Conference EN 2025

The conference Art, Citizenship, and Ageism in the Context of Ageing is an international, interdisciplinary event that invites reflection on the role of the arts in enhancing the lives of older adults and in fostering a generative and more inclusive vision of ageing. By bringing together research, practice, and policy making, this second edition seeks to deepen the conversation around creative ageing and to amplify its relevance within the public sphere.

Key topics will include the role of artistic creation, lifelong learning, and digital inclusion in later life and career transitions; the promotion of intergenerational dialogue; and efforts to challenge ageism and social isolation. The conference encourages reflection on transformation and change in later life, asking: How can artistic practices help to reshape the social imaginary of old age? What forms of resistance or reinvention can emerge in advanced age? How can ageing be seen as a source of aesthetic, political, and community potential? In what ways can artistic, educational, physical, and digital practices push back against ageism? What role can older artists play in fostering intergenerational exchange? And how can cultural policy help to ensure full citizenship in later stages of life?

The conference bridges the fields of visual and performing arts with the social sciences and humanities, creating space for interdisciplinary research grounded in cultural practice. It aims to highlight exemplary case studies, showcase practice-led and community-based methodologies, and explore how such approaches can inform policies and organisational practices in the fields of culture, health and wellbeing, social action, and education. The event seeks to foster a collective reflection on key issues affecting later life, as well as on the institutions and professionals engaged with it — reaffirming the value of the art–education–culture nexus as a driver of active citizenship, dignity, and belonging.