“Arts Education in Transformation:
Challenges and Possibilities”
The International Congress on Arts Education 2027 convenes under the theme “Arts Education in Transformation: Challenges and Possibilities”, at a historical moment in which the arts and education face profound shifts. The social, cultural, technological and environmental transformations of the 21st century call for arts education to rethink itself: to question its practices, renew its methodologies, integrate new artistic and digital languages, and reaffirm its role in the holistic development of individuals and in the construction of more creative, critical and inclusive communities.
We live in a context marked by technological acceleration, expanding digital literacies, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, the globalisation of visual cultures, and the growing interdependence between artistic practices, science and technology. These phenomena introduce new contemporary challenges for arts education:
understanding the impact of AI on artistic creation, authorship and mediation;
developing critical competencies to navigate a media ecosystem saturated with images, sounds and narratives;
integrating sustainable and ecological practices into artistic creation;
promoting cultural diversity and inclusion through the arts;
rethinking the role of the body, presence and sensory experience in an increasingly digital world;
strengthening teacher education in a landscape of constant technological innovation.
The 2027 edition aims to be a space for reflection, dialogue and exchange, bringing together researchers, teachers, artists, students and cultural agents to explore the paths arts education is taking today — from emerging challenges to new possibilities, from tradition to innovation, from practice to theory, from school to community.
Thematic Areas for Submission:
Music Education
Teaching and learning music in formal and non-formal contexts, pedagogical practices, creation and performance, and the role of music in artistic and cultural formation.
Dance
Dance education, choreographic creation, the body and movement as expressive language, and dance as an artistic, educational and community practice.
Theatre
Drama and theatre in education, performative practices, and theatre as a space for creation, citizenship, participation and social transformation.
Visual Arts
Visual culture, creative and experimental practices, artistic processes, mediation, and the image as a territory for learning and critical thinking.
Musicology and Arts History
Research on music and the arts, artistic and cultural heritage, and historical, theoretical and critical perspectives on arts education.
Multimedia, Film and Animation
Audiovisual creation, 2D/3D animation, film, video, digital photography, storytelling, digital art, interactivity, media literacy and pedagogical practices involving emerging technologies, including the role of AI in artistic creation and learning.
The 2027 edition assumes that transforming arts education requires recognising the diversity of contemporary artistic languages, valuing research, strengthening teacher education, promoting pedagogical innovation, and integrating artistic practices that dialogue with today’s world — analogue, digital, hybrid and plural.
The congress invites contributions that explore new methodologies, new technologies, new forms of creation, new audiences, and new relationships between art, school and society, contributing to a renewed and critical vision of arts education in the 21st century.