17 de December de 2024

PULSE-ART: Art as a key tool for transforming education and fostering cultural awareness and expression

PULSE-ART, an innovative European project that aims to create evidence of the capacity of art in education to increase Cultural Awareness and Expression (CAE), has been launched. Over the next three years, this initiative will work in six European countries and Morocco with a multidisciplinary approach ranging from scientific illustration to music, dance and game design. Its main objective is to transform education systems by identifying current gaps in education in terms of cultural expression and proposing solutions from the integral creative industries (I-CCIs).

The project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, brings together educational, academic and cultural institutions from across Europe, as well as key players from the creative industry. By creating an umbrella methodology from the cultural industry’s own methodologies, and adapted to each context, PULSE-ART will demonstrate how art can be a powerful tool to generate structural change in education for the strengthening of the Competence of Cultural Awareness and Expression (one of the 8 key competences for Europe).

The project will develop case studies in seven countries, applying artistic formats adapted to each context. From scientific illustration in Spain to music in Morocco, dance in Latvia and GameArt in France, creative diversity will become the driving force to create inclusive and dynamic educational spaces that celebrate multiculturalism.

Each of these artistic experiences will serve to analyse how art can contribute to the development of key competences in students, fostering their cultural awareness and expression. In addition, stakeholder HUBs will be formed to identify barriers in education systems that affect the development of CAE, offering solutions that involve both the educational community and the political spheres.

One of the highlights of PULSE-ART is the creation of a Competency Framework for CAE and a Professional Development Programme that will help educators integrate the arts into their pedagogical practices. In addition, a self-reflection tool will be designed to enable students and teachers to assess their progress in terms of cultural awareness and expression.

The project will also promote the creation of Collaborative Hubs in each participating country. These spaces will bring together representatives from educational, academic, cultural, educational and cultural policy institutions to co-create national plans and policy recommendations at different levels.

At a time when Europe and the world are facing challenges related to the loss of cultural components through the adoption of rigid identities, PULSE-ARTE responds to an urgent need: to revitalise the values of mutual respect and appreciation for cultural diversity by building on and giving value to the work of the cultural industry

Isidora Fernández

PULSE-ART Coordinator and SFC Art and Science Specialist

Through co-creation and dialogue sessions, PULSE-ART aims not only to transform education, but also to inspire inclusive policies that integrate culture as a fundamental pillar of learning.

PULSE-ART aims to help a change of direction from rigid identities to polyphonic societies.

Moreover, the results obtained over the three years of work will not only benefit the participating countries, but will also serve as a replicable model for other regions interested in transforming their education systems through art.