ELIA has a new website. The ELIAblog has been integrated in it. This means that the wordpress blog will cease to be active. We keep it open for reference.

The blog about the NEU/NOW Festival can also be found at www.neunow.eu

Languages through lenses 2010 will be launched at the Prix Europa Festival in Berlin next week.

The films made for this year’s competition can already be viewed at http://www.prix-europa.de/pe10/languages_through_lenses/

Read more about the project at www.languages-lenses.eu

20 years ago, at the conference Imagination and Diversity in Amsterdam, ELIA was born. Those were momentous times. During the preparations, the Berlin Wall came down. When the conference started on 3 October, it was also the day of the German unification. And one year later, we were first accross the Iron Curtain with the Strangers and Brothers conference in Budapest. It seems like a long time. Actually it’s just 20 years.

The ELIA Newsletter went out today. In it, we update you on the NEU/NOW Festival and the Biennial Conference. We announce our 20th Birthday and our new Deputy Director, Schelte van Ruiten. Also, we commemorate Tan Mei Wha, who played an important role in the founding process of ELIA and in the first years of ELIA’s existence.

To read it in full, click here.

(click on the image to see more)

According to Peter de Graeve, these new policy guidelines are no good news. Even if it does not stop the development of a research culture in higher arts education, which is a shared objective all partners involved, it does not really improve the autonomy of art schools:

Although art schools are expected to organize some things on their own, they remain dependent on existing polytechnics, while the university exercises control over matters of content. This is an inefficient, pedantic structure. This scenario sets higher arts education back and puts it in chains. [...] The future of the arts has hardly been discussed in the debate.

Further on in the interview, De Graeve points towards Scandinavia, where a more dynamic approach towards higher arts education is being elaborated, and describes the creation of Schools of Arts as a return to the nineteenth century.

For the readers of Dutch among you, the full interview can be found here.

Higher Arts Education in the Netherlands has always had a sort of special position. They never had university status; the Netherlands have a binary system of universities and “polytechnics” (“hogescholen” or HBO), but art academies are the only institutions that can pre-select, and the work load is much more at university level. Like in other countries with binary systems (Belgium, Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland) this system has been subject to shifts and debates as a result of the Bologna Process. Although the Dutch were quick to adapt to the bachelor/master system, the new relations between universities and polytechnics have remained an open issue and so has the particular position of art academies, sometimes described as ‘polytechnic-plus’.

Two recent reports have opened this debate anew. First, the Dutch Ministry of Education commissioned  Differentiëren in drievoud (“Threefold diversification”), which assessed the Higher Education System at large; and then, Onderscheiden, Verbinden, Vernieuwen: De toekomst van het hoger kunstonderwijs (“Distinguish, Connect, Innovate: The future of higher arts education”) was published by the HBO council. Precisely because the one followed so shortly upon the other, developments in higher arts education have had a lot of attention in educational circles recently as a sort of test case, and have been much discussed in the educational politics magazine ScienceGuide. Unfortunately, neither of the reports has an English executive summary. Still, some of the issues addressed are worth noting from an international perspective.

The Higher Education report stresses the need for further diversification. The binary system should not be given up, and polytechnics should not pretend to be universities, but there is space for polytechnics further to profile themselves, to conduct research relevant to professional practice, and to grant full degrees. Importantly, Higher Arts Education is cited in this report as a positive example of a “well-profiled” sector. Accordingly, it recommends that art academies should be left the liberty to position themselves, without too much ‘system pressure’, and in some cases develop a research profile, either in association with universities or independently. Although the University of the Arts London is mentioned as an example, the report makes no mention of creating full universities of the arts in the Netherlands – as other countries with binary systems, such as Austria and Germany, have done.

It is important to realize, however, that ‘research’ here does not necessarily mean ‘artistic research.’ In fact, both reports are much more concerned with establishing relations between education and the professional field, through applied research, guest lecturers, and graduate programmes with a distinct professional focus. Although the Future of Higher Arts Education report repeatedly stresses the importance of providing the students with general education or ‘Bildung’, its central focus is on preparing artists for entrepreneurship in an increasingly diffuse, varied, and interdisciplinary creative economy as the central task of Higher Arts Education, and deplores the lack of detailed data on professional placement both nationally and internationally. This, the latter report concludes, is where more research has to be done: art academies should become knowledge centres for art practice and educational development.

