Climate action workshop November 18-19 in The Hague
I’m bootstrapping a climate action workshop for museums and cultural-sector organizations, November 18-19 in The Hague, Netherlands.
The goal of this workshop is to determine if, how, and to what degree the cultural sector (broadly defined) can contribute meaningfully to the social, economic, and environmental transformation of Europe and the rest of the world.
On the agenda are the following questions:
What are the goals of current efforts to catalyze change in cultural organizations?
What is the relevance of the New European Bauhaus, European Green Deal, and pandemic recovery initiatives?
What is their “track record” and future potential regarding civic impact and societal change.
What is the role of digital, “digitality” (the fact of living in a digital society), and the digital public sphere in all of this?
And what can we do, now, to move the needle regarding climate change and social justice?
We’re certainly not the first people to take a look at this question, but with the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference happening in Glasgow; recent/ongoing terrible news about the climate emergency; rising calls for museums and other cultural organizations to take a stand on social justice issues; and the announcement of the New European Bauhaus initiative and the ongoing European Green Deal and pandemic recovery initiatives (all of which call on “culture” to play an active role in the transformation of Europe) this seems like a good moment to gather a diverse set of cultural professionals and activists to see if we can find a new vision for the cultural sector.
We’re raising funds through GoFundMe to help defray the cost of travel for participants, and we have two great non-profits providing space and logistical support (and moral support too).
Watch this space for details and let me know if you have questions or would like to be involved.