FROM OPEN DATA TO DATA COMMONS

What if the problem isn’t a lack of data, but a lack of infrastructure to share and reuse it responsibly over time?When working with data, we often treat collection as the end of the story—focusing on efficient ways to acquire and store it—while neglecting the data's longer life: making it findable, interpretable, re-usable, and actionable beyond its original purpose. Responsible reuse depends not just on technical infrastructure but also on shared practice.

With the Culture Data Commons as a starting point, join us in conversation with Stefaan Verhulst, Co-founder of the GovLab and The DataTank, on responsible data reuse and the opportunities of data stewardship through collective practices and participatory governance. 

Organized by the Culture & Arts Policy Institute and hosted by BRIC, this session, part of Open Data Week 2026,  invites cultural leaders, researchers, technologists, policymakers, and funders to rethink data governance in the arts and to consider how collective data infrastructure can transform information into shared power.

ABOUT THE CULTURE DATA COMMONS 

Developed by the Culture & Arts Policy Institute, the Culture Data Commons (The Commons) is a collectively stewarded shared data space for the culture and arts sector. It brings together datasets, tools, and governance practices to enable organizations to share, access, and reuse information responsibly. More than a portal, it is a collaborative framework that centers participation, transparency, and collective decision-making in how culture data is stewarded and applied.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Culture and Arts Policy Institute