Problems and Prospects for the Education of Arts and Culture in the EU in the Postmodern Situation
Stoyan Denchev, State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (Bulgaria)
Evgeni Velev, State of University of library and Information Technologies (Bulgaria)
Irena Peteva, State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (Bulgaria)
Merian Veleva, State of University of Library and Information Technologies (Bulgaria)
Abstract
The study attempts to propose and justify the idea that arts and culture education in a postmodern situation is facing complex challenges and difficult to overcome unfavorable inertial processes whose handling and yielding need to be a priority for the organizational and governing structures of the national culture, art and education systems of EU member states. This can be done by forming an extended international network of leading organizations and institutions in this sphere, including cultural, artistic and educational institutions, facilitators of innovations (centers for innovative and educational technologies, strategic cultural, creative, educational and media platforms, innovative clusters, existing and new networks for an exchange of good practices) as well as representatives of the governing circles. The main focus is the need to increase the number of “alternative educational and cultural and entertaining spaces” with educational purposes increasing their efficiency in the context of contemporary European and world art and cultural practices but also to create relevant conditions for the development of versatile forms of presenting traditional and alternative art culture and cultural expression.
In the course of the study, attention has been paid to the fact that the modern globalizing world requires the formation of new concepts on the role and functions of the participants in the cultural, art and educational processes. It is due to this that the expectations to the research circles have been directed towards finding a simplified interpretation of the notions of “art perception boundaries”, “aestheticized consciousness boundaries”, “normative morality boundaries”, “border forms of art”, different from the conventional understanding while contemporary issues of art and culture education are much more deeply interpreted from a pedagogic and cultural point of view. The need is analyzed for creating educational and cultural and entertainment alternatives in lifelong art and culture education in EU member states. Discussed is the need to form users and audiences as well as stimulating a common European cultural and educational context by encouraging relations among artists, cultural activists, culture and art managers, museum experts, NGOs, educational and cultural institutions and stakeholders for the creation and maintenance of cultural, research and educational networks in aim of strengthening international cultural relations by stimulating the exchange of cultural and educational products, artists, intermediaries and participants in the cultural, art and educational processes.
Keywords: arts education and culture of lifelong learning, cultural and educational context, artistic identity, spiritual and cultural separateness, pan-European cultural and educational context, informal educational practices, alternative art culture.