into European and international cultural sectors, and who are curious about emerging practice and motivated to contribute to Ukraine’s cultural sector.

What are mentors expected to offer?

Each mentor is matched with one mentee for the duration of the programme. The mentorship is flexible and mentee-driven: rather than following a set curriculum, each pairing focuses on the areas most relevant to the individual’s development. 

Mentors meet their mentees online at least every three weeks over the six-month period (January–June 2027). At the outset, they support their mentee in identifying key areas of focus; by the end of the programme, each mentee works towards a concrete professional outcome (flexibly defined), such as a career development plan, a refined portfolio, or a project proposal ready for submission.

To submit your interest, please fill in the form>

Submission deadline: 29 June 2026

Contact

For any questions, please reach out to UAx Platform Coordinator Dasha Lohvynova at operations.UAx@elia-artschools.org.

We will also be hosting an information session regarding the internship programme. For updates, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter.

**Extended deadline: 10 September 2026**

ELIA members are invited to nominate a host venue for the ELIA Biennial Conference 2028.   

 
As one of the largest conferences in higher arts education today, the ELIA Biennial Conference creates an expansive platform for the celebration and exchange of artistic practices, research and new ideas. 

Drawing audiences of directors, administrative staff, lecturers, students, artists and thinkers both in person (600) and online (200+) from across the globe, this seminal meeting point of peers creates provides a brave and safe space for facilitating dialogue, discovery and intercultural exchange. 
 
HOSTING THE ELIA BIENNIAL CONFERENCE 

Together with the steering group, the host institution initiates the theme, formulates an exciting the call for contributions, co-develops the format of the programme, and much more. 

Hosting the Biennial Conference will provide a myriad of opportunities such as: 

• Showcasing your facilities to fellow higher arts institutions and universities from all over the world. 
• Providing a network for engagement between academic staff, management and students. 
• Making your institution a central point for the congregation of international peers. 
  

ELIA is committed to minimising the ecological footprint of its events, which affects the areas of travel, accommodation, venue, catering and materials produced and supplied. The host will be asked to follow the event environmental guidelines and be ready to develop and implement an environmental sustainability plan for the ELIA Biennial Conference together with the ELIA Office.  

Interested in becoming a host?  

Please read our Call for Venue Nominations ELIA Biennial Conference 2028 for more information on the budget, guidelines and selection procedure.   

Deadline for nominations: 15 July 2026   

Please email your expression of interest to host the ELIA Biennial Conference 2028 to ELIA Executive Director, Maria Hansen at maria.hansen@elia-artschools.org.  

Still have questions? Please contact ELIA Conference Manager Janja Škerget at janja.skerget@elia-artschools.org.  

For more information, visit the ELIA Biennial Conference website>

Hot off the press and now available for download:   

ARTS PLURAL

A Reader on Artistic Intelligence

ELIA Biennial Conference 2024

Featuring 20 academic papers, articles, creative essays, and workshop notes inspired by the ELIA Biennial Conference 2024, hosted by NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan. Artistic Intelligence is a hotly debated term that encompasses a kaleidoscopic spectrum of capacities for sensing, translating, being curious, imagining, and meaning-making.

Although it resists being pinned down to a single definition, this reader reveals a fundamental certainty: practices, processes, and pedagogies that demonstrate artistic intelligence in motion. Whether it’s developing pedagogy for creative risk-taking, analysing judgments as heartfelt responses, equipping students to navigate unstable worlds with care, or embracing imperfections, ELIA practitioners, educators, and artistic researchers are contributing to a vital conversation that is actively advancing arts education.

Download ARTS PLURAL

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors for their generous contributions. We also acknowledge the tireless work of the ELIA Biennial Conference 2024 steering group, whose dedication brought this highly energised group of thinkers, makers, and doers together. We hope you enjoy the work produced and encourage you to explore and continue this research further.

Download a Free Copy of ARTS PLURAL A Reader on Artistic Intelligence

eBook Title: ARTS PLURAL – A Reader on Artistic Intelligence

Published by: ELIA

Year: 2026

ISBN: 9789090420509

Design:  PUNCTUM.

For more information, please contact: Derville Quigley at derville.quigley@elia–artschools.org.

ELIA has joined more than 100 cultural organisations, networks, and institutions from across Europe in supporting an open letter by Culture Action Europe calling for a more ambitious budget for culture in the future AgoraEU programme. Addressed to the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the EU, the letter calls for at least 25% of the AgoraEU budget to be allocated to its cultural component, recognising the need for stronger and more sustainable support for Europe’s cultural and creative sectors. The signatories also call for a dedicated and visible culture strand within the programme, with clear funding lines, work programmes, and governance structures, as well as more accessible funding procedures, stronger support for international cultural cooperation, and fair remuneration and social security guarantees for artists and cultural workers.

The future of Creative Europe and the next EU long-term budget are currently being shaped at a crucial moment for the cultural sector. With increasing pressures from funding challenges, technological developments, and threats to artistic freedom, meaningful investment in culture is essential to safeguard Europe’s cultural diversity and support the people and organisations that contribute to it.

By supporting this letter, ELIA joins its partners in advocating for a funding framework that recognises the importance of culture, artistic research, and creative practices in shaping Europe’s future. A strong AgoraEU programme with a dedicated cultural component will be key to ensuring that cultural organisations, higher arts education institutions, and creative professionals can continue to collaborate, innovate, and contribute to Europe’s social, cultural, and democratic development.

The ELIA Arts & Ecology Working Group recently came together at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) in Budapest for its annual in-person meeting, reflecting on progress to date while shaping strategic priorities for the community in the years ahead.

The meeting at MOME offered an opportunity to experience first-hand how sustainability and ecological responsibility can live, grow, and thrive within a higher arts education institution. The visit demonstrated how ecological thinking can be embedded not only in curricula, but also in campus life, institutional culture, and everyday practices.

Across two days of discussion, we explored how higher arts education can strengthen its contribution to the ecological transition. A central theme was how to translate existing sustainability frameworks into meaningful action: developing approaches that support educators and institutions in embedding ecological competencies into art and design education, sharing practical methods, and learning from one another's experiences.

The conversations also reaffirmed the distinctive role of the arts in responding to today's ecological and societal challenges. Beyond technical solutions, ecological transition calls for imagination, cultural transformation, and new ways of relating to the world, areas where arts education has a unique responsibility and opportunity to lead.

Looking ahead, the focus is on strengthening the connections that already exist across the ELIA community, creating practical resources that can be adapted by institutions at different stages of their sustainability journey, and continuing to learn collectively through dialogue, experimentation, and exchange.

The conversation continues through the ideas, experiences, and initiatives of the ELIA community. Together, we can keep building a community of practice that inspires meaningful action. We invite you to contribute your own practices, projects, and experiences to the Green Initiatives Repository, helping us build a growing collection of examples that demonstrate how sustainability frameworks can be translated into meaningful action in higher arts education. We also warmly invite you to join the Arts & Ecology session at the ELIA Biennial Conference 2026, where we will continue this conversation together and explore how our collective knowledge can shape more regenerative futures for arts education.

In this month's feature, ELIA Executive Director Maria Hansen reflects on the past months of ELIA's advocacy as well as priorities to come after summer break, and emphasises the importance of collectivity and active member participation in shaping the future of arts, culture and artistic research.

As I write this from the ELIA office in Amsterdam, it is my last working day before the summer holidays begin. Although the ELIA office will remain open throughout the summer, with colleagues taking staggered leave, this always feels like a natural moment to pause, reflect on the work of the past months, and look ahead to what awaits us after the break.

In the previous newsletter, I wrote about the #NamePlaceFund campaign and the importance of ensuring that arts, culture and artistic research have a clear place within the European Union's future research and innovation programmes. Since then, together with our partners in the Artistic Research Alliance and the wider coalition behind the campaign, we have taken another step. An open letter has been sent to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, calling on Ireland to use its Presidency during the current negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework to strengthen support for culture, the cultural and creative sectors, and artistic research within the next generation of European funding programmes. 

I would particularly like to encourage our Irish members to make use of it whenever opportunities arise to engage with government representatives, policymakers or colleagues involved in the Presidency. Conversations matter, and every opportunity to underline the importance of culture and artistic research within these negotiations helps strengthen our collective message. Thank you, as always, for lending your voice to this shared effort.

Looking ahead, this is also the moment when we begin preparing for the next chapter in ELIA's governance. Nominations are now open for both the Representative Board and the Presidency, with a deadline of 20 September. This year we will be looking to appoint several new Representative Board members, both European and non-European, as well as a new President. If you have ever considered becoming more actively involved in ELIA, I encourage you to consider standing. And if you are curious but unsure what these roles involve, please get in touch. We would be very happy to talk it through with you.

For institutions with an eye on the future, I would also like to mention that we have extended the deadline for proposals to host the ELIA Biennial 2028 until 10 September. Hosting the ELIA Biennial is undoubtedly a considerable commitment, but it can also be a transformative experience for an institution. It offers the opportunity not only to welcome colleagues from around the world, but also to place your institution, your city and your artistic community at the centre of an international conversation. If your institution has been considering submitting a proposal, I hope you will take this opportunity.

Our first event after the summer will be Creative Skills Week in Brussels (7-9 September), where we will also celebrate the culmination of the EU co-funded CYANOTYPES project. I know how much work has gone into this collaboration, and I look forward to seeing many of you there.

While much of our work continues throughout the summer, the ELIA team will be taking well-earned holidays over the coming weeks. As always, our office will remain open through staggered leave, so there will always be someone available should you need us. Before the holiday season began, we celebrated our annual ELIA Fun Day with a hands-on paper-making workshop in Rotterdam, followed by lunch in the beautiful canteen of our member Willem de Kooning Academy. It was a welcome opportunity to spend time together away from our desks and to be reminded, quite literally, of the joy of making.

Many of you will also have received this year's ELIA Summer Reads, which we shared on 15 July. My thanks to everyone who contributed recommendations. I hope you will discover something that inspires, challenges or simply accompanies you during the weeks ahead.

I wish you all a restful summer, and I look forward to reconnecting with many of you when our newsletter returns in September.

We are delighted to welcome our newest member: Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design

Founded in 1992, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG Karlsruhe) was initiated and conceived by art and architecture theorist Heinrich Klotz, who was also the founding director of the newly established Center for Art and Media (ZKM). His vision was to create a place where art, design, science, and new technologies could converge in research, teaching, and practice. HfG Karlsruhe offers programmes in Design, Media Art, Photography, Exhibition Design and Scenography, Art Research, and Media Philosophy and awards Diploma, Magister, and Doctoral degrees, including a PhD programme. As a small, highly specialised institution, the university has a distinctive interdisciplinary profile spanning art, design, media, and theory and the university highlights its commitment to international exchange, mutual learning, and contributing its own expertise to the wider network.

The university also emphasises the importance of collective representation and collaboration among smaller, specialised institutions, reflecting ELIA's mission to foster dialogue, knowledge exchange, and advocacy across the higher arts education sector. To learn more about Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design visit their website.

We warmly welcome Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design and look forward to working together in the future.

Welcome to ELIA!

The ELIA Future Readiness Working Group invites you to fill in a short survey and share the methods, habits and approaches you use to engage with the future. The survey centres on three open questions, which you can answer as briefly or as extensively as you like.

We are all engaging with the future, and for most of us this means navigating uncertainty. The ELIA Future Readiness Working Group supports everyone working and studying across the ELIA community in becoming more "future ready" by exploring emerging trends, challenges and opportunities together.

We believe that becoming future ready is not about predicting what will happen. Rather, it is about developing the habits, methods and practices that enable us to stay curious, adaptive and critically engaged with change. Across the ELIA community, people are already finding different ways to reflect on, imagine and work with the many transformations shaping our sector, from artificial intelligence and climate change to changing student needs, future career paths, funding and institutional resilience, artistic research, and the evolving role of the arts in society, among others. We would like to learn from these diverse approaches.

This survey invites you to share the methods, habits and approaches you use to engage with the future. We are not looking for expert answers or established foresight methodologies, but for the practices, routines and ideas that help our community navigate uncertainty together.

Complete the survey here>

Please share your insights by 15 September 2026. Responses will be analysed in clustered and anonymised form. The findings will inform the Backstage Conversation Rooms and contribute to the ELIA Biennial Conference 2026 in Zwolle.

Thank you for helping shape our community's future readiness!

For any questions, please feel free to contact me at amalia.smyrnioti@elia-artschools.org.

Deadline: 31 July 2026

About the internship programme

The UAxEU Internship Programme is a professional mobility initiative designed to support the development of Ukraine’s cultural sector through hands-on, experience-based learning within leading European cultural institutions. It responds directly to priorities identified by Ukrainian cultural professionals: the need to strengthen institutional practice, facilitate genuine exchange between Ukrainian and EU organisations, and build lasting professional relationships across borders and cultures.

11 Ukrainian professionals per year will be placed within museums, heritage organisations, cultural centres, and arts education institutions across Europe. These host institutions represent a diverse range of professional environments deliberately aligned with the evolving needs of Ukraine’s cultural sector.

The internship prioritises depth over breadth: rather than isolated technical training, participants are embedded in the real working life of their host institution, engaging with institutional processes, collaboration cultures, and organisational practices. Crucially, the programme expects participants to bring what they learn back - through internal presentations, new projects, or ongoing collaborations - so that the benefits multiply beyond the individual.

Who is this internship for?

This programme is designed for early- to mid-career professionals working within Ukrainian cultural and creative institutions. We are looking for people who are not only seeking to grow professionally but strive to be drivers of change and ready to share new knowledge within their home organisations.

You are a good fit if you:

• Are currently living and working in Ukraine
• Are affiliated with Ukrainian higher art education academy, museums, heritage organisation, cultural center, or any other cultural institution
• Have relevant educational background and/or professional experience in the cultural and creative sectors
• Are at an early to mid-career stage (maximum 5 years of professional experience) with clear capacity for further development
• Have working proficiency in English (minimum B2)
• Are available for the full placement period (October-November 2026) and all pre- and post-internship activities
• Are motivated to apply what you learn within your institution and to contribute to broader institutional change

What internship involves

Each internship is structured in four interconnected phases to ensure the experience is purposeful and impactful beyond the placement itself.

Phase 1 - Online Preparation (October 2026)

Before your placement begins, you will engage in a structured preparatory process. This is not a formality: it is designed to ensure your internship is goal-oriented and genuinely relevant to your professional context. This phase includes:

• Clarifying your individual learning objectives
• Aligning your goals with the needs of your home institution
• An introduction to your host institution’s work, culture, and current priorities

Phase 2 - On-Site Internship (October or November 2026, 2-3 weeks)

During your placement, you will be embedded within the host institution as an active contributor. Internships will:

• Be guided by a clearly defined project or task agreed in advance with your host
• Include supervision by an experienced professional in a peer-to-peer format
• Provide exposure to a range of institutional activities beyond your core task
• Offer the opportunity to contribute tangibly - for example, through giving a lecture, presenting findings, leading a workshop session, or contributing to an ongoing project  

Where possible, the internship will result in a concrete output - a concept, proposal, pilot activity, or contribution to an existing initiative.

Phase 3 - Knowledge Transfer (November-December 2026)

A defining feature of this programme is the expectation that participants actively bring their learning home. Following the placement, you will be expected to:

• Deliver an internal presentation or workshop within your home institution
• Apply new methods or approaches to your ongoing work
• Explore follow-up collaborations with your host institution where relevant

Internships may also serve as a starting point for longer-term cooperation, such as joint projects or formal institutional agreements between Ukrainian and European organisations.

Phase 4 - Reporting (January-February 2027)

As a final step, participants are asked to:

• Respond to a programme evaluation survey
• Submit a short narrative report describing what you learned and how you have transferred that knowledge within your institution 

Thematic areas and host institutions

Host institutions span a range of thematic areas within the European cultural sector. Eligible and relevant host organisations include but are not limited to:

• Museums and heritage institutions
• Conservation and restoration organisations
• Cultural centres and creative hubs
• Cultural and arts education institutions
• Organisations working in community-based cultural practices

Here is a list of potential host institutions across the EU and the internship placements they offer. Please review the list and identify which thematic areas you have interest in and why. Identify how you would benefit from an internship and why you should be selected.

Applications are considered across all areas of the cultural sector in Ukraine.

How to apply

Applications are now open with the deadline of 31 July 2026. 

You can apply via the link> 

Your application should include the following:

1. Application form

2. CV

• A current curriculum vitae outlining your professional experience (maximum 2 pages)

3. Motivation

• We ask you to introduce yourself, your institution, and your professional passion. Your motivation should address: what excites you about your work, what you specifically hope to learn, and how you intend to apply and share that learning when you return.
• You may submit this as: short video (up to 3 minutes) or a written letter (maximum 1000 words). Both formats are equally valued. If you are submitting a video, please upload it to YouTube or Vimeo as unlisted and share with us a hyperlink in a Word file or PDF attached in the application form! 

