Co-organizing an Arts & Cultural Management Conference through COVID

By: Nicole Vasconi*

I had the opportunity to volunteer as a co-organizer for the Arts & Cultural Management Conference 2021 (ACMC), which took place January 28 to 30 completely online—the first time in its short history. It was a valuable experience for me because it emphasized the importance of cultivating networks and facilitating open platforms for decision-making and discussion—notably, not for superficial purposes, but as a way to build (digital) community especially in times of COVID-19. 

About the Conference

The Arts & Cultural Management Conference began in 2018 and has since been organized by students/researchers in arts, culture, and heritage at various host universities in northern and central Europe. COVID-19, however, presented new challenges for 2021. Rather than skip this year’s conference, lead organizer Andreea Lupu—along with co-organizers Kelsey Maas, Lauren Wilson, and Rozzy Knox,  myself, and a few others—decided going virtual presented a unique opportunity to establish a cultural and arts management support network with a more global focus.  

ACMC 2021 had 211 registrants, 50 presenters, and six Hubs from India, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, and England. Sessions included live and pre-recorded presentations with Q&As, panel discussions, workshops, performances, and posters. Most attendees and speakers reported from Europe: Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Serbia, Romania, Germany, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, and Belgium. Some tuned in from South Africa, Canada, US, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and India. Topics spanned arts and cultural management, heritage, cultural policy, visual and performing arts, illustration, art and artist studies, border studies, feminist studies, event management, photography, digital arts, climate change, and more. Our four guiding speakers provided by ENCATC–all established arts and cultural researchers—amplified and echoed our main themes: “Reinventing Borders: Resilience, Reinterpret, and Reimagine”.

2021 Conference Structure and Network

We didn’t want to fall into thinking that a virtual conference would be inherently “more accessible” or more inclusive. To address this, we tried structuring the conference as a network with regular meetings that led up to the conference. This created opportunities for dialogue on items like conference themes. The meetings also functioned like a forum to share research and project ideas, to connect with one another, and provide emotional support and motivation as we all went in and out of our various lockdowns.  

We also encouraged the formation of “Localized Hubs”, an idea originally from Andreea Lupu, where participants created and led mini-sessions both during and leading up to the conference. Some of these Hubs recorded and shared performances, short tours of heritage sites, and panels discussions. The BTU Cottbus Hub (Germany) dedicated an interactive panel on how to continue one’s dissertation research while balancing personal mental health needs during a pandemic. 

A personal highlight during the concert was a live performance by a Localized Hub in Kolkata, India—Jodi Bolo Rongin—on day two (Reinterpret). It offered an emotional release from all the discussion and showed how well theory and praxis balance one another, especially in the arts. Prioti Seal Acharya quoted during the performance—“we only exist because of others”— which felt like a call to affirm faith in humanity. It prompted questioning the motives of an arts conference like this—it wasn’t just to talk about papers, but to reconnect as arts, cultural, and heritage managers, to offer mutual support of one another’s initiatives, studies, and to challenge one another to do better by ourselves, each other, and the sector by reimagining a better future. 

We couldn’t have done this without the support of many people—especially all the volunteers who provided technical support and moderation. ACMC was promoted and sponsored by The European Network on Cultural Management and Policy (ENCATC), the Network of European Museum Organizations, and the Arts Management Network. ACMC also raised nearly €1500 on Eventbrite through ticket donations. This paid for our online conference platform, Hopin, and will go towards planning for 2022. 

Conclusion and questions 

Did this emphasis on building a network make a measurable difference in thconference experience or in its function to share or build upon sector knowledge? To answer this question, I think a more in-depth study is necessary—along with more solid definitions of buzzwords like accessibility and inclusivity. From my experience, what worked well was that we built a conference that encouraged and welcomed shared decision-making and specifically asked for research from lived experience. To this end, I think our virtual conference format contrasted from a traditional academic setting because it offered alternative accounts of cultural management knowledge.

My key takeaway: for as long as we’re dealing with COVID, we’ll be turning to online platforms for events and programs usually done in person. We can’t assume that by going virtual, we will reach more people or communities and tell a wider range of stories. Additionally, and not lastly, online conference platforms must improve for those experiencing a disability, something we noticed Hopin wasn’t prepared to provide. A lesson I hope to carry with me from this experience is a deep appreciation for the work it takes to create the networks needed to guide the arts, culture, and heritage sectors past the rapid changes of digitization and the long-overdue answers for accountability—especially by introducing elements of shared decision-making around knowledge creation.

*Nicole Vasconi

Nicole Vasconi has a diverse professional background, having worked in projects (both long- and short-term) for arts, culture, and heritage organizations in the United States, Germany, Italy, and Latvia. Her work and research interests include visual and performing arts, natural and cultural heritage, and community engagement. Outside of work, you can find Nicole spending time outside, playing cello, and watching livestream footage of sea otters at the Vancouver Aquarium.