Urgent Matters, Event no 5: From Advocacy to Policy: Redefining Artistic Economies II

In this continuation of ongoing research, UKK invites different art organizations in Europe to discuss their advocacy and ideas for policies aimed at improving artists’ and art workers’ economic and class position. By highlighting La Buse’s advocacy for an Intermittents du Spectacle style program for visual art in France and Verdensrommet’s advocacy for policies such as degrowth, UBI, and solidarity economies, UKK is seeking to learn from and exchange with organizations that have had influence in shaping ameliorative art sector policies and ideation for future policies in their own contexts. This combined with UKK’s perspective on the Danish art sector, focus will be put on socio-economic challenges artists face: their (un)employment status, recognition that art is work, acknowledgement of the precarious conditions of artistic labor, and the awareness of artists’ benefit to society.

This is part of UKK’s focus to further explore the economic position of artists and art workers beyond value production and understand structural economic reforms (in the art field) that create improved regularized income models for all artists and art workers. The event will also share ideas, possibilities, and imagination for art economic advocacy across international contexts. The discussion will aim to describe the benefits of art sector programs across borders, but also discuss how they were implemented, their challenges, and contextualize organizational strategies – as new pathways for art economic advocacy are necessary at local and (inter)national levels.

The event will feature Guilhem Monceaux (La Buse board member), Sarah Kazmi (Verdensrommet board member) and will be hosted and moderated by UKK’s art and economics working group consisting of Lawrence Ebelle (UKK board member) and Scott William Raby (UKK chair).

This is a part of UKK’s second iteration of the Urgent Matters program, which brings attention, new voices, and diverse perspectives around topics that are politically pressing in the art sector and more broadly. The primarily focus is on highlighting innovative, experimental, and critical approaches to bridge gaps in understanding, but also create new networks in relation to different artistic (and social) crises. The events will take place throughout Denmark and/or online in 2025.

This event is kindly supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.

Links:

Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86940961103?pwd=CBlOVG9AZ0RVaLvqqumWMYQCakzxxN.1

La Buse:

https://la-buse.org/

Verdensrommet:

https://www.verdensrommet.network/