Being an artist, the Future of Higher Arts Education report argues, is now a matter of ‘performance’ rather than a job: as an artist you don’t operate in a given setting, but act on a ‘thousand stages’, increasingly virtual and international. Film is no longer on tape; theatre schools don’t prepare actors any more but theatre makers; choreographers have no other than an international work field. How to prepare young people for that? Crucially, the professors have to be professionals themselves, and a lot of contact with the professional field and alumni is informal rather than institutional. Although each school attempts to develop a more structural approach towards artistic entrepreneurship, and several host chairs (‘lectoraten’, or readerships) in the Creative Economy, it still fits uneasily with the idea that We Teach Art.

Although the Future of Higher Arts Education report gives full praise to higher arts education as it is, it adds that it is not enough to keep up the good work. The radically changing scene in which artists act calls for innovation in the curriculum, not just for refueling established institutions and stages with fresh blood but also with regard to all kind of artistic niches and new business models. Therefore, it recommends that art academies should intensify their co-operations with partners in the cultural sector, and seek new partners in media and game industry, for instance.

This is already the practice: in recent years, art schools have been starting new BA programmes in game design, image and media technology, music technology and performance, 3D design, and other new specialisms. The Higher Education report, however, recommends broad bachelors instead of early specialization; and while there is a substantial growth in specialized BAs, most MAs at present are much more generalist.

What the Future of Higher Arts Education report does not specifically address is the position of Master’s programmes. This is a lack because Masters in art are not quite like university Masters. First, the proportion of BA to MA students in HAE is approximately twenty to one, BA to MA graduates ten to one. (Music is the exception: there it is 4:1 and 2:1.) Second, the masters programmes at art academies are extremely international, particularly in design, where one MDes boasts 95 % students from abroad. Third, artists often continue with their masters after a few years of professional experience. In short, the gulf between BA and MA is really vast, and MA programmes are really special. Still, 5 % of the Dutch art student population are 1351 MA students, and 10 % of art graduates are 532 new masters. Even if the bulk of these are musicians, it’s still quite a lot – especially if you consider that there is just one artistic doctor so far. Arguably, then, the introduction of MA’s at art academies has had a far wider impact than the much more hotly discussed PhDs; and has met far less skepticism.

(In this vein, Willem Hillenius, departing director of ARTEZ, boldly states in a recent interview that he would trade a 100 places for BA students for 10 well-profiled MAs, and argues for a more coordinated cooperation between 6 or 8 distinct central art schools on a national level, almost as if in a conglomerate model: BV Kunst, or Art inc. More cautiously, the Swiss report Forschung an Schweizer Kunsthochschulen 2008 recommends that the development and further consolidation of MA programmes should have priority over plans for the third cycle.)

The good news for art academies is that both reports want to see institutions freed from ‘system pressure’, from all-too-strict regulations that don’t square with teaching art. Also, they want them to develop a more coordinated approach towards professional requirements, alumni, and the cultural sector at large, and to cut some red tape. (As the Future of Higher Arts Education report has it: send in the Kafka brigade.) These might be contradictory requirements: How can you develop a more coordinated approach without more bureaucracy? Still both requirements are valid. And indeed, they should be more knowledgeable about their own role in the cultural sector, if only to make a stronger point about their impact on the arts at large. In this regard, it will also be important to make international comparisons, and study these reports alongside similiar surveys from other countries, such as last year’s report of the Austrian Wissenschaftsrat.

The Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO), on whose figures the Future of Higher Arts Education report was based, is organizing a seminar on the current state and future of higher arts education on 16 September, chaired by Olchert Brouwer, head of the Amsterdam School of the Arts. Speakers will include Koen Brams (Jan van Eyck Academie), Henk Slager (Utrecht School of the Arts), and Lucie Huiskens (Kunstenaars & Co).