4. Institution / thematic preference

• Please review the list of institutional hosts and identify which thematic areas you have interest in. Kindly identify why you selected a specific thematic area, how you would benefit from an internship in this area and why you should be selected? Please do not specify an institutional host name in the application.

Selection criteria

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of programme partners. Each application will be assessed by multiple reviewers.

Successful candidates will be invited to the second round, which will include a 20-minute interview with the selection committee. All interviews will be conducted in English.

Selection is based on the following criteria:

Professional Profile & Eligibility

• Affiliation with a Ukrainian art academy or cultural institution
• Relevant educational background and/or professional experience in the cultural and creative sectors
• Early to mid-career stage with demonstrated capacity for further development

Motivation & Learning Objectives

• A clear and compelling articulation of why you want to participate
• Specific, well-defined learning goals linked to your professional practice
• Understanding of how the internship fits your career trajectory
• A thoughtful indication of thematic priorities and interest

Institutional Relevance & Impact Potential

• Clear connection to a home institution that will benefit from your participation
• A realistic and credible plan for knowledge transfer and dissemination
• Demonstrated potential to contribute to institutional development or change

Leadership & Network Capacity

• Initiative and capacity to take on active roles within your organisation
• Openness to international collaboration and cross-cultural exchange
• Willingness to engage in peer exchange and critical reflection
• An open mind towards different cultural practices and working ethics

Practical information

Bursary & costs

Each participant will receive a travel bursary of €1,000 to support travel and subsistence costs. Host institutions are encouraged to provide additional in-kind support - such as accommodation, meals, or local transport - to ensure that financial barriers do not limit participation. Further guidance on cost arrangements will be provided to selected participants. Be aware that the allowance is a lump sum.

Each participant will receive a travel bursary of up to €1,000 to contribute towards travel and subsistence costs associated with the internship. The bursary is provided as a maximum lump-sum reimbursement based on eligible trip expenses.

Host institutions are encouraged to provide additional in-kind support—such as accommodation, meals, or local transport—to help reduce financial barriers to participation. While we actively encourage hosts to share costs where possible, this cannot be guaranteed.

Please note that the total cost of travel and subsistence may exceed the €1,000 bursary. Any expenses beyond this amount, if not covered by the host institution, will be the responsibility of the participant. Participants will be asked to report their travel expenses at the end of the internship period. Further instructions on the reporting and reimbursement process will be shared with selected participants.

Language

All programme activities will be conducted in English. A working proficiency of at least B2 level is required.

Availability

Participants must be available for the full internship period (2-3 weeks, in October or November 2026), as well as all pre- and post-internship activities outlined above. Please ensure you have confirmed availability before applying.

Timeline

Application deadline - July 31, 2026

Interviews - August - September 2026

Matching process - September - October 2026

Online preparation phase - October 2026

On-site internship placement - November 2026

Knowledge transfer phase - December 2026 - January 2027

Reporting deadline - January 31, 2027

About UAxEU

UAxEU — Ukrainian cultural eXchange with the European Union is Creative Europe’s cooperation project that supports the recovery and long-term strengthening of Ukraine’s cultural and creative sectors and industries. Coordinated by ELIA, in partnership with Lviv National Academy of the Arts (UA), Coalition of Culture Actors (UA), Ukrainian Museum Association (UA), State Agency of Ukraine for Arts and Art Education (UA), HKU University of the Arts Utrecht (NL) and Culture Action Europe (BE), the project fosters a connected EU-UA community of solidarity, exchange and co-creation.

Learn more about the project here.

Subscribe to the newsletter to follow the developments within the project.

Questions?

For further information about the programme, please contact UAx Platform Coordinator Dasha Lohvynova at operations.UAx@elia-artschools.org. 

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UAx Platform Manager, Uliana Furviv recounts her memorable experiences from the workshop she attended in Sarajevo.

Last week, between 27-28 June, I had the opportunity to participate in the COST Action Working Group on Local Peace workshop in Sarajevo, hosted by the Post-Conflict Research Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Over two intensive days, researchers and practitioners from different countries and contexts came together to explore how arts-based practices contribute to local peacebuilding, education, memory work, healing, and community engagement. Through presentations, embodied workshops, discussions, and visits to the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the War Childhood Museum, we reflected on the role of art in addressing challenging histories and supporting communities affected by conflict.

One message resonated throughout the workshop: arts-based approaches have a unique capacity to engage people in embodied, immersive, and relational ways. Whether used in education, storytelling, remembrance, or dialogue building, these methods often create spaces where complex and painful experiences can be explored differently, sometimes without words, reaching people in ways that conventional approaches often fail to work.

What struck me most was the diversity of contexts represented in the room. Presentations ranged from sacred mapping with Indigenous communities affected by conflict in Colombia, to storytelling initiatives with displaced Kurdish-speaking families in Türkiye, to photography-based approaches to peace education. Despite their differences, all highlighted the potential of arts-based methods to make difficult experiences visible, foster dialogue, and strengthen relationships.

I was grateful to present my work and research, Practising and Researching International Higher Arts Education Collaboration in Times of War, drawing on the work of the UAx Platform, ELIA, and my doctoral research at Utrecht University.

Engaging with colleagues working across so many global contexts marked by violence, displacement, war, and loss was at times overwhelming, especially in a country where the wounds of the 1990s war can be still so visible, marked not only with visible holes in the buildings, but also with often invisible processes related to justice, remembrance, memorialization, healing and more. Yet alongside these difficult realities, I also encountered solidarity and hope. The workshop was a powerful reminder that peace is not only negotiated through institutions and policies, but also cultivated through individual actions, relationships, shared experiences, and cultural practices. It is an active everyday practice of staying connected and hopeful.

Lastly, some important connections have been made with Peace institutes in Belgium, Norway and Germany that can inform our work on the Dialogue Series. We will be exploring a visit to the Flemish Peace Institute based in Brussels, possibly in September 2026.

Written by Uliana Furviv, UAx Platform Manager 

Воркшоп у Сараєво

Минулого тижня, 27–28 червня, я мала нагоду взяти участь у воркшопі робочої групи COST Action з питань локального миробудування (Local Peace) у Сараєво, організованому Post-Conflict Research Center у Боснії та Герцеговині.

Упродовж двох насичених днів дослідники й практики з різних країн і контекстів зібралися, щоб дослідити, як мистецькі практики сприяють локальному миробудуванню, освіті, роботі з пам'яттю, зціленню та залученню громад. Через презентації, тілесно орієнтовані воркшопи, дискусії, а також відвідини Історичного музею Боснії і Герцеговини та Музею воєнного дитинства ми поміркували над роллю мистецтва у роботі зі складними історичними спадщинами та підтримці спільнот, постраждалих від конфлікту.

Червоною ниткою через увесь воркшоп проходила одна думка: мистецькі підходи мають унікальну здатність залучати людей тілесно, занурено та реляційно. Чи йдеться про освіту, наративні практики, вшанування пам'яті, чи побудову діалогу — ці методи часто створюють простір, у якому складний і болісний досвід можна досліджувати інакше, іноді без слів, торкаючись людей там, де традиційні підходи нерідко не спрацьовують.

Найбільше мене вразило розмаїття контекстів, представлених у залі. Презентації охоплювали діапазон від сакрального картографування з корінними громадами Колумбії, постраждалими від конфлікту, до наративних ініціатив із переміщеними курдськомовними родинами в Туреччині та фотографічних підходів до миротворчої освіти. Попри всі відмінності, кожна з них підкреслювала потенціал мистецьких методів робити складний досвід видимим, сприяти діалогу та зміцнювати стосунки.

Я була вдячна за можливість представити власну роботу та дослідження “Practising and Researching International Higher Arts Education Collaboration in Times of War”, спираючись на досвід платформи UAx, ELIA та моє докторське дослідження в Утрехтському університеті.

Спілкування з колегами, які працюють у настільки різних глобальних контекстах, позначених насильством, переміщенням, війною та втратою, подекуди викликало відчуття перевантаженості — особливо в країні, де рани війни 1990-х досі настільки відчутні, і не лише у вигляді видимих слідів на будівлях, а й через часто невидимі процеси, пов'язані з правосуддям, пам'яттю, меморіалізацією, зціленням та іншим. Та поряд із цими непростими реаліями я також зустріла солідарність і надію. Воркшоп став потужним нагадуванням про те, що мир формується не лише через інституції та політики, а й вирощується через індивідуальні дії, стосунки, спільний досвід та культурні практики. Це активна щоденна практика — залишатися пов'язаними й зберігати надію.

