Yogyakarta, June 15th 2026 – The Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM) through its Performing Arts and Visual Arts (PSPSR) Program hosted a National Seminar titled “Arts Education, Cultural Literacy, and the Politics of Representation in the Contemporary Creative Ecosystem.” This event is the result of a strategic collaboration of four leading higher education institutions: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), PSPSR SPs UGM, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), and Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) Yogyakarta. This academic gathering facilitated a critical dialect space that brought together lecturers and postgraduate students from the four universities. The seminar was motivated by the rapid development of digital technology, artificial intelligence, and the creative industry, which have fundamentally altered the landscape of cultural production and consumption. Art no longer exists solely as a medium for aesthetic expression but has transformed into a part of representational practices, the creative economy, and the contestation of meaning in digital spaces. This event showed arts education encouraging artistic skills to transmit and also to build the critical cultural literacy of the younger generation in facing the challenges of digital algorithms, virality phenomena, and cultural commodification.
The event featured presentations and in-depth discussions by a lineup of expert academics, including Dr. Yanti Heriyawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., Prof. Dr. Kun Setyaning Astuti, M.Pd., Dr. Sri Margana, M.Hum., M.Phil., and Dr. Sn. Muh. Fajar Apriyanto, M.Sn. The sessions were also guided by prominent discussants, such as Dr. G.R. Lono Lastoro Simatupang, M.A. and Dr. Mikke Susanto, S.Sn., M.A. In addition to the exchange of ideas, this momentum, driven by the academic community of PSPSR SPs UGM It was formalized with the signing of collaborative documents (Implementation of Agreement/IA). This partnership aims to produce tangible outputs in the form of collaborative scientific articles (joint-authorship) in reputable Scopus/WoS indexed journals, policy briefs, and documentation of art exhibitions and performances.
The organization of this cross-campus seminar is a concrete step by PSPSR SPs UGM and its partner institutions in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The efforts to build critical awareness and advanced research methodologies for master’s and doctoral students contribute directly to the provision of quality education (SDG 4). In-depth studies on the adaptation of arts within the digital technology ecosystem support the development of industry and innovation (SDG 9). Furthermore, the synergy realized through cooperative documents and collaborative publications among the four universities serves as a strong manifestation of partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).
Author: Berlian Belasuni