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For the readers of Dutch among you:

Onderscheiden, Verbinden, Vernieuwen: De toekomst van het hoger kunstonderwijs
- report of the Dijkgraaf Commission for the HBO Raad

Differentiëren in drievoud
- report of the Veerman Commission for the Ministry of Culture, Education, and Research

Many of the conclusions from the Dijkgraaf Commission are based on the data from NVAO Rapport Kunstonderwijs Mei 2010

Comments from the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA) on the Green Paper ‘Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries’ Brussels COM (2010) 183

ELIA would like to share some concerns and comments with the European Commission and with other organisations and partners in the cultural and creative industries.  For ELIA, which brings together more than 300 art schools in Europe, this first ever Green Paper on the Cultural and Creative industries signposts the increasing importance and growth of the creative sector in Europe. We appreciate that the Green Paper recognises the role of higher arts education in the development of ´a truly stimulating creative environment’ for the CCIs within the EU.  The Green Paper’s identification of skills shortages, mismatches and gaps between what the sector needs and what graduated artists have to offer, challenges the art schools in Europe to review the skills they deliver, and to assess the complex relationship between education and the cultural and creative industries. A challenge the art schools in Europe are willing to take up.

1. Arts graduates are main drivers for expansion and innovation of the CCIs. European innovation policies in the cultural and creative sphere should recognize and build more strongly on the emergence of a new generation of skilful artists and creative practitioners with the capacity of tackling complex problems, providing creative solutions and original thinking.

In our view the artistic drive, skills, imagination and inventiveness of the artist forms the starting point for any production or ‘value’ chain. The value of ‘creative play’ in incubating skills for innovation should not be under-estimated.

A higher investment in artistic creation as well as in creative research would be beneficial for the innovation of the sector, both technical and creative.  Increasingly, artists acquire a broad set of skills that are both academic and rooted in creative and artistic practices. Artists and artist-researchers build a shared practice with the innovative parts of the creative industries, for instance developing user-oriented environments.  A recent conference organised by DG Enterprise and Industry ‘Towards a pan-European initiative in support of the creative industries in Europe’, recognised that R&D is changing because of these shared practices between artists and innovative creative industries and called for a ‘higher investment in research and in skills for the creative industries as a prospectus investment in our future’. Such investment should also recognise that the outcome of experimental creativity or its application is not always immediately apparent.

2. In ELIA’s view a European Sectoral Skills Council for the Cultural and Creative Industries is an key tool to strengthen an emerging and existing skills base and to initiate new strategies to boost innovation. Education should become a key factor in such a Skills Council. If it is true – and we believe, it is – that Europe’s prosperity increasingly builds on the input of creativity and innovation, the European Skills Council for the CCIs should develop as an essential European instrument to support excellent ideas and projects with innovative potential, interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration.

ELIA agrees with the Green Paper that the sector-specific needs are changing quickly and is in favour of mapping new skills as developing within the sector, both quantitative and qualitative, building on new approaches already developing within the art schools and between art schools and the CCIs.  A Sectoral Council for employment and skills for the Cultural and Creative Industries would be extremely useful to provide an accurate view of the complexity and diversity of the sectors and to develop innovative support measures.  In our view, a ‘tripartite’ model in which employers, employees and higher arts educators collaborate is the preferred way forward.  In order to prevent a more or less static picture, already outdated before its publication, we find it important to develop a constant monitoring as well as to focus on qualitative trends. It should also include other ways of exploring skills issues such as interviews / clustering with stakeholders from the sector and from education. National differences regarding the development of the creative sector and of education should not be underestimated.

3. We agree with the Green Paper that entrepreneurial and business skills are important for arts graduates in a sector mainly consisting of small businesses and freelance professionals, although creative people may not have as their main priority creating wealth but creativity itself. Business skills are best acquired as part of an integrated approach, live projects, and partnerships with business and other societal partners and in particular dedicated arts educators with a background in professional practice. New concepts of ‘creative entrepreneurship’ such as collaborative and non‐hierarchical business models need to be given much wider visibility and flexible financial support measures, comparable to microfinance,  for creative sme’s, freelance  and collaborative models of practice would be very supportive for the sector.  Artists only need a relatively small investment, with great results.

