KNUTKiT at the ELIA Biennial Conference 2022 (Finland)

From November 22 to 26, 2022, the ELIA Biennial Conference 2022 was held at the University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland.

For the second time, the leadership of the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, represented by Rector Inna Kocharyan and First Vice-Rector Oleg Kratt, takes part in the event organized by ELIA, one of the largest and most famous international networks of art schools and universities in Europe.

This time, the European League of Art Institutes set out to create an open research space for opinion leaders in the field of art education, academics, practitioners, professionals and students, which is what the biennial ELIA Biennale 2022 conference has become.

ELIA has more than 280 members in 51 countries, providing a dynamic platform for professional exchange and development in the field of higher education in the arts. The ELIA conference is an important event for a large number of higher education institutions, with about 400 delegates attending.

On the eve of the conference, ELIA once again supported Ukraine by launching the UAx platform together with the Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation (AACCF). Its goal is to support students affected by the war who have remained in Ukraine and continue their studies at artistic universities.

The task of this platform is to create a network of “Sister Schools” that unites art schools in Ukraine with ELIA member universities across Europe. In the first year, ten schools from Ukraine, Germany, Estonia, Poland, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic will become partners. Also, the project will award scholarships to individual students who have an urgent need to continue their studies at Ukrainian art universities.

Among those announced in Ukraine are the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television together with the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Kharkiv National University of Arts named after I. P. Kotlyarevsky, Lviv National Academy of Arts, and Odesa National Music Academy named after A. V. Nezhdanova. The Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts will continue to cooperate with the Konrad Wolf Film University in Babelsberg (Germany) within the framework of the UAx platform.

We are grateful to the European League of Arts Institutes for the support of our country, trust and membership of the Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts in the ELIA alliance!

We have a lot of work ahead of us together with our European partners, but we are convinced that this experience will strengthen the sustainability of art education in Ukraine!