Education today is faced with the task of developing socially and culturally sustainable models in an era where the challenges are global in scope. For arts and culture facilitators questions arise around how to use online spaces to provide engaging international experiences for students and colleagues. How does one share and preserve distinctive cultures and creative contexts when connecting online? And how, on graduation, might arts and media students find a foothold in global economies of artistic production?
Since 2010, students and professors at multiple universities around the world have engaged in meaningful international experiences under the name International Art Collaborations (INTAC) following an annual cycle of 8-month engagements. These iterations have brought together universities located in Finland, Mexico, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Japan and China, among others.
In school, we usually work on collaborative projects all the time. People are working in
– Carlos Turrubiartes, UAEMex
groups, creating exhibitions together but just the fact of getting to work with people from very different backgrounds is unique. We usually have a different topic every year. You get to see ways in which this topic relates to you and other people. To see the way they work, the way they think. Everything can be quite different or sometimes surprisingly similar. Even though it’s international, there are a lot of similarities. You just open your mind to other ways of thinking and to other realities. Another aspect is being creative and specifically as an artist, getting to broaden your perspectives and gain more tools to work into your projects.
Conception of a Collaborative Framework for the INTAC Network, Peter Sramek, 2014
The growing INTAC network provides a framework that empowers students to connect through online communication and work together to collaborate on dynamic art projects. We employ a philosophy of open team-based exchange of ideas and materials through online workspace platforms and social media combined with facilitated in-person meetings at each location. In this environment, students develop projects under the guidance of their professors, and are encouraged to become leaders in building new relationships through the sharing of ideas and concepts that cross language and cultural differences.
The virtual learning experience fosters a contemporary take on traditional individualistic methods of art-making practices and prepares students to understand realities of cultural diversity and inter-dependence. Through the blending of online and face-to-face collaboration, students develop artworks that address a broad range of themes, effectively empowering them to work together and engage questions crucial to themselves and their international partners. As future professional image creators, they are better prepared to positively impact 21st century media environments.
The more recent Visual Catalyst Workshops (VICAT) and INTAC Sustainability Jams are exposing participants to the possibilities of visual art research, actions and outcomes as catalysts to create awareness and change – movement towards sustainable futures and circular economies.
Partners
Links to examples of past projects, exhibitions and activities
can be found in the older website while this new website format is being developed.