Increasingly, art schools place more emphasis on fully realising their responsibility in the field of business skills and employment opportunities and they have developed different approaches over the years. Specific courses focusing on business skills often prove not to be effective, particularly in periods where students’ focus is on acquiring their artistic skills. Practice-based learning and experimentation, individual and collective projects, internal and external assignments, work placements, incubator units and partnerships making it easier for graduates to gain the skills and experience required to enter their chosen field of practice. Increasingly the curriculum provides ´natural´ opportunities for transfer of the artistic process into different contexts in which students apply their learning. Findings indicate that students continue to adopt this model after graduation in their portfolio careers and arts graduates often have well-developed strategies for coping with unstable employment conditions. A sector in which small businesses and freelance professionals work in fluid, collaborative and non-hierarchical models of practice requires the support of differentiated models of employer engagement.

4. In the Green Paper and in the CCI sector generally we miss a solid reflection on the employment situation of artists and on support initiatives for young artists in their early career paths.  Though artists are well situated to be creative entrepreneurs the current financial crisis may lead to a ‘lost generation’ of artists because of the severe cuts in national and local budgets for education and for culture.

Under the current harsh economic conditions, graduates are confronted even more with the difficulty of finding fulfilling, creative work, even though arts students are devising alternative approaches to gaining vital work experience and using their creative practice in new ways that benefit the community as well as their own career goals. A recent UK longitudinal study[1], involving graduates in design, craft and media up to six years after graduation, showed that 3 out of 4 graduates worked in their field of expertise since graduating; 4 out of 5 graduates were in paid work, the majority in creative jobs achieving their career goals. Compared with ten years ago a larger proportion of arts graduates work in their field of expertise and in the creative and cultural sector. This is in itself consistent with the recent and gradual growth of the cultural and creative sector and is an indication that arts graduates continue to contribute substantially to the creative economy.  Across Europe, these relatively positive figures show a downwards trend and it should be a major concern that so many graduates do not find their way into the sector. In addition, artistic professionals are being paid less than other professional with a similar educational background, except for the ´stars´, which is a position most artists never reach.  Even though arts graduates have their own strategies for coping with unstable employment conditions, differentiated models for support, for instance similar to microfinance, would be supportive in a sector in which small businesses and freelance professionals work in fluid, collaborative and non‐hierarchical models of practice. More national longitudinal data and comparison is needed to accurately assess the situation. This maybe also present an appropriate subject for the member states to compare national approaches, and find common solutions since national policies vary considerably.

5. Creative innovation and an expanding cultural and creative sector in Europe need independent and strong higher arts education institutes. Rather than seeing higher arts education purely as an enabler for the cultural and creative sector, as the Green Paper suggests, ELIA and its member schools value broadly based higher arts education with room for experimentation.  Art schools are a key factor in innovation and the development and maintenance of vibrant cultures and in Europe.

Artistic talent needs nurturing and training and the art schools in Europe perform this function with high quality standards, passion, rigor, excellence, often on a world-class level. In cities and regions where arts institutions are located, art schools and art students perform a lively cultural role. Arts education forms an integral part of the European knowledge  society. Never before was arts education so attractive, both to European future artists and to talented young artists from other continents.  The Bologna Process, now largely implemented in higher arts education, brought about more transparency, mobility, and new    specializations in the Master’s phase, often with a focus on new professional practices.  Increasingly, research and ^3rd cycle education in the artistic and creative domain, sometimes in interaction with other sciences and practices add new dimensions to the qualifications of artists. It is important to recognise and secure the independence of higher arts education as the seedbed for creative innovation.

6. The art schools consider IT skills crucially important but from an educational point of view, they remain a means to an end. Technology and creativity reinforce each other and the right combination of skills is essential. ELIA would welcome specific national and/or European opportunities that allow higher arts education and other innovative institutions to develop high-level programmes in arts education-technology partnerships preparing students even better for user-friendly technology environments, provided the specificity of the artist’s approach is respected.

