“International Conference Hosted by the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)
Art as an Agent forChange: How do Art, Museum, and Education Practices Inspire Action?
June 15–17, 2020
The UQAM Research Chair for the Development of Innovative Practices in Art, Culture, and Well-being, the research group ArtEspaceSocial, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts invite you to the international conference Art as an Agent for Change: How do Art, Museum, and Education Practices Inspire Action? , to be held at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Université du Québec à Montréal from June 15 to 17, 2020. This conference will provide an opportunity to discuss research projects, art practices, and participatory experiences in the arts, museum education and art education.
Art, museum, and education practices that combine art with the social participation of marginalized groups; art and inclusive education; and art that supports mental and physical well-being have been part of Quebec’s cultural landscape for more than a decade. These practices have been implemented in a range of contexts with various populations, and interest is growing among researchers, practitioners, health organizations, and community groups. Presenters will be asked to explore the conference theme by considering the following question: How and under what conditions do art, education, and museum practices inspire individual and collective action?
Proposals will address the following issues:
From an individual standpoint: How do art, museum education, and formal and informal education practices promote mental, physical, or intellectual (re)mobilization? How do they enable greater self-awareness? How do they affect an individual’s capacity to re-energize, self-motivate, exercise greater resilience, and activate creativity? How do they break through isolation and enable individuals to see themselves as stakeholders within a community? How can art contribute to self-education and a commitment to the pursuit of an objective? How should the ethical issues related to these practices be addressed?
From a collective standpoint: How do art, museum education, and formal and informal education practices promote inclusion and community participation? How do they affect the ability to forge relationships, despite differences? How do they allow a community to identify itself as such, to be seen and heard, and to take public action? How can contact with art and creating and experiencing art contribute to harmonious community life in pluralist societies? How do these practices encourage social and political action?
From a societal standpoint: Under what conditions could these practices be recognized as complementary to health, communication, and education initiatives, which must increasingly respond to complex problems that require additional forms of collaboration, perspectives, and approaches? What are the consequences when culture and art are not accessible to citizens? Are the impact assessments required by funding agencies beneficial or even possible? To what extent are social sciences and health methodologies applicable to these assessments?
Presentation requirements: Conference presentation proposals must be submitted in English or French with this application form. A confirmation will be sent upon receipt of your proposal. Each presentation will be twenty minutes in length.
Deadline: Candidates are invited to email their applications to semobiliserparlart[at]gmail.com by September 13, 2019, at the latest.
An academic committee will evaluate the proposals and contact the selected presenters by October 11, 2019, at the latest.
For more information: semobiliserparlart[at]gmail.com”
-submitted by Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
