Can Art make the world ‘better’ and how?

Led by Dr Ali FitzGibbon and Dr Anders Rykkja, Queen's University Belfast

We know cultural or arts activities and those making them aim to ‘do good’ and make the world a better place: but - is it the purpose of art to make the world ‘better’? Can it do that? And who decides what is ‘goodness’? A special showcase event will bring together an exhibition of the most recent research from the Masters in Arts Management students at Queen’s and a guest speaker Dr Anthony Schrag (Queen Margaret’s University, Edinburgh) to speak about his most recent work on Socially Engaged Art and Ethics. In this he will tackle the complex story of how artists working with communities, publics and social contexts might understand ‘goodness’ and the ethical problems that emerge when cultural activities happen in social environments

This is a unique opportunity to engage with a range of new research emerging from Queen’s in the field of arts and cultural management and policy and to meet the next generation of researchers in a special exhibition of their work. The event will started with Schrag’s short talk and conversation with QUB researcher Dr Ali FitzGibbon and this will be followed by an informal reception and viewing of the exhibition.

The talk will be held at McMordie Hall, Music Building, Queen’s University Belfast and following this event, the poster exhibition will open to the public for viewing from 6 - 12 November 2025 in the Main Site Tower of the Law Building located on the main campus opposite the Queen’s Film Theatre.

AccessAble link: https://www.accessable.co.uk/queen-s-university-belfast/access-guides/music-building-old-mcmordie-hall

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Host or Publisher ESRC Festival of Social Science in NI 2025