Researchers and members of the CULTMED project, Dr Ana Žuvela, Dr Dea Vidović, and Dr Aleksandra Uzelac, participated in the AIMAC 2026 – International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1 to 3 July 2026.
At the conference, they presented their co-authored paper entitled “Frictioned Futures: Creative Economy Discourses and the Erosion of Local Cultural Policy-Making in Croatia.” Drawing on the authors’ research and professional experience in the development of local cultural development strategies, the paper examines how creative economy discourse is translated into local cultural policies in Croatia and how international development models shape the language, priorities, and processes of local cultural planning. The paper further explores the relationship between globally circulating cultural policy paradigms and the specific social, institutional, and political contexts in which local cultural policies are developed.
AIMAC is one of the world’s leading international academic conferences dedicated to arts and cultural management. Held biennially, it brings together researchers, academics, and practitioners from around the globe working in the fields of cultural management, cultural policy, the creative industries, and cultural development.
Participation in the conference provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge with international scholars and to present IRMO’s research on contemporary challenges facing cultural policy in Croatia within an international academic environment.
