The alliance is committed to freedom of art in Europe and stands in solidarity with threatened art and cultural institutions – through artistic collaborations, public events and debates with political actors.

A group of about 45 people are gathered on the stage of a hall for a photo, carrying banners with the words “I saw our leaders kissing and cuddling” — “The Climate We Live In. An Alliance Against the Far Right” conference of the European Alliance of Academies in Berlin, March 2024
© Reinhardt & Sommer

About the Alliance

The alliance was initiated and founded in 2020 by the filmmaker and former Akademie president Jeanine Meerapfel.

In view of the spread of nationalism in Europe, Jeanine Meerapfel saw an urgent need to establish a transnational network of art academies and cultural institutions that would openly advocate for the freedom of art and show solidarity with institutions whose autonomy was under threat. The manifesto adopted during the founding conference formulates the goals of securing the European Union as a cultural project and advocating for the right to artistic freedom throughout Europe, which is anchored in Article 13 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

Public solidarity events, artistic collaborations with threatened artists and exchanges with political actors are concrete forms of action.

The 70 member institutions come from almost all countries of the European Union as well as from the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Switzerland.

Events

A woman stands behind a speaker's podium and speaks — The then Akademie President Jeanine Meerapfel at the founding conference of the European Alliance of Academies, October 2020
© Markus Lieberenz

Founding Conference 2020. A Strong Voice for a Democratic Europe

At the invitation of the Akademie der Künste and with the participation of the then Minister of State for Culture and Media, Prof. Monika Grütters, around 70 representatives of European art academies and cultural institutions gathered in October 2020 for a hybrid conference to found a European Alliance of Academies.

Cultural Policy Events Across Europe

Since 2021, the European Alliance of Academies has been organising public events in cities where the network is represented by institutions, such as Budapest, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Cambridge and Kraków.

The events highlight various aspects of the potential of artistic freedom, the mechanisms that restrict it and its impact on artistic creation: the relationship between language and nationalism, the power of artistic collaboration across borders, the role of memory and remembrance culture in a common understanding of Europe as a cultural space, and the effects of war and crisis on artistic freedom.

All events are organised in close cooperation with local institutions and prepared by several member institutions, ensuring a European perspective on the topic.

Eine Gruppe von ca. 12 Menschen sitzt an einem Tisch — © Beata Zawrzel

Eine Gruppe von Menschen sitzt an einem runden Tisch — © Stephen Bond

Gruppe von Menschen auf einer Bühne — © Gergely Oláh

Frau, die etwas im Mund hat steht mit einem aufgeschlagenem Buch in den Händen auf einem Bücherstapel auf einer Bühne — © Gergely Oláh

Eine Frau steht hinter einem Rednerpult — © Maarten Nauw

Gruppe von Menschen auf der Dachterasse eines Hochhauses — © Javier Schejtman

Ein Mann spricht vor einer kleinen Gruppe von Menschen — © Gergely Oláh

Eine Gruppe von 5 Menschen macht Musik auf einer Bühne — © Markus Lieberenz

Campaigns and Projects

A group of about 30 people are gathered on the steps of a building for a photo — Participants in the event “Rights and Freedom of Culture in Times of Political Change” with, among others, Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, Villa Decius in Kraków, September 2023
© Beata Zawrzel

Cultural Policy Actions

In addition to public discussions aimed at a broad audience, the members of the European Alliance of Academies are also concerned with the political framework at national and European level. The network is in contact with the Committee on Education and Culture in the European Parliament and with the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights.

In cooperation with the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), an online petition and a letter of complaint on the cultural policy situation in Hungary were drawn up and submitted to the European Parliament and the UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights on 9 May 2021.

The network takes a public and united stance on important political developments and events, such as cultural policy developments in Hungary and Poland, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and the 2024 European elections.

LOOM

In 2022, the European Alliance of Academies launched LOOM – Interweaving the Arts in Europe, a digital platform for transnational projects and artistic collaborations between the institutions and artists in the network.

LOOM claims digital space for freedom in art – a space in which artistic positions are confronted with current political challenges and possible answers to current social and cultural questions are provided. The platform aims to create a digital territory that extends beyond the local reach of artists and institutions and “weaves” artistic practices in Europe across borders into a pattern.

A scribbled pad on a table with two pens, an empty cup, and two plates with snacks on it — Notes taken at Café Climate during the conference “The Climate We Live In. An Alliance Against the Far Right” at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, March 2024
© Reinhardt & Sommer

The Climate Crisis and Café Climate

In 2023, a working group was established to address the pressing issue of the climate crisis from an artistic and cultural perspective.

What impact does the climate crisis have on art and culture in Europe? How can the Alliance as a whole and each art academy or cultural institution in their respective countries develop new formats to understand climate change and initiate actions to protect the climate?

The group developed the Café Climate format to engage in dialogue with civil society, experts and political actors on an eye-to-eye level about how the climate crisis affects social cohesion, the daily lives of citizens, and art and culture.

Another project is the digital Atlas of Change, which documents climatic changes already taking place in various locations in Europe. The result is an artistic development map with texts, photos and videos that make us aware of the alarming effects of the climate crisis.