Summary of Week 2

This Week, we have seen that the digital revolution, along with the process of globalisation, challenges traditional cultural institutions conceived as national instruments. Cultural policies today have also to do with having a voice in the global landscape, which is saturated with information.

We also presented crowdfunding the new and innovative tool that offers promising perspectives for culture, especially because it can be combined with other sources of finance such as the system of matchfunding. In addition, we saw that crowdfunding offers artists and cultural producers also the opportunity to engage with their community and develop projects that meet their values and demands.

Finally, we discussed the effects of digital technologies on the art world. As we now know, given the importance of real-life interaction in the aesthetic experience and in the construction of the symbolic value of art, there are several limitations on the adoption of such technologies in the art world. In addition, the main players of the art market have resisted what they saw as an evolution that would reduce the value of art and harm their control on information. Nevertheless, the digital revolution seems to be making its way in the art world as well, with the rise of promising initiatives like Artsy or the Google Art Project.

Next Week, we will take a look at the threats that emerge in the digital era.

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