Насамкінець, було встановлено важливі контакти з інститутами миру в Бельгії, Норвегії та Німеччині, які можуть стати в нагоді для нашої роботи над серією діалогів (Dialogue Series). Ми розглядаємо можливість візиту до Фламандського інституту миру в Брюсселі, можливо, у вересні 2026 року.

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UAx Ukraine Platform Manager Uliana Furviv reflects on international collaboration in higher arts education during wartime. She shares thoughts on short and long-term sector support, and highlights the need for sustained partnership to support Ukraine’s cultural recovery.

The past months have once again shown both the urgency and the importance of international collaboration in higher arts education. As Russian military attacks continue to damage Ukraine's cultural heritage, educational institutions, museums, and historic sites, the need to support the people and institutions safeguarding Ukraine's cultural future has never been greater. At the same time, our community continues to demonstrate the importance of responding to immediate challenges, but also investing in long-term recovery through education, research, professional development, and international partnerships.

As we move through the second quarter of 2026, the UAx community continues to demonstrate that international collaboration in higher arts education extends far beyond emergency support. While the realities of war continue to shape the daily work of Ukrainian institutions, our network is increasingly focused on strengthening long-term partnerships, developing institutional capacity, contributing to policy discussions, and creating new opportunities for students, educators and cultural professionals.

This edition highlights recent developments from across the UAx network. We share updates from the UAxEU consortium, including its meeting in Lviv and the launch of work on new professional standards in conservation and restoration. We also feature ELIA's advocacy for the legislative recognition of artistic research in Ukraine, the participation of UAx community members in international events.

Together, these stories reflect the breadth of the UAx community's work, from capacity building and policy advocacy to international exchange and institutional development, all contributing to the protection, recovery, and long-term development of Ukraine's arts and cultural sector.

Між кризою та безперервністю

Менеджерка UAx Уляна Фурвів ділиться роздумами про міжнародну співпрацю у сфері вищої мистецької освіти в умовах війни. Вона розмірковує про короткострокову та довгострокову підтримку сектору й наголошує на потребі сталого партнерства для сприяння культурному відновленню України.

Останні місяці ще раз показали, наскільки актуальною і важливою залишається міжнародна співпраця у сфері вищої мистецької освіти. Через те, що атаки Росії продовжують завдавати шкоди культурній спадщині, освітнім закладам, музеям та історичним пам'яткам України, потреба підтримувати людей та інституції, які захищають культурне майбутнє країни, є нагальною як ніколи. Водночас наша спільнота й надалі демонструє важливість реагування на нагальні виклики, не забуваючи при цьому інвестувати в довгострокове відновлення через освіту, дослідження, професійний розвиток та міжнародну партнерську співпрацю.

У другому кварталі 2026 року спільнота UAx продовжує доводити, що міжнародна співпраця у вищій мистецькій освіті виходить далеко за межі екстреної підтримки. Хоча реалії війни й надалі визначають щоденну роботу українських інституцій, наша мережа дедалі більше зосереджується на зміцненні довгострокових партнерств, розвитку інституційної спроможності, участі в дискусіях навколо політики та створенні нових можливостей для студентів, викладачів та фахівців культурної сфери.

У цій розсилці ми розповідаємо про останні події в мережі UAx. Ми ділимося новинами консорціуму UAxEU, зокрема про зустріч у Львові та початок роботи над новими професійними стандартами в галузі реставрації. Також ми висвітлюємо адвокаційну діяльність ELIA щодо законодавчого визнання мистецьких досліджень в Україні та участь представників спільноти UAx у міжнародних подіях.

Разом ці матеріали відображають широту роботи спільноти UAx — від розбудови спроможності й адвокації політик до міжнародного обміну та інституційного розвитку, що загалом сприяє захисту, відновленню та довгостроковому розвитку мистецької та культурної сфери України.  

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On 14 April 2026, ELIA issued an official letter to Ukrainian public authorities expressing its support for artistic research. The document, initiated by Ukrainian partners and further developed by ELIA in line with its institutional position, was signed by the organisation’s President, Susanne Stürmer. The letter was addressed to the relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.

In the letter, artistic research is recognised as a legitimate form of research in and through the arts, constituting an integral part of the contemporary European Higher Education and Research Area. ELIA’s position is grounded in the Florence Principles on the Doctorate in the Arts, the Vienna Declaration on Artistic Research, and the work of the Artistic Research Alliance (ARA). The organisation calls on Ukrainian authorities to establish artistic research within the legislative framework and to ensure its proper recognition in doctoral education, research assessment, quality assurance processes, and academic career pathways.

The letter was submitted during the ongoing consideration of legislative amendments and was presented at a meeting of the working group of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. By contributing a European perspective to the national discussion, ELIA’s position strengthened the case for the formal legal recognition of artistic research and underscored its importance for the development of Ukraine’s higher arts education and research system.

As ELIA is expecting results from this letter, legislative recognition of artistic research remains an important topic to raise in Ukraine.

You can find the official letter to the Ukrainian public authorities here>

ELIA підтримує законодавче визнання мистецьких досліджень в Україні

14 квітня 2026 року ELIA надіслала офіційного листа до українських державних органів на підтримку мистецьких досліджень. Документ, ініційований українськими партнерами та доопрацьований ELIA відповідно до інституційної позиції організації, підписала президентка ELIA Сюзанне Штюрмер. Лист було адресовано профільним комітетам Верховної Ради України, Міністерству освіти і науки України та Міністерству культури та стратегічних комунікацій України.

У листі мистецькі дослідження визнаються повноцінною формою досліджень у мистецтві та через мистецтво, що є невід’ємною складовою сучасного європейського простору вищої освіти й науки. Позиція ELIA спирається на Флорентійські принципи докторату в галузі мистецтв, Віденську декларацію про мистецькі дослідження та напрацювання Artistic Research Alliance. Організація закликає українську владу закріпити статус мистецьких досліджень на законодавчому рівні та забезпечити їх належне визнання у докторській освіті, оцінюванні наукових результатів, процедурах забезпечення якості та академічній кар’єрі.

Лист було подано під час триваючого розгляду законодавчих змін і представлено на засіданні робочої групи Верховної Ради України. Долучивши європейську перспективу до національної дискусії, позиція ELIA посилила аргументацію на користь офіційного юридичного визнання мистецьких досліджень і підкреслила її значення для розвитку системи вищої мистецької освіти й науки в Україні.

Оскільки ELIA очікує на результати цього листа, законодавче визнання мистецьких досліджень залишається важливою темою, яку варто й надалі порушувати в Україні.

Офіційний лист до українських державних органів можна знайти тут>

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At this year’s ELIA PIE Internationalisation Community Meeting, hosted by Vilnius Academy of Arts from 3 to 5 June 2026, three Ukrainian educators brought their perspectives to the discussion on how internationalisation shapes higher arts education, both through formal structures and the hidden curriculum of everyday practice. Some also had the chance to present their practices through workshops and posters’ presentations.

Yuliia Korneiko, from Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, led a workshop titled Ethical Dilemmas of Internationalisation: Mobility, Access, and Fairness in Art Education. Drawing on first-hand experience from a Ukrainian art and design academy, she invited participants to examine how mobility opportunities, assessment practices, and institutional constraints quietly shape questions of fairness, responsibility, and access for students. Through case-based discussion, the workshop encouraged reflection on the ethical tensions that internationalisation creates in practice across very different higher education contexts.

Viktoriia Vorobkanych, from Kyiv Municipal Academy of Performing and Circus Arts, presented on singing as a tool of intercultural communication, exploring how Ukrainian music interacts with the global musical landscape within international educational projects. Kateryna Nagirniak, from Mykhailo Boychuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design, shared a video essay exploring portraiture as both a conceptual and pedagogical tool. Combining animated collage fragments, close-ups of student work, and interviews, the film offered a moving look at how students navigate identity and resilience while studying in wartime Ukraine, showing how collage can serve simultaneously as an artistic method and a way of surfacing the hidden curricula that shape creativity and intercultural understanding.

Together, these three contributions gave a grounded and human perspective on what internationalisation means for Ukrainian art and design students today, demonstrating the creativity, and critical reflection that continue to define Ukrainian higher arts education even under the most difficult circumstances.

