Beyond the Obvious, CAE’s annual conference, took place in Elefsina (Greece), European Capital of Culture for 2023, under the title “Handle With Care: Culture for Social Well-being”. From June 6-10, the conference opened the floor to exploration and dialogue on the concept of care and the working conditions in the cultural and creative sectors. Participatory discussions – circles of care – addressed topics of Care and Mental Health, Care and Youth, Communities of Care, Curating Care, Care for Culture (and cultural workers), Care for Climate, Care for Commons and Care and Borders. The outcomes of these circles resulted in a co-written document: the “Elefsina Manifesto | Handle with Care: Envisioning a Future of Care” See recap and BTO website for reports and documents.
BTO also hosted the final conference of CAE’s 2-year project CultureForHealth (final report available here, presentation of six pilot projects).
CAE announces that the long-awaited recommendations to the Commission on an EU framework for the social and professional situation of artists and workers in the cultural and creative sectors have been published. The draft report covers several areas of relevance, from fair remuneration to better coordinated social security, from education and training to prevention of harassment and discrimination, from digital challenges (including AI) to artistic freedom. CAE’s permanent Working Group on Working Conditions will present recommendations to improve the draft report.