Building a Shared Vision for Artistic Citizenship, Community and Audience Engagement: Insights from the meeting of the Community Engagement and Artistic Citizenship Working Group in Vienna

As part of Work Package 6: Strengthening Our Engagement with Society, the Artistic Citizenship, Audience and Community Engagement working group met in person for the first time at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna on 7–8 May 2025. This inaugural meeting focused on building a shared understanding of key concepts including artistic citizenship, audience engagement, and community engagement. Establishing this common ground is essential for future collaboration within the group. The productive discussions in Vienna laid a strong foundation for the group's future work — both in terms of substance and structure.

Over the next three years, the working group — collaborating closely with societal associate partners — will develop an IN.TUNE Policy on Audience Engagement and Cultural Citizenship, while also working to strengthen the regional roles of IN.TUNE universities.

One of the first priorities is to create an inventory of how alliance partners currently engage with local and regional audiences and stakeholders through their activities, as well as how audience engagement and support for cultural citizenship are integrated into existing study programmes focused on socially engaged practice. To support this effort, the group developed initial categories for the planned inventory, which were then tested and critically reviewed using real-world examples. During this collaborative process, the final title of the working group — Artistic Citizenship, Audience and Community Engagement — was confirmed.

Next steps include building the inventory of relevant projects and sharing experiences and insights on how the categories are applied across institutions, which will be discussed in the group’s subsequent meetings.

Additionally, the group is invited to visit the entrepreneurial bootcamp Explore New Playgrounds, organised by the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. During an intensive week, students explore how to meet new audiences and be meaningful as artists in society, performing together with others and for a specific audience. The visit will further strengthen connections and sharing best practices among partners, which are key factors in building a stronger alliance and shaping its future work.

Photos: copyright (c) Stephan Polzer