2025 AAAE Conference | Confluence of Cultures
May 22 – 25, 2025
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AAAE’s annual conference brings together members and colleagues from across the globe. It is the perfect opportunity to connect with fellow arts administrators and educators and explore the complex questions of arts and cultural management. Our members gather to share their latest research findings, explore the newest practices and keep up with the rapidly changing ways art is made, supported, experienced, and delivered. Conferences offer programming in research, pedagogy, and practice. Hosted by AAAE members in a different location every year, they afford members and attendees an opportunity to explore the arts and culture of new places.
The Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) invites educators, scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students to submit proposals for its next annual conference, which will be held from May 22–25, 2025, at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The theme of the conference, “Confluence of Cultures,” is inspired by Pittsburgh itself. Over the past few decades, the city has undergone a renewal transitioning from a city of steel to one with a focus on the arts, education, cultural diversity, health, innovation, and urban ecosystem rehabilitation. Located at the confluence of three rivers and connected by hundreds of bridges, Pittsburgh provides a stimulating environment to engage arts administrators’ imaginations in exploring key sub-themes: the culture of belonging, the culture of health and well-being, the culture of innovation, and the culture of the environment.
This year’s focus on confluence builds upon last year’s theme of intersections, pushing the idea further by emphasizing collective action for positive systemic change, from the classroom to cultural organizations and policy-making.
Submissions could examine the theme on both local and global scales and address one or more of the following categories:
Belonging
How do arts administration educators foster classroom environments where everyone feels included, valued, and accepted? How can arts leaders and policy-makers develop strategies to ensure that individuals from diverse backgrounds build a sense of belonging and strengthen social ties within communities? We welcome critical pedagogies, case studies, and other reflections that explore the role of the arts in cultivating a sense of belonging and bridging divides in contemporary societies.
Health and Well-Being
Premised on the notion that arts are a powerful mechanism for nurturing healthy communities, we welcome submissions that explore innovative and decolonizing curriculum approaches demonstrating how the arts enhance health and well-being, the role of arts administrators in supporting health institutions, medical humanities, and existing programs that train arts-in-health professionals. Alternatively, submissions may focus on work-life balance and mental health support for artists and administrators.
Innovation
We seek to understand what innovation means in the arts, how the arts drive innovation, and how innovation can embrace the arts. Proposals may focus on how arts organizations can cultivate a culture that embraces change, encourages experimentation, and leverages technology to advance artistic practices, pedagogy and research.
Environment
How can arts administrators leverage the influence of the arts to promote climate justice, sustainability, and ecological awareness? We encourage submissions that explore the intersection of the arts, public policy, and environmental concerns, highlighting the role of the arts in promoting sustainability, ecological awareness and other aspects of the rapidly evolving climate change.