Українські голоси на PIE 2026: роздуми про етику, ідентичність та стійкість в інтернаціоналізації

На цьогорічній зустрічі спільноти ELIA PIE з питань інтернаціоналізації, яка відбулася за участі Вільнюської академії мистецтв з 3 по 5 червня 2026 року, троє українських освітян поділилися своїми перспективами в дискусії про те, як інтернаціоналізація формує вищу мистецьку освіту — як через формальні структури, так і через прихований навчальний план повсякденної практики. Дехто з них також мав можливість представити свою практику через воркшопи та постерні презентації.

Юлія Корнейко з Харківської державної академії дизайну і мистецтв провела воркшоп під назвою “Ethical Dilemmas of Internationalisation: Mobility, Access, and Fairness in Art Education.” Спираючись на власний досвід роботи в українській академії мистецтва й дизайну, вона запросила учасників розглянути, як можливості мобільності, практики оцінювання та інституційні обмеження непомітно формують питання справедливості, відповідальності та доступу для студентів. Через обговорення конкретних кейсів воркшоп спонукав до роздумів про етичні напруження, які інтернаціоналізація створює на практиці в дуже різних контекстах вищої освіти.

Вікторія Воробканич з Київської муніципальної академії естрадного та циркового мистецтв розповіла про спів як інструмент міжкультурної комунікації, дослідивши, як українська музика взаємодіє зі світовим музичним простором у міжнародних освітніх проєктах. Катерина Нагірняк з Київської державної академії декоративно-прикладного мистецтва і дизайну імені Михайла Бойчука представила відеоесе, що досліджує портретування і як концептуальний, і як педагогічний інструмент. Поєднуючи фрагменти анімованого колажу, кадри крупним планом студентських робіт та інтерв'ю, фільм запропонував зворушливий погляд на те, як студенти переживають питання ідентичності та зберігають стійкість, навчаючись у воєнній Україні, показуючи, як колаж може одночасно бути і мистецьким методом, і способом виявити приховані навчальні плани, що формують творчість та міжкультурне розуміння.

Разом ці три виступи дали приземлену, людяну перспективу на те, що інтернаціоналізація означає сьогодні для українських студентів мистецьких і дизайнерських спеціальностей, продемонструвавши творчість і критичне осмислення, які й надалі визначають обличчя української вищої мистецької освіти навіть у найскладніших обставинах.

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Julia Kolomak, Executive Director, Coalition of Culture Actors describes the challenges and extremities that Ukrainian cultural organisations and institutions are facing.

During the war, we often hear that cultural matters can wait. Yet Russian military aggression proves the opposite. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are attacking not only military and civilian targets but the very capacity of Ukrainians to remain Ukrainian — systematically destroying museums, libraries, historic city centres, archives, monuments and places of remembrance. In the occupied territories, we see not only destruction but the imposition of new historical narratives and a deliberate attempt to erase Ukrainian identity.

On the night of 15 June 2026, Russian military launched one of the largest attacks on Ukraine's cultural heritage in recent memory. Cultural heritage sites, monuments of national significance, museums, cultural institutions and arts education establishments in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro all sustained damage. The Assumption Cathedral — whose history dates to the eleventh century and which forms part of the architectural ensemble of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site — suffered significant destruction. Museums, libraries, educational institutions and archives within the Lavra's grounds were also damaged.

The attack in June of the same year was no less devastating. Following another round of Russian military shelling of Kyiv, major cultural institutions sustained damage, including the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NAMU), the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the National Music Academy of Ukraine, the Ukrainian House National Centre, the Yaroslav the Wise National Library of Ukraine, and the Kyiv Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre for Children and Youth. The National Chernobyl Museum 'Chornobyl' sustained significant damage. Numerous architectural monuments were also affected, among them the Kontraktova House and the Post Office.

Photos by Stanislav Svyryd Suspilne

The destruction of monuments, museums and arts centres represents a loss of historical memory that cannot be fully restored. According to the Ministry of Culture, by early June, Russian military forces had damaged 1,913 cultural heritage sites and 2,573 cultural infrastructure facilities. UNESCO's preliminary estimates suggest it will take a decade and nearly nine billion dollars to restore the cultural sites destroyed since the full-scale invasion began.

Restoration will require far more than time and money — it will require thousands of specialists: experts in the conservation of damaged buildings and monuments, architectural heritage restoration, artwork restoration, the reimagining of museum exhibitions, and the creation of inclusive spaces for displaced communities. Internationally co-operated capacity-building projects are therefore critical to preserving national historical memory. One such project is UAxEU, supported by the Creative Europe programme, which aims to strengthen professionals working in cultural heritage preservation through training, skills development and peer exchange with international institutions.

On 22 June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media adopted a declaration entitled 'The Russian Federation's Attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra'. The declaration calls for stringent sanctions for the unlawful military destruction of cultural sites and for strengthened international legal mechanisms to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict. The Committee also calls on Council of Europe member states to support Ukraine in documenting the damage sustained, and in protecting cultural heritage through a comprehensive strategy encompassing transitional justice and post-war reconstruction.

UNESCO has stated that it "condemns attacks against cultural property, educational institutions, students, education personnel and media professionals protected under international law. Damage to such institutions deprives communities of access to culture, education, and shared spaces that are essential for recovery and social cohesion."

Condemnation, however, is not enough. What can cultural practitioners across Europe continue to do to support Ukraine and help preserve and restore its cultural heritage? The following are some options — among them, you are sure to find those most relevant to you and your organisation:

• Encourage European museums and academies to critically re-examine the category of 'Russian art' and restore Ukrainian identity to those Ukrainian artists whom Russia has appropriated — among them Malevich, Repin and Aivazovsky;
• Use major cultural events — festivals, book and art fairs, biennales — to draw attention to linguicide, ecocide and the ongoing destruction of Ukrainian culture; Urge your governments, through open letters and public manifestos, to provide Ukraine with resources to aid the protection of UNESCO sites and world heritage;
• Become institutional patrons of destroyed or damaged sites, supporting their reconstruction in partnership with Ukrainian counterparts;
• Provide equipment: dehumidifiers, specialised packing materials for the evacuation of museum collections, fireproof storage units, generators and digital equipment are always needed;
• Establish grants and scholarships, and encourage foundations to fund Ukrainian researchers, conservators and artists who remain in Ukraine — enabling them to continue their work at home and preventing the loss of irreplaceable expertise;
• Organise programmes for expertise exchange and professional training: workshops and placements in restoration, security management for museums and related areas. Ukrainian specialists, too, have much to offer their European counterparts — particularly in operational work under crisis conditions;
• To conduct research, both independently and in partnership with Ukrainian colleagues, on Ukraine’s cultural heritage as an integral yet under-researched component of Europe’s cultural heritage.
• We also call on national governments, international organisations and partners to support the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund, which is working to restore cultural sites destroyed by the Russian military, and to join international initiatives for the protection and restoration of cultural heritage. Protecting cultural heritage is not about the past. It is about the future.
  

Julia Kolomak

Executive Director, Coalition of Culture Actors

UA&EU Project Partner

coalitionforculture.org.ua

Юлія Коломак, виконавча директорка «Коаліція Дієвців Культури», розповідає про виклики та екстремальні ситуації, з якими стикаються українські культурні організації та установи.

Під час війни ми часто чуємо, що питання культури можна відкласти на потім. Але російська збройна агресія демонструє протилежне. Збройні сили Росії атакують не лише військові чи цивільні об’єкти, а й саму можливість українців залишатися українцями. Вона системно нищить музеї, бібліотеки, історичні центри міст, архіви, пам’ятки, місця пам’яті. На окупованих територіях ми бачимо не лише руйнування, а й нав’язування нових історичних наративів та спробу витіснити українську ідентичність.

У ніч на 15 червня 2026 року російська армія здійснила одну з наймасштабніших атак на культурну спадщину України за останній час, внаслідок якої постраждали об’єкти культурної спадщини, пам’ятки національного значення, музеї, культурні інституції та заклади мистецької освіти у Києві, Харкові та Дніпрі. Значних руйнувань зазнав Успенський собор, історія якого починається з ХІ століття. Він є частиною архітектурного ансамблю Києво-Печерської лаври - об’єкту Всесвітньої спадщини ЮНЕСКО. Окрім собору пошкоджено розташовані на території Лаври музейні, бібліотечні, освітні та фондові установи.

