Art, culture and schools: OeAD presents practical examples during the ‘Week of Cultural Education’

From 19 to 25 May 2025, the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD), Austria's education agency, together with numerous cooperation partners, is hosting the ‘Week of Cultural Education’. One highlight is the conference ‘Achtzig Jahre danach,’ which will take place on 19 and 20 May 2025 and will examine the work of remembrance of National Socialism from the perspective of artistic practice and education. In cooperation with the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Graz and the Department for Art and Culture Education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the OeAD will show how cultural education can combine historical learning and democracy education. In addition, the OeAD provides insights into its projects at the interface between school, art and culture, focusing on initiatives from the ‘Kunst ist Klasse’ programme, which is jointly funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture.
 

All events can be found here.

‘Learning in, through and with art and culture strengthens a broad spectrum of cognitive, social and emotional skills in children and young people. As an educational agency, we are therefore committed to close cooperation between schools, cultural institutions and artists,’ emphasises OeAD Managing Director Jakob Calice. On behalf of the Ministry of Education, the OeAD supports around 3,500 projects at schools throughout Austria every year. Around 150,000 pupils – in cities and rural areas alike – experience art and culture at first hand and actively participate in shaping it. Extracurricular learning venues such as theatres, museums and libraries expand the educational space and enable interdisciplinary learning.
 

The ‘Week of Cultural Education’ was inspired by the ‘International Arts Education Week’ launched by UNESCO in 2011. Every year in the fourth week of May, the focus is on the importance of cultural education inside and outside schools and the participation of young people in art and culture. The UNESCO Framework for Cultural and Creative Education, adopted in 2024, was signed by 120 countries, including Austria. It emphasises the important role of cultural and creative education in addressing the societal challenges of sustainability, democratisation and digitalisation.