Most art schools are fully aware that mediatised and predominantly digital environments demand new and complex skills requirements from artists. As a result, art schools aim to invest in qualified staff, equipment, additional capacities, and develop new approaches to realise a strong emphasis on IT skills provision.  But original creative content, ways of thinking and generating ideas comes first and this remains the case even in strongly information technology driven fields as games development and design. Being good at Photoshop or Illustrator does not mean you are also a good designer. It is only fair to state that not all art schools are sufficiently equipped yet to meet current IT demands.  New technology requests a constant investment in equipment not always possible for arts institutions in European countries that are less well off economically.

7. ELIA fully welcomes new national and European initiatives for experimentation and innovation, incubator units and business-school partnerships. These should be built on the experience of already existing partnerships, initiated either by the sector or by art schools. This form of knowledge transfer is a two-way process impacting both the sector and education.

It is the experience of the ELIA member schools that these collaborations have considerable impact on all parties involved: it creates innovative outcomes and new approaches in business as well as in education, it develops knowledge transfer and it changes methods of teaching and learning in art schools. Partnerships challenge art schools, as well as the other partners to think along new lines and to become flexible enough to conduct a process together. Current connections between art schools and society range from large companies to micro enterprises, from museums and theatres to schools, hospitals and prisons. Many partnerships include local authorities as well as civil society. In partnerships students gain necessary skills, such as networking, communication, planning and dealing with deadlines.  In doing so, students learn to develop their own specialisms and often start their own businesses. Increasingly art schools realise research and innovation in creative partnership with external agents, including PHD research. It is particularly important that next to Art & Design, disciplines such as Theatre and Dance, and Music also get the opportunity to form part of such a programme. Some examples of Business – School partnerships, initiated by the art schools, or set up in collaboration with partners from other domains are attached as an appendix to this document.

8. The Green Paper does not sufficiently distinguish between ‘artistic/creative’ profiles and other professional profiles in the creative domain, which are not predominantly artistic. ELIA recommends that the diversity of professional profiles across the CCIs is taken into account, as part of a better understanding of current and new needs.

It is our experience that as the CCI sector further develops the need for qualified people becomes more diverse as well as more specific. Examples of these types of professionals include for instance media professionals, cultural managers, cross-disciplinary curators, technicians in different fields and event organizers/managers.  In some areas specialized professional education is already developing, provided either by art schools or by other educational institutions. New ways of working with art or artistic methods, for instance in social domains, creates new specialisms that need to be taken into account in education.

The project launch will take place in Thessaloniki 1- 2 October 2010. The other groups within the project from the arts (music, architects) and the humanities will also meet there and we will have some joint sessions. The project is organized by TUNING,  the organizers will cover travel and accommodation costs. Please let me know as soon as possible.

truus.ophuysen [at] elia-artschools.org

Loosing your luggage is never a good way to start a meeting overseas but such is life. After 13 hours traveling, including a delayed flight from Heathrow, I was checking into the hotel without my bag, which was probably languishing somewhere in Madrid. What was surprising was the ‘mater-of-fact’ness with which the Iberian staff in Granada treated the 6 travelers from the same flight in the same situation, as if it was only to be expected! Later that evening, during a stroll into town, I bumped into Kevin Atherton (Dublin) and Christine Pybus (Cork) – what are the chances of that in the crowed streets of a major city…

Day 1

The first meeting wasn’t scheduled until late afternoon, which gave us time to explore the town during the day. Despite our host leaving each of us a full conference-type bag of goodies at the hotel reception we still weren’t quite sure of where we were going. So meeting at reception meant at least we’d all get lost together. As it happened, Isidro Lopez-Aparico (Granada) met us half way across Fuente del Triunfo and led us to our meeting point. Juhani Jarvinen (Lahti) was already there and before too long we were joined by Maia Mancuso and Maria-Antonietta Malleo (Palermo). Sean Cummins (Nottingham) and Enrique Martinez Leal (Cuenca) and Ana Garcia Lopez (Granada) complete the steering group for this meeting … time for business.

The agenda for the first day was to focus on Paradox’s input to the Nantes biennial and the relationship between ELIA and Paradox. The second day would focus on preparations for the next Paradox conference in Cork, 2011.

