KEA is proud to collaborate on a new research initiative that seeks to map and better understand the landscape of Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) organisations across Europe.

This project, commissioned by the Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts, is being carried out by Fondazione Santagata, in partnership with The Field and KEA European Affairs. The research focuses on the Council of Europe region and aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the SEA ecosystem at a time when these practices are both under pressure and more urgently needed than ever.

Why this matters

Socially engaged arts are collaborative, community-centred practices where artists and participants co-create artistic responses to social, environmental, and political issues. Rather than focusing solely on art as a product or performance, SEAs emphasise process, dialogue, and collective action, fostering local ownership, social cohesion, and active citizenship through art.

Across Europe, terminology varies — community arts, participatory arts, civic arts, artivism — but all share a commitment to using art as a tool for social change. For this research, we use “socially engaged arts” as an umbrella term.

To capture the depth and diversity of this sector, we invite arts organisations that identify with these practices to complete a short survey. It will take 10–15 minutes and is open until 16 January.

Your input will help shape a public report (with anonymised results) that will serve as a resource for understanding and advocating for the SEA sector across Europe.

Thank you for contributing to this important mapping exercise and supporting the visibility and recognition of socially engaged arts in Europe.