Call for proposals: Interdisciplinary conference in the US

The annual conference is an interdisciplinary gathering of researchers, policymakers and practitioners that explores key trends, practices and policy issues affecting the arts worldwide. This year’s theme is The Art of Relevance. 

Who can submit?

Entrants can be from a broad range of professionals and disciplines, including arts managers and artists, arts management, arts education, political science, sociology, economics, law, art history, museum studies, cultural studies, education and policy studies.

Eligibility

Proposals can take the following formats:

• Papers.
• Panels.
• Workshops.
• Performance-based research.
• Roundtable discussions.
• Pop-up projects.

The proposals can address the following topics:

• Festivals and events.
• Cultural policy.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts.
• Arts and cultural participation, marketing and audience development.
• Arts learning and/or training.
• Accessibility and social inclusion.
• Arts management, business models and strategic thinking.
• Arts and technology
• Arts workforce and labour issues.
• Cultural/creative industries and market structures.
• Cultural democracy.
• Cultural economics and impact assessment.
• Cultural planning and community development.
• Heritage policy and administration.
• Indigenous cultural practices.
• Popular and high culture.
• Society and evolving aesthetics.

The topics should address questions such as:

• What is the relevance for the arts and cultural sector in 2021?
• How can the arts and culture remain relevant while evolving into the future? 
• The arts and culture have a long-established history of supporting and promoting vital social issues. In what ways might the demand for relevance diminish the sector’s capacity to change?
• Technology brings limitless opportunities to explore and learn, but it has also made many traditional structures irrelevant. How can artists and arts administrators embrace technology, shape it and use it to maintain relevance?

Interested participants can submit their proposals here.

The submission deadline is 1 May.

For more guidelines, view the original call here.