E/Merge

 6th ELIA Leadership Symposium

 27-29 November 2013, Helsinki

Hosted by theUniversity of the Arts Helsinki, the 6th ELIA Leadership Symposium will takeplace the 27-29 November 2013 at the Helsinki Congress Paasitorni.

 Through a combination of formal presentationsby prominent keynote speakers and round table discussions, the ELIA LeadershipSymposium gathers leaders and key decision makers from Higher Arts Educationinstitutions across the globe. The Leadership Symposium aims to create agenerative environment of conversation, building towards outcomes that willhave tangible effects for the future of arts schools.

Theme:E/Merge

New economiesarise, powers shift and cultural hegemonies are being challenged. The world hasbecome a complex system. Old configurations disband and new ones emerge. Softpower has become a buzzword, building on the arts and the creative industriesand competing for the hearts and minds of people. What the French callmétissage stands for today’s new cultural paradigm, the interweavement ofinfluences, the merging of ideas and meanings. What is local becomes global andit is in turn being transformed by this process. A new set of players withdistinct intentions and values has stepped onto the stage. When we have onlyjust begun to understand what is going on around us, forms and contents arealready changing. The new scale of globalised culture has led to far-reachingchanges in organisational structures such as numerous mergers of art schoolsacross Europe. Size seems to matter more than ever. Internationalisation hasbecome a must, either at home, by forming strategic alliances and cooperationsor by branching out. How can higher art education institutions prepare for newand global challenges? How can its leadership remain active and creative facingdevelopments of a postcolonial world gone fragile?

Please directall questions and inquiries to ELIA Conference Manager Barbara Revelli forfurther information:

barbara.revelli@elia-artschools.org

www.elialeadershipsymposium.com