Не менш руйнівною для культурної спадщини України була й атака в травні цього ж року.  Унаслідок чергового російського обстрілу Києва пошкоджень зазнали провідні культурні інституції столиці, серед яких — Національний художній музей України (NAMU), Національна філармонія України, Національна музична академія України, Національний центр «Український Дім», Національна бібліотека України ім. Ярослава Мудрого, Київський академічний театр опери і балету для дітей та юнацтва. Значних пошкоджень зазнав Національний музей «Чорнобиль». Постраждали численні пам’ятки архітектури, зокрема Контрактовий дім, Поштова станція.

Руйнування пам’яток, музеїв і мистецьких центрів означає втрату історичної пам’яті, яку неможливо повністю відновити. В цілому, за даними Міністерства культури на початок червня збройні сили Росії пошкодили 1913 пам’яток культурної спадщини та 2573 об’єкти культурної інфраструктури, а за попередніми розрахунками UNESCO, знадобиться 10 років і майже 9 мільярдів доларів, щоб відновити культурні об’єкти, знищені внаслідок повномасштабного вторгнення Росії в Україну. 

Для відновлення потрібні будуть не лише час і кошти, але й тисячі фахівців в сфері культури. Фахівців, які знають, як консервувати зруйновані будівлі чи пам’ятки, як відновити пам’ятку архітектури, реставрувати твір мистецтва, переосмислити музейну експозицію, створити інклюзивний простір для релокованої громади села чи міста. Через це проєкти міжнародної співпраці з розбудови спроможностей ключових фахівців та посилення peer-to-peer взаємодії між інституціями є критично важливими для збереження національної історичної пам’яті. Одним з таких проєктів є проєкт UAxEU, підтриманий Креативною Європою та спрямований на посилення фахівців сфери збереження культурної спадщини, їх навчання, розвиток навичок та обмін досвідом з міжнародними інституціями.

22 червня Комітет ПАРЄ з питань культури, науки, освіти та медіа ухвалив декларацію «Атака Російської Федерації на Києво-Печерську лавру». Декларація закликає до запровадження жорстких санкцій за свавільне військове знищення культурних об’єктів та до посилення міжнародно-правових механізмів захисту культурних цінностей під час збройних конфліктів. Також Комітет закликає держави-члени Ради Європи підтримати Україну в документуванні завданих збитків, а також у захисті культурної спадщини на основі комплексної стратегії, яка має включати перехідне правосуддя та повоєнне відновлення.

UNESCO “condemns attacks against cultural property, educational institutions, students, education personnel and media professionals protected under international law. Damage to such institutions deprives communities of access to culture, education, and shared spaces that are essential for recovery and social cohesion.”

Втім, Україні недостатньо слів занепокоєнь чи простих засуджень агресора. Як дієвці культури в Європі і надалі можуть долучатись до підтримки України, збереження та відновлення культурної спадщини? Ось декілька варіантів, серед яких точно можна знайти ті, які будуть найбільш релевантними для вас та вашої організації:

• Спонукати європейські музеї та академії переосмислювати «російське мистецтво» повертати українську ідентичність українським художникам,  яких російський уряд привласнила (на кшталт Малевича, Рєпіна, Айвазовського тощо);

• Використовувати великі події (культурні фестивалі, книжкові та мистецькі ярмарки, бієнале тощо) для заяв про лінгвоцид, екоцид та нищення української культури;

• Ставати “патронами” зруйнованих чи пошкоджених об’єктів для спільної відбудови;

• Допомагати з обладнанням - завжди в нагоді будуть осушувачі повітря, спеціальні пакувальні матеріали для евакуації музейних фондів, вогнетривкі шафи, генератори для музеїв та цифрове обладнання тощо;

• Створювати гранти та стипендії та спонукати фонди фінансувати українських дослідників, реставраторів та митців, які залишаються в Україні, щоб вони могли продовжувати роботу вдома, уникаючи «відтоку мізків»;

• Організовувати програми обміну досвідом та навчання - воркшопи та стажування з реставрації, безпекового менеджменту для музеїв тощо. Українським фахівцям є чим ділитись з європейськими колегами також, зокрема й оперативній роботі в умовах кризи та надзвичайних ситуацій;

• Спонукати свої уряди уряди, використовуючи відкриті листи та публічні маніфести, надати Україні більше ресурсів для захисту об’єктів ЮНЕСКО та світової спадщини;

• Досліджувати самостійно і в партнерствах з українськими колегами культурну спадщину України як невід’ємну, але мало досліджену, складову культурної спадщини Європи.  

А уряди держав, міжнародні організації і партнерів закликаємо долучатися до підтримки Українського фонду культурної спадщини (Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund), який працює над відновленням зруйнованих збройними силами Росії об’єктів культури, та спільних міжнародних ініціатив із захисту й відновлення культурних цінностей. Тому що захист культурної спадщини — це не про минуле. Це – про майбутнє.

Юлія Коломак,

Виконавча директорка

Коаліція Дієвців Культури (паретнер UA&EU проєкту)

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UAxEU: Consortium Meeting in Lviv

On 7 April, partners of the UAxEU project gathered at the Lviv National Academy of Arts for a consortium meeting. The event brought together representatives of the Lviv National Academy of Arts (LNAA), ELIA, the Coalition of Culture Actors, the Association of Ukrainian Museums, and the State Agency of Ukraine on Arts and Arts Education.

One of the key topics of the meeting was a detailed review of the RESPOL analytical research dedicated to the current state of Ukraine’s cultural sector. Participants discussed the main challenges facing cultural and artistic institutions today and explored possible ways to address them through educational, professional, and institutional development.

The consortium also reviewed the plans for the project’s upcoming training programmes. Discussions focused on the structure and schedule of the trainings, their target audiences, and the expected outcomes aimed at strengthening professional capacities within the cultural sector.

Another important area of discussion was the development of new professional standards in the fields of conservation-restoration and museum work. During the meeting, particular attention was paid to standards in the field of restoration, as this is the area where the consortium will begin its work. The participants analysed the current state of the profession in Ukraine, explored approaches to developing professional standards and qualification frameworks applied in European countries, and discussed further steps towards adapting the best international practices to the Ukrainian context.

The meeting also highlighted the Lviv National Academy of Arts’ experience in the field of art therapy, particularly through its “Academy for Veterans” initiative. Building on this experience, partners explored the possibility of developing a training programme for students and, in the longer term, preparing methodological guidelines that could be shared with educational and cultural institutions in Ukraine and across Europe.

Beyond the working sessions, the meeting provided an opportunity for partners to learn more about the educational, artistic, and research activities of the Lviv National Academy of Arts and to reflect on the role of arts education in fostering international cooperation and strengthening the resilience of Ukrainian institutions in times of ongoing challenges.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to further advancing the project and expanding opportunities for students, researchers, educators, and cultural professionals across the UAxEU network.

UAxEU: зустріч консорціуму у Львові

7 квітня у Львівській національній академії мистецтв відбулася зустріч партнерів проєкту UAxEU. Участь у ній взяли представники ЛНАМ, ELIA, Коаліції дієвців культури, Асоціації українських музеїв та Державного агентства України з питань мистецтв та мистецької освіти.

Однією з головних тем зустрічі став детальний розгляд аналітичних матеріалів дослідження RESPOL, присвяченого стану культурного сектору України. Учасники обговорили ключові виклики, з якими сьогодні стикаються культурні та мистецькі інституції, а також можливі шляхи їх подолання через освітні, професійні та інституційні зміни.

Окрему увагу було приділено підготовці майбутніх тренінгових програм. Партнери розглянули структуру навчання, графік проведення тренінгів, цільові аудиторії та очікувані результати програм, які мають сприяти професійному розвитку фахівців культурної сфери.

Важливим напрямом роботи проєкту є розробка нових професійних стандартів у сферах реставрації та музейної справи. Під час зустрічі особливу увагу приділили саме стандартам у галузі реставрації, адже з цього напряму консорціум розпочне свою роботу. Учасники проаналізували сучасний стан професії в Україні, ознайомилися з підходами до формування професійних стандартів і кваліфікаційних рамок, що застосовуються в європейських країнах, а також обговорили подальші кроки щодо адаптації кращих міжнародних практик до українського контексту.

Ще однією темою стала робота Львівської національної академії мистецтв у сфері арттерапії, зокрема досвід проєкту «Академія для ветеранів». На основі напрацювань Академії партнери обговорили можливості створення навчальної програми для студентів, а в перспективі — розробку методичних рекомендацій, якими зможуть користуватися освітні та культурні інституції в Україні та інших європейських країнах.

