As part of the upcoming D@rts Consortium Meeting on 3 July 2025, a public event will be held in Chemnitz, Germany, one of the 2025 European Capitals of Culture. This event will feature two key components: a Digital Playground Workshop and a Panel Discussion on the theme “Does Arts Education Make the World a Better Place?”

Digital Playground Workshop

Following a short introduction to the aims of d@rts, the workshop will focus on a key element of the project: an interactive digital platform designed to cultivate a sense of community among participants. With playful and gamified elements, this platform fosters post-digital learning by encouraging communication, creativity, and active engagement.

During the session, invited platform users – including dancers, musicians, and performance artists – together with the workshop facilitators, will present some of the online activities and the verbal/non-verbal interactions that bring this digital community to life.

Participants will also have the opportunity to explore the digital playground using their own smartphones or tablets. These digital spaces are vital as they enable a more fluid exploration of identity, class, and nationality than traditional learning environments typically allow.

Panel Discussion: “Does Arts Education Make the World a Better Place?”  

A dialogue on inclusion, culture and community

This international panel discussion, facilitated by the dialoguing@rts project, will bring together researchers and practitioners to explore the ambitions, challenges, and contradictions of arts education today. Emphasising participatory approaches in music, dance, and theatre, the conversation will centre on arts education’s potential to foster social inclusion.

Key questions include:

  • How can we ensure that arts education reaches marginalised communities?
  • Who is included – and who is left out – in arts education?
  • How can we assess the success of arts education programmes in terms of inclusion?
  • What are the risks of instrumentalizing the arts for political or social aims?

The panel will feature a diverse mix of academic and practice-based voices, including representatives from local Chemnitz initiatives.

Moderator: 

Prof. Rose Martin (Nord University, Norway) – Dean of the Faculty of Education, Arts and Culture

Participants:

  • Dr Cristina Baloi (University of Verona, Italy) – Researcher in intercultural competence evaluation within arts education
  • Dr Runa H. Jenssen (Nord University, Norway) – Researcher on inclusive arts education practices
  • Prof. Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza (Makerere University, Uganda) – Ethnomusicologist and expert in decolonial perspectives on arts education
  • Lena Rothe (European Capital of Culture 2025, Chemnitz, Germany) – TEAM GENERATION | Project Manager for Youth Participation
  • Michal Sandor (European Capital of Culture 2025, Germany) – Project Lead, “Tanzende Nachbarn”
  • Milan Vračar (Kulturanova, Serbia) – President of Kulturanova, an NGO promoting intercultural and intersectoral dialogue through arts education for youth

The event is free of charge and open to all. We warmly invite you to join us and contribute to the dialogue d@rts intends to encourage by strengthening cultural understanding, and building resilient, cohesive societies.

For more information, visit d@rts website.