Cultural Mobility Forum 2025 (Riga, Latvia & Online)

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Save the date!

Tuesday 29 April & Wednesday 30 April 2025 in Riga, Latvia, & online

Stay tuned for registration in early 2025!

Co-hosted by NDPC, Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture and in partnership with Riga Cirks and HowlRound.

The Forum is co-funded by the European Union, part of the New Solidarities’ project (2025–2028).

Why a Cultural Mobility Forum?

As part of its multiannual programme co-funded by the European Union, each year On the Move proposes a Cultural Mobility Forum to collectively investigate international artistic and cultural mobility trends. As a unique knowledge platform, the network works together with its members and partners to design thematic panel discussions and contextualise global mobility issues addressed in On the Move’s annual Cultural Mobility Yearbook.

Focus 2025: Revisiting the International Mobility of Young and Emerging Arts Workers

As the world emerged from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the career trajectories of young and emerging artists and culture professionals faced profound challenges. For many, their early careers began in the context of remote-only training, virtual internships, or online graduations, conditions that hindered vital networking and sector engagement. The pandemic interrupted the journeys of emerging artists and, in too many cases, led to abandonment of artistic pursuits altogether.

Data is scarce on those who may have reoriented their paths, raising questions: In 2025, who is genuinely prepared to pursue an artistic career in the face of such profound uncertainties? How do digital development, mobility justice issues, climate concerns, and international world uncertainties influence their appetite to embrace an international pathway?

Through these themes, the Cultural Mobility Forum 2025 will foster critical dialogue on the pathways forward for young and emerging artists and culture professionals, offering perspectives on how international mobility, inclusivity, and sustainability can be reimagined for a resilient arts and culture sector.

Read the Cultural Mobility Forum’s 2025 Background note.

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