Окрім робочих сесій, зустріч стала нагодою для партнерів ближче ознайомитися з освітньою, мистецькою та дослідницькою діяльністю Львівської національної академії мистецтв, а також обговорити роль мистецької освіти у розвитку міжнародної співпраці та підтримці стійкості українських інституцій в умовах сучасних викликів.

За результатами зустрічі учасники підтвердили спільну зацікавленість у подальшому розвитку проєкту та розширенні можливостей для студентів, дослідників, викладачів і працівників культурної сфери в межах мережі UAxEU.

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The preservation and restoration of cultural heritage is one of the key challenges facing Ukraine today and will remain a critical priority throughout the country’s post-war recovery. The damage and destruction inflicted on architectural monuments, museum collections, and works of art have significantly increased the demand for qualified professionals capable of working with cultural heritage assets.

In response to this need, the partners of the UAxEU consortium have launched the development of new professional standards in the field of conservation and restoration. This initiative aims to modernise the training system for conservation and restoration specialists and align professional qualification requirements with the current needs of the sector.

“Professional standards are not merely a formal update of regulatory documents. They provide a clear definition of the knowledge, skills, and competencies required of specialists entrusted with safeguarding cultural heritage. These standards serve as a foundation for updating educational programmes, establishing practical training requirements, and assessing whether graduates and professionals are prepared to responsibly carry out activities related to the preservation, research, and restoration of cultural heritage,” said Taras Lesiv, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the Lviv National Academy of Arts.

The first step of the initiative was an analytical study of the conservation and restoration sector in Ukraine, examining its current state, key challenges, and development prospects. The findings confirmed the need for new professional standards and provided the basis for submitting a proposal to the National Qualifications Agency to initiate their development.

The project is now entering its next phase—the formation of an expert working group. An open call has already been announced for professionals in the fields of conservation and restoration, cultural heritage, education, and professional qualifications who will contribute to the development of the new standards.

“Establishing a strong expert working group will enable us to bring together the practical experience of conservation professionals, the needs of cultural institutions, and the capacities of the education system. Such collaboration is essential to ensure that the new professional standards become an effective tool for the sector’s development rather than remaining purely formal documents,” said Viktoriia Kozina, representative of the State Agency of Ukraine on Arts and Arts Education.

UAxEU розпочав роботу над новими професійними стандартами у сфері реставрації

Збереження та відновлення культурної спадщини є одним із ключових викликів для України сьогодні й залишатиметься надзвичайно важливим завданням у період повоєнної відбудови. Пошкодження і руйнування пам’яток архітектури, музейних предметів та творів мистецтва посилюють потребу у фахівцях, здатних кваліфіковано працювати зі спадщиною.

Саме тому учасники консорціуму проєкту UAxEU розпочали роботу над розробленням нових професійних стандартів у сфері реставрації. Ця діяльність має сприяти модернізації системи підготовки реставраторів та узгодженню вимог до їхніх професійних кваліфікацій із сучасними потребами галузі.

«Професійні стандарти — це не формальне оновлення документів, а чітке визначення того, що має знати й уміти фахівець, відповідальний за культурну спадщину. На їхній основі можна оновлювати освітні програми, формувати вимоги до практичної підготовки та оцінювати, чи готовий випускник або працівник відповідально виконувати роботи, пов’язані зі збереженням, дослідженням і реставрацією культурної спадщини», — зазначив Тарас Лесів, проректор із науково-педагогічної роботи Львівської національної академії мистецтв.

Першим кроком стало аналітичне дослідження стану реставраційної сфери в Україні, її ключових викликів і перспектив розвитку. Результати дослідження обґрунтували потребу в нових професійних стандартах і стали підставою для звернення до Національного агентства кваліфікацій щодо ініціювання їх розроблення.

Наразі проєкт переходить до наступного етапу — формування експертної робочої групи. Для цього вже оголошено відкритий конкурс для фахівців у сферах реставрації, культурної спадщини, освіти та професійних кваліфікацій, які долучаться до розроблення нових стандартів.

«Формування сильної експертної групи дасть змогу об’єднати практичний досвід реставраторів, потреби культурних інституцій і можливості системи освіти. Саме така співпраця необхідна для того, щоб нові професійні стандарти стали дієвим інструментом розвитку галузі, а не залишилися формальними документами», — зазначила Вікторія Козіна, представниця Державного агентства України з питань мистецтв та мистецької освіти.

We are delighted to welcome our newest member: Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts

Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts is ranked as the leader among the top 10 best cultural and artistic higher education institutions in Ukraine. Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts is boldly paving its way into the future. The university life is full of exciting events, outstanding figures, the significance of whose achievements inspires the present and future generations towards high achievements. The university has a powerful creative and scientific potential. After overcoming many reorganisational changes, KNUKiM is now the leading higher educational institution in Ukraine for training personnel for the cultural and artistic sphere, public administration and business structures.

Today, KNUKiM is the university of the future, the leader of education in Ukraine. About 10 thousand students study at the university, 60 doctors and 252 candidates of sciences, 77 professors, 193 associate professors, 24 People's Artists of Ukraine, 46 Honored Cultural Workers of Ukraine, more than 50 laureates of international and national competitions and festivals, holders of grants of international foundations and scientific and educational organizations. KNUKiM has ten faculties, all situated in Kyiv, including Film and Television, Musical Art, Choreographic Art, and Theatre, Cinema and Variety.

To learn more about KNUKiM in Ukrainian please visit their website.

We warmly welcome KNUKiM and look forward to working together in the future.

Welcome to ELIA!

In this month's feature, ELIA Executive Director Maria Hansen reflects on the evolving European policy landscape for culture, education and artistic research, and emphasises the importance of collective advocacy to secure dedicated recognition and funding for culture and artistic research.

As I write this, I am in Galway (Ireland) attending the General Assembly of the Artistic Research Alliance, taking place on the eve of the Society for Artistic Research Forum. It feels like an appropriate place from which to reflect on some of the conversations currently occupying ELIA and many of our members.

The timing is particularly significant. In just a few days, Ireland will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. At the same time, discussions around the next Multiannual Financial Framework are becoming increasingly concrete. These are not abstract policy discussions. The decisions being made now will shape the conditions for research, education and cultural collaboration across Europe for years to come.

This is why I would like to encourage all ELIA members to support the #NamePlaceFund campaign. Together with partners across the cultural, educational and research sectors, we are advocating for a clear and visible place for culture and artistic research within future European funding programmes. The campaign responds to a concern that many of you will recognise: that without dedicated recognition and investment, culture and artistic research risk being diminished within funding structures that increasingly prioritise competitiveness and innovation. As always, the collective voice of our community matters, and I hope you will join us in supporting this important work.

Before arriving in Galway, I had the pleasure of spending several days in Vilnius at the PIE Community Meeting, generously hosted by our wonderful colleagues at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. As always, PIE offered a space for thoughtful, honest and highly reflective exchange. What I particularly value about this community is its willingness to engage with complexity, to ask difficult questions and to share experiences openly. In a sector that is often under pressure to move quickly from one challenge to the next, it was refreshing to spend time in conversations that allowed room for uncertainty, curiosity and genuine reflection. My sincere thanks to our hosts and to everyone who contributed to making the meeting such a meaningful gathering.

There is much more to discover in this newsletter. Registrations for the ELIA Biennial continue to come in at a steady pace, and if you have not yet secured your place, I would encourage you to do so soon. We are also pleased to have opened registrations for Creative Skills Week 2026, which will bring together colleagues from education, culture, policy and the wider creative sectors to explore the role of creative skills in Europe today. I very much hope to welcome many of you to both events in the year ahead.

As always, thank you for your engagement, your support and your willingness to contribute to the conversations that help shape our community.

What if sustainability isn’t enough? What if we could go further? Previous ELIA Green Team Intern, Anna Lina Litz reflects on the potential for cultural networks like ELIA to adopt regenerative practices that go beyond traditional sustainability logics to support ecological flourishing.

Firstly, what does a regenerative practice imply? Where sustainability aims for net zero carbon emissions, a regenerative approach works towards net positive. While sustainability measures are often designed to reduce harm, regenerative practices restore ecosystems. When thinking within a sustainability framework, we often still separate ourselves, our work and organisations from the ecosystems they are embedded in, whereas regenerative thinking understands that no such separation exists. While sustainability may position us as a harmful species destroying the planet, a regenerative approach is convinced that we have every capacity to act as a useful species - contributing to our ecosystems’ capacity to support all forms of human and nonhuman life - if we wanted to.

ELIA already implements its regenerative approach in a variety of ways. During the months of my internships, I attended multiple sessions and online events of the Arts & Ecology Community Hub, learned about student dye gardens and circular theatre productions, the Green Initiatives Repository, and even joined a gardening session at A Lab. Not to mention the incredibly necessary work of tracking carbon emissions, minimising material use and encouraging public transport during events, and communicating these efforts clearly and constantly! Still, I wanted to dig deeper into the possibilities for regenerative practice. To better grasp the scope of what regenerative approach entails, I looked into articles and conducted interviews with three experts.

From the articles, it became clear that there is a very important internal dimension to regenerative sustainability. In a paper titled The Regenerative Lens (Buckton et al., 2023), the authors place an ‘Ecological Worldview’ at the centre of their framework, as the pupil of the lens they propose: “People deeply embody an understanding that they are part of the web of life and existence, not separate from it.” My understanding was that in order to adopt this worldview, your worldview needs to be knocked off-centre by something. For me personally, this shift happened with the help of ecological art, which has a unique capacity to plant the seeds for ecological thinking in those who encounter and engage with it.

I also spoke to Wietske Nutma from Zoöp, Simon de Leeuw, who coordinates the Zoöp Connections program at EUNIC, and Claudia Fernandez de Cordoba Farini, founder of Living Imaginaries and PhD researcher on regenerative governance. In their own work and their own ways, they ask the bold and generous question What If? What if we gave non-human stakeholders a say in organisational decision-making? What if we actually allowed time for slow travel, and better yet, what if guests made meaningful stops on the way? What if cultural networks take on an active role in designing the offices they occupy as more social, inspiring and inviting spaces for both human and other-than-human mingling? What if we thought about our Action Plan from the vantage point of the future we desire, rather than (or alongside) the crises we inhabit? They reassured me that even if a network organisation is not as rooted in a specific place as a museum or a farm, there is always room still for regenerative action. Much of that action is already underway at ELIA: researching regenerative digital practices, prioritising reuse and repair, making conscious procurement choices, having vegetarian team lunches, and the list goes on. I am adamant that other aspects may still grow when attended to with imagination.

During my last week at the ELIA office, I invited the team to join me outside at the neighbouring Tolhuistuin garden for the lunch and the final portion of my research, a co-creative world building exercise. In groups, we discussed future scenarios of 1. a day in the office, 2. an ELIA event and 3. a project in which ELIA is a partner, all through a regenerative lens. Who are the characters in these scenarios, human and nonhuman? What new habits are acted out, which objects play a central role? I’ll leave you here with a short description of the outcomes.

A Day in the Office

In this group, we experimented with a new monthly habit of sharing a vegetarian lunch with everyone working at A Lab: The lunch volunteers use the morning to harvest herbs and vegetables from the surrounding food forest and prepare the vegan meal, updating each other on the week’s work and sparking ideas for collaborations as they cut parsley and tomatoes. During the lunch hour, everybody gets together and enjoys the food and company. Afterwards, a second group of volunteers takes on the cleaning, collecting food waste for the vermicompost bin which will in turn feed the garden.

A Project

The Projects group imagined a project where each partner or participating member would cultivate a fruit-bearing plant characteristic of their region. Moments of visiting and exchange would include a visit to this plant and its surrounding neighbours, pollinators, soil, snails, ants, and so on. The act of planting and caring for the plant becomes part of the project’s identity. Habits of watering and weeding and perhaps even an exchange of fruit jam may become part of the project’s rituals.

An ELIA Event

The Events group fleshed out the idea of slow travel: Invited guest speakers traveling across the continent to an event make multiple stops in their train journey to visit ELIA members along the way, allowing for additional lectures or peer exchange. They arrive at the event both well-rested and inspired. During the event itself, connections with local communities and spaces are established - for example, participants might lend a hand in a community garden and learn about the ecosystem from a local guide, staff or students from the hosting member. Part of the registration fee is donated to regenerative initiatives in the city where the event is held.

References

Buckton et al., The Regenerative Lens: A conceptual framework for regenerative social-ecological systems, One Earth (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.06.006

Written by Anna Lina Litz (Green Team Intern November 2025-May 2026).

Between June and October 2026, we want to increase pressure on the national governments of EU member states to negotiate for a long-term EU budget (MFF) that is favourable to higher arts education and research institutions, cultural heritage organisations and the CCSI’s more broadly. Nationally positioned organisations are best placed to do this.  

That is why we ask you to take action: write to your Ministries of Finance, your Ministries of Research/Science/Higher Education, and the permanent representatives of your country at the European Union.  

VIEW OUR CAMPAIGN PACK HERE> 

DOWNLOAD THE CAMPAIGN VISUALS>

The earlier you act, the bigger the impact!  

So far, the lack of support for culture and artistic research sends a message that art is not a serious source of inquiry or understanding, that artists are not real producers of knowledge, that creativity is welcome only when it serves someone else's research question.  
 
That is why the #NamePlaceFund campaign is mobilising organisations and professionals from across the cultural sector to ask the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union for three things:  
 
NAME: Put culture in the title of a Horizon Europe window: ‘Culture and Global Societal Challenges’, and put culture in the title of a the Competitiveness Fund policy window.  

PLACE: Give culture a dedicated structural component in both programmes. When we say ‘dedicated component’, we mean a dedicated budget line, work programmes, and calls. A horizontal principle is not enough for culture, nor is a line inside someone else's policy window. Culture deserves a home of its own.    

FUND: We call for €5 billion to be allocated towards culture and artistic research in Horizon Europe, and  €3 billion to be allocated towards culture and creative industries in the European Competitiveness Fund. 

These three asks need to be underpinned by an urgent shift in the narrative on competitiveness in Europe, which is increasingly narrowing towards economic growth, market and industry. The ECF and Horizon Europe need to be grounded in a vision of competitiveness that encompasses multiple dimensions: economic, social, cultural, and environmental. Europe’s long-term attractiveness, trustworthiness as democratic beacon, and resilience depend on it.  

For more information on how you and your organisation can spread the word about the vital #NAMEPLACEFUND Campaign, view our campaign pack here. It contains letter templates and other helpful information to get you started.

Meet the campaign partners and ask your questions:

Join the NamePlaceFund: Campaign Meeting on Tuesday, 29 June 2026, from 11:00 - 12:00 CEST. This online session will introduce the campaign and give you the opportunity to learn more and ask any questions to help you take action.  Register here>

Still have questions? Contact: Irene Garofalo, ELIA Advocacy and Projects Manager at irene.garofalo@elia-artschools.org.

This campaign is coordinated by the Artistic Research Alliance (ELIA, AEC, CILECT, Culture Action Europe, EAAE, EQ-Arts, GEECT, MusiQuE, SAR) and the Michael Culture Association, representing around 1,200 institutions across artistic-cultural research and heritage in Europe.

Lead the global conversation on technical innovation in higher arts education by hosting the ETHO Technical Community Conference 2027!

Through peer learning, advocacy, and international exchange, ETHO works to strengthen the visibility and recognition of technical specialists and their vital contribution to teaching, learning, artistic practice and research. Together, ELIA and ETHO foster a community that champions technical learning and helps shape the future of Higher Arts Education.

ETHO facilitates the exchange of good practices and hosts two key events, one of which is known as the ETHO Technical Community Conference.

The ETHO Technical Community Conference is a networking event that brings together technicians and professionals in technical services and teaching across the ELIA network to share knowledge and exchange ideas. It gathers around 150–200 participants, including technical managers, heads of technical services, technicians, and educators, and invites host institutions to contribute to this international exchange on practice, research, and innovation in technical fields.

Read the Call for Nominations>

Why host the ETHO Technical Community Conference 2027?

As the host institution, you will:

🔵 Showcase your institution’s work and perspective to an engaged international audience;

🔵 Collaborate with ELIA and the ETHO working group to shape a rich and relevant programme;

🔵 Position your institution as a key reference point in technical knowledge and teaching within higher arts education;

🔵 Welcome colleagues from across the globe to your campus and community;

🔵 Contribute to the curatorial and creative direction, play a key role in the selection process, and explore innovative approaches to the programme’s structure and formats.

Interested in hosting? Please send your expression of interest to ELIA Conference Manager Janja Škerget.

Application Deadline: 1 September 2026

For more information, please read the full call or contact ELIA Conference Manager Janja Škerget.