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

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

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

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

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

• How should values be developed in young people and society as a whole within the framework of arts education?
• How does arts education help create a more cohesive society?
• What is the role of cultural literacy in young people's lives and social development?
• How can we measure the actual value and impact of art and cultural literacy on communities and society as a whole?
• What methods in arts education add value?
• What are art's potential implications for social change?
• How can we change the discourse on the socioeconomic foundations of art and its interaction with politics?

Critical thinking, creative problem-solving, empathy, and the ability to navigate a complex information environment are skills developed through arts education that are essential not only for individual growth but also for the resilience of a democratic society.

The conference is organized within the framework of the international research project CLiViE (Cultural Literacies' Value in Europe), which develops and applies the Theory of Change methodology and the Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework to deepen understanding of the value of cultural literacy and its impact on social cohesion. The project "maps" arts-based education across various learning environments and stages of youth education, "evaluates" the results and outcomes of arts education, "determines value" of arts education activities by calculating their impact, and "practices" pedagogies by developing innovative practices and materials that support arts educators in promoting social justice and inclusion.

Keynote Address

• Kemal Ahson – Research Coordinator, Department of Education Learning, Culture & Interventions, Helsinki University

Thematic Directions of the Conference

We invite researchers, arts educators, artists, cultural policymakers, and practitioners to submit applications to participate in the conference 'Art as an Agent of Change: Cultural Literacy for Societal Resilience.'

Applications are welcome in the following thematic directions:

• Cultural literacy and social cohesion: theoretical and practical aspects;
• Determining the value of arts education: Theory of Change and Social Return on Investment (SROI) approaches;
• The arts educator as an agent of change: innovative pedagogical approaches for promoting social justice and inclusion;
• Arts education policy: arguments and strategies in an era dominated by military and economic security issues;
• Best-practice examples in arts and cultural education in Europe and Latvia.

Participation Format

Paper (15–20 min.) – individual or collaborative presentation of research or practical experience

Application Requirements:

• Author(s) name, surname, affiliated institution, and contact information
• Presentation title
• Abstract (up to 300 words) formulating the central thesis, theoretical or practical framework, and planned contribution to the conference theme
• 5 keywords

Important Dates

• Application submission deadline: 22 March 2026
• Notification of application approval: 2 April 2026
• Conferences date: 22 April 2026

Registration / application submission

Conference Organizers