In 2025, ÉSADHAR, a recipient of the Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education program, launched the European project STEP – Strategies for Transformative Education for Art in Public Spaces, supported by Erasmus+. This educational innovation and research project, spanning three years (2026–2028), aims to renew educational practices through interdisciplinary, collaborative, and transnational approaches.
This international cooperation program brings together five European higher education institutions in art and design: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels – ArBA-ESA (Belgium), the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto – FBAUP (Portugal), the Fontys Academy of the Arts (Netherlands), and the Kunstuniversität Linz (Austria), coordinated by ésadhar – École Supérieure d’Art et Design Le Havre-Rouen (France).
Against a backdrop of multiple crises, marked by a loss of trust in institutions and the prioritization of national interests over collective ideals, public spaces have become a major issue. These dynamics fuel a phenomenon of isolation—or “archipelization”—leading to a gradual shrinking of the public sphere. From this perspective, creation in and for the public sphere constitutes a prime arena for democratic debate, reflecting the challenges, tensions, and aspirations of societies. By addressing major aesthetic, social, and political issues, artists and designers foster dialogue and public engagement, which can encourage the emergence of new perceptions of complex realities—and even new ways of living together.
The rapid social and ecological transformations we are experiencing today demand new skills and expertise from artists and designers, presenting a major challenge for new pedagogical approaches. This is the shared observation of the consortium members behind the STEP project. They are convinced that mobility, international cooperation, engagement with otherness, and the sharing of practices and ideas contribute to the development and enrichment of public spaces in their many forms.
The range of STEP activities—whether in-person, hybrid, or online—serves as a pedagogical testing ground. This diversity of formats facilitates the implementation of collaborative, transnational, and interdisciplinary methodologies, while enabling the analysis of learning dynamics. Students are engaged in situated creative processes, in close interaction with the social, cultural, and institutional contexts of partner regions. This contextualized approach to artistic practice is rooted in a critical perspective on the public space, viewed as a site for experimentation and dialogue.
Furthermore, STEP develops an integrated pedagogy that combines creation, research, and professionalization. The acquisition of cross-disciplinary skills—such as project management and engineering, partnership building, fundraising, communication strategies, and legal issues—contributes to the training of artists capable of situating their practice within complex professional ecosystems. The project thus aims to contribute to the redefinition of training models by strengthening the autonomy, self-reflection, and adaptability of future graduates.
The activities carried out within the framework of the project are integrated into each institution’s curriculum, awarding credits to participating students. By combining approaches and expertise, the project lays the groundwork for shared pedagogy and sustainable collaboration among partners. At the end of the three-year period, the goal is to have established a sustainable working structure, with a view to implementing a common curriculum leading to a joint degree.
STEP 2026 Program
March 4 & 5, 2026
Educational Conference at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels – ArBA-ESA (Belgium)
This meeting brings together the teaching teams from the five partner schools of the STEP project to discuss teaching practices related to creation in public spaces, share pedagogical methodologies, and prepare international activities for students.
March 25, 2026
Entrepreneurship International Conference – Student Workshop (online)
Organized by the Fontys Academy of the Arts (Netherlands), this one-day workshop explores the professional landscape of creation in public spaces: the status of artists and designers, production methods, collaborations with local authorities, professional networks, and project development strategies.
Online participation is open to 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-year students at ÉSADHAR.
April 8, 2026
International Hybrid Seminar – FBAUP, Porto (Portugal) – Seminar for students (online)
Organized by the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto – FBAUP, this seminar features David Limