ECADC in collaboration with the Association of Estonian Art Institutions (KAEL), is organising a new international cultural management forum Shaping Cultural Futures. The forum will take place on November 4–5 at Kai Art Center, featuring two days of keynotes, discussions, conversations and workshops. Designed for professionals working in the arts, culture, and creative policy, the forum will bring together international industry experts, researchers, and institutional leaders. The aim is to explore how contemporary art can contribute to building more sustainable, visible, and forward-looking cultural landscapes.
The full program is available here.
Meet the speakers here.
Book your tickets here.
Day 1 Schedule
09:00-09:30 – Arrival, Registration, Coffee
09:30-10:00 – Opening remarks by Estonian Minister of Culture Heidy Purga,
Kadri Laas-Lepasepp (Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center (ECADC)) and Kadi-Ell Tähiste (Association of Estonian Art Institutions (KAEL))
10:00-11:00 Keynote: Rethinking Art, Business and Society
/ Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, the Executive Director of the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) Art Initiative and Literary Agenda.
SSE has deeply integrated the arts into its curriculum—not as mere decoration, but as a critical lens to understand complexity, ethics, and societal change. This keynote explores how incorporating artistic perspectives into business and public institutions can cultivate new forms of leadership and long-term thinking.
11:00-12:00 Panel Discussion: Cultural Leadership – How Art Builds Institutions
This panel will explore how art functions as a form of strategic soft power, shaping institutions, companies, and countries from within. The panelists will discuss ways how artistic perspectives serve as drivers of innovation, diplomacy, and reputation. Using examples ranging from business schools to state-wide initiatives, the panel brings together leaders working at the intersection of art, enterprise, and international visibility.
Panelists:
Xenia Joost, Deputy Secretary General for the Arts at the Estonian Ministry of Culture (moderator)
Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, Director of Art Initiative and Literary Agenda, Stockholm School of Economics
Siim Raie, Artrovert gallery founder and galerist, former Director of National Heritage Board and Office of the President of Estonia.
12:00-13:00 Lunch
13:00-14:00 Keynote: On creativity and income – comparing contemporary pay models for artists / Maria-Kristiina Soomre, Adviser on Visual Art at Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Drawing on various international examples, this presentation will explore the different frameworks through which artists are compensated, including fees, grants, salaries, basic income, and other forms of support. It will examine how these models are interconnected with broader social systems and potential possible future work scenarios. Using the Irish Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme as a central example, it will demonstrate how a stable income is crucial for sustaining artistic practice.
14:00-15:00 Panel Discussion: From Precarity to Policy
Based on international examples and regional perspectives, this discussion will explore how to redefine artistic labor as essential, ongoing work deserving of investment. How can public policy transition from project-based funding to providing structural support, and what are the reasons for doing it? What steps need to be taken to implement such models and make them politically feasible?
Panelists:
Maria-Kristiina Soomre, Adviser on Visual Art at the Estonian Ministry of Culture (moderator)
Vaida Stepanovaité-Kobialka, researcher, curator, lecturer, organizer and co-founder of the Art Workers’ Union in Lithuania.
Sten Andreas Ehrlich, Head of Operations for the member-owned pension fund and asset management company Tuleva and former undersecretary of labor at the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs.
Anna Rikkinen, artist and Contemporary Craft Specialist
15:00-15:15 Coffee break
15:15-16:45 Panel Discussion: Making Cities Visible
This panel will examine how urban leaders can take a strategic approach to embedding cultural events into image-making and visitor strategies. It will also explore how cities at the edges of dominant cultural geographies can use contemporary art to build presence and agency. What kinds of infrastructure are needed to make such events impactful?
Panelists:
Helen Sildna, Founder of Tallinn Music Week, Shiftworks (moderator)
Elīna Drāke, Director of Riga Art Week
Kati Kivinen, Curator of Helsinki Biennial and HAM
Joanna Witek-Lipka, Director of Warsaw Gallery Weekend.
16:45–17:00 Closing of Day 1 – Open microphone for audience thoughts and reflections
17:00-17:30 Exhibition tour at Kai Art Center (On Fragile Grounds. Sirje Runge and Light)
17:30 onwards Evening Programme – reception