In Seminar 4, Intercultural Relations in Practice, took place on Nov 16th and 17th at Goldsmiths, University of London. We considered how intercultural processes are enacted, challenged, and reinforced in arts and cultural management practice.
In our discussions we focused on two areas of work related to intercultural exchange in arts and cultural management practice.
One was the development, design and funding of policies and projects for building intercultural understanding between nations.
The other was the development, design and funding of policies and projects to promote intercultural exchange between minority groups within nations. This activity often emphasises supporting and enhancing culturally diverse arts audiences, artists and productions within nations.
In particular, we concentrated on the interrelated cultural role of arts and cultural managers that emerges within these two contexts. Specifically, the challenges and opportunities they meet in this work and the (potential) impact their professional roles have on the cultural and creative ecosystem—including who and what is represented in that ecosystem.
We thank the speakers very much for their honest self-reflection and their openness in sharing their experiences with us. Only those talks made publicly available are presented below.
Biographies of our participants
Introductory context by Raphaela Henze, co-investigator of Brokering Intercultural Exchange network.
On Intercultural Public Intellectual Engagement, Tariq Modood, Director of the Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol
How to avoid paternalism in international relations with Sarah Herke, Head of Cultural Exchange at MitOst e. V., Berlin, Stephen Stenning, Director Culture and Development, British Council and Odila Triebel, Head of Dialogue and Research at ifa e.V
The Underlying Assumptions Of Collaboration with Ruhi Jhunjhunwala, MA Goldsmiths, University of London, Amy Walker, Executive Director of Highlight Arts shared their perspectives on collaborating in international arts and cultural projects and Kayla Rush, Queen’s University Belfast
Experiencing Intercultural Exchanges Between Nations with Rose Fenton, independent arts consultant, Gudrun Wallenböck, Founder and Artistic Director, Hinterland Gallery, Michael Walling, Founder and Artistic Director, Border Crossings and Wu Fan, PhD Candidate, University of Leeds
Victoria Durrer, co-founder of Brokering Intercultural Exchange Network and Lecturer in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at Queen’s University Belfast reflects on arts and cultural managers as public intellectuals in the spaces of intercultural exchange both between and within nations.
Questioning the Meaning of Diversity with Mafalda Dâmaso, consultant and researcher, Karsten Xuereb, PhD Candidate, Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, and Lisa Gaupp, Post Doctoral Researcher, University of Luneburg
Intercultural Exchange within Nations with Tony Fegan, Artistic Director, Tallaght Community Arts, Mihai Florea, Co-founder of Nu Nu, and Kristin Cheung, Development Officer at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver