In 2021, six European Partners came together to develop a range of adult learning outputs around the theme of Active Citizens Exploring Culture (ACE). The focus of the work was to explore how all people and communities explore how they can actively participate in arts and culture as practitioners not just consumers and how this could be more accessible, relevant, and meaningful. The ACE Culture programme aimed to bring about a re-thinking of adult learning approaches and methods to stimulate democratic processes and a reimagining of what constitutes art and culture beyond traditional conventional forms contrasting ballet with street dance, folk music with opera, graffiti with art.
Over a two-year period, the six partners have developed and published, in six languages a handbook, that sets out relevant theories and policies backed-up by practical case studies. This is supported by a toolkit that highlight informal and informal learning with a broad range of learning quests for learners, practitioners, and decision-makers. This is supported by a learning curriculum and an open access curation platform with an initial set of 50 curated pieces of culture from the partners and with the opportunity for learners, practitioners, and others to add their own curated pieces.
We are hosting in the UK our programme-end conference and final multinational on the 16th of June at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham as well as hosting a final transnational meeting of partners on the 15th of June. Our conference will give a flavour of some of the learning outputs we have developed with key relevant stakeholders invited from Birmingham. The conference has two keynote addresses by two of Birmingham’s leading cultural practitioners illustrating in practice themes relevant to the programme. Partners will bring to life the programme outputs including the Handbook, Toolkit, Curriculum and Curation Platform and provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss aspects of the programme with partners.
We will formally close the programme with an example of Cyanotype print customised for ACE culture.