A lot of discussion had taken place during the last meeting in London in March but the resultant proposal for the biennial ‘discipline session, for whatever reason, had been rejected. Disappointing … but following further discussions with coordinators in Porto at the Artesnet meeting and Basle at Art Basle will have an input to the new theme of ‘Fine Art and Curation’. And there will be a fringe session that Paradox can be fully responsible for. This will have 4 main points: to introduce Paradox to ELIA members who don’t already know it, to review the conference in Palermo (Sept 2009), to extend an invitation to the next conference in Cork (Oct 2011) and to seek active support from members for the steering group and specific roles that need filling.

It doesn’t seem much to take up 4 hours of meeting time but its surprising how much complex detail there is behind those simple points – details which I will not go into here. Suffice to say, perhaps, that Paradox is determined that conference sessions etc should not be dry presentations of research or good practice. One of the defining characteristics of Palermo was the incorporation of students and the proactive involvement of delegates. As most of us are active artists shouldn’t our meetings reflect the vibrant nature of our practices? To be visually interesting if nothing else! Watch out for interventions in Nantes.

The hospitality of the Faculty of Fine Art extended late into the night. Isidro led our little group on a long, meandering climb through the winding lanes of the old Islamic area. Breathtaking views and numerous photo opportunities. Eventually we end up at the locked gate of what seems to be a private garden. In fact it is a restaurant and we have a table on a terrace looking across to the floodlit Alahambra palace. From below rises the sound of a male voice choir entertaining other guests. Dinner tastes so much better when you’ve got your bags back and had a change of clothes J The University actually owns this restaurant … how about that for ‘diversification’ and ‘3^rd stream income’?

Day 2

Building on decisions from yesterday today is all about Cork. There’s a long day ahead so we start over breakfast at the hotel for variety before returning to the boardroom of Granada University’s Quality Department. Again, lots of detailed discussion with results distilled into key points. The date is set for 9 & 10 Sep 2011 with possibly a reception on the evening of the 8^th. A planning meeting is to take place over 5 & 6 next May.

One of the key issues is how to maintain and build upon the momentum of Palermo without running the risk of simply repeating that event and those discussions – we have to be able to move on productively. Nor should we forget the original Nantes proposal or what might be raised there. The theme ‘City/Education/Artist’ will be retained and neatly dovetails with education/curator theme of Nantes. What is the responsibility of the art school toward the student after graduation? What is the relationship between the art school and the city and art galleries? Like many contemporary art schools Cork now boasts a gallery space, which will be at the disposal of the conference. This will lend a specifically Cork/Irish context to the proceedings.

One of the criticisms of Palermo was that there were too many lengthy breakouts with delegates split about which to choose and the summaries didn’t do justice to the discussions. Though these will be followed up they will not be allowed to dominate the event. What should be retained is an active engagement of the delegates and their feeling of ‘ownership’ of the conference. It is hoped that a wide range of Institutions will be represented with the promotional assistance of ELIA office and the Nantes biennial.

All this was surrounded by discussion of the growing importance of art research, development of a new website, retention of the archive, email facility, steering group responsibilities and the need for a new kind of charter as opposed to a formal constitution. Phew! Somehow all of this needs to be formalized and disseminated to the wider membership. (Good luck guys!)

Of course, lunch had to take a prominent position in the afternoon. Purely by coincidence the restaurant table next to ours was occupied by a large group of children who were also in the same hotel. It turns out these a group of orphans who ‘sing’ the Spanish lottery results! I don’t about their singing but, boy, can they eat! The afternoon’s work had a logical deadline – the Spanish match against Chile in the world cup. We never did work out if the group of girls in the bar were confused by the red shirts or were they really Chile supporters. Either way, the result was secure by half-time so off we went to the late-night tour of Alhambra Place. At the palace we felt collectively under-dressed as we mingled with crowds in their Friday finery – but they were headed for an exclusive concert of music elsewhere in the palace. I’m not going to even begin to describe the palace, just go and see for yourself (but try and avoid tourist time).

And that was the end of a long, intense and productive couple of days work. If you want to know more there’s only one way … get yourself to Nantes and book a place for Cork!