In support of the Young & Emerging Leaders Forum, an affiliated program of the World Alliance for Arts Education, Creative Generation has embarked on a large-scale study on perceptions of leadership in the field of arts and cultural education. This global research initiative has recently engaged fourteen regional partners to co-convene research focus groups with expertise-based leaders in nine regions around the world.
The types of regions were selected based on the literature, which suggests that leadership is often developed through existing infrastructures. In the education and cultural contexts, these infrastructures tend to be aligned to municipal, national or state, and global-regional systems. Thus, for this study, three cities, three countries, and three global regions were selected:
Municipalities: Bristol and Bath, United Kingdom; Houston, Texas, USA; and Nairobi, Kenya
Countries/states: Australia; the south and west of India; and United Arab Emirates.
Global Regions: Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia
The co-convening partners are:
Arts Connect Houston; Houston, Texas, United States
Arts Connect unites the Greater Houston community to ensure access to high-quality arts education in creative writing, dance, music, theater and the visual arts for every student, beginning with Houston Independent School District.
Bath Spa University; Bath, United Kingdom
Bath Spa University is a centre of excellence with research strengths and expertise in enterprise, education, culture and creativity.
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
An award-winning (TES 2019) British International Co-Ed School, for pupils from Nursery to Sixth Form on Saadiyat Island, UAE. Performing Arts at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi is a flagship area of the school, having twice been awarded the Performing Arts School of the Year by Schools Compared.
d.epicentre; Bangalore, India
d.epicentre is a transdisciplinary collective sharing a common vision about shifting patterns of thinking, ways of seeing oneself and the world connecting the dots and looking at the bigger picture, while not overlooking the small. The collective believes in delving into a process of inquiry, in an experiential, immersive, embodied, “dialogic,” holistic, contextual, participatory and inclusive way to co-create, collaborate and curate.
The European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO); Europe
ENO connects knowledge centres in European countries. It aims to facilitate the exchange of research findings and innovative practice, to stimulate new research in arts and cultural education and to support the development of arts education within the framework of global UNESCO-policies and guidelines for education, culture and sustainable development.
Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto; Porto, Portugal
FLUP is a University Faculty dedicated to teaching, research and cultural creation in the areas of Social and Human Sciences, Philosophy, Languages and Humanities, carrying out this activity in a spirit of public service, in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic, national and international development.
Fundación Crear Vale La Pena; Buenos Aires, Argentina
For over 20 years, Crear Vale La Pena solidified themselves as world experts in projects regarding Arts and Social Transformation and Educational Innovation throughout art and creativity.
Fundación National Batuta; Bogotá, Colombia
Contributing to improving the quality of life of Colombia’s children, teenagers and young adults through musical education of excellence, centered on collective practice, from a perspective of social inclusion, rights and cultural diversity.
House of Imagination; Bath, United Kingdom
House of Imagination is an arts research charity and provides a range of spaces for children and young people to collaborate with creative professionals - it is a home for improvisation, creativity and innovation and a place to make those things visible to an international audience through research.
KONNECT ASEAN; Jakarta, Indonesia
KONNECT ASEAN is a multi-year regional arts and cultural programme that is managed by the ASEAN Foundation with support from the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund.
Music Education Research Group – Kenya (MERG-Kenya); Nairobi, Kenya
MERG-Kenya is a non-for-profit society established in Kenya, with members drawn from researchers and higher education students in the diverse areas of music. It encourages engagement with issues of practice, research and policy and its impact on society. MERG-Kenya is associated with the International Society for Music Education (ISME) as a member of the Council of Professional Associations.
Rising Arts Agency; Bristol, United Kingdom
Led by young creative thinkers, we empower people to collectively aspire, provoke and mobilise towards radical cultural change
Sydney Opera House; Sydney Australia
The Sydney Opera House seeks to be as bold and inspiring as the Opera House itself. The mission is to treasure and renew the Opera House for future generations of artists, audiences and visitors; and to inspire, and strengthen the community, in everything we do.
Western Sydney University; Sydney, Australia
Western Sydney University is a multi-campus university servicing the Greater Western Sydney region, one of the most diverse universities in Australia, ranked #3 in the world for reducing inequality.
The preliminary findings of this research will be shared at the Young & Emerging Leaders Forum to be held on 27 October 2020 online. The final resources will be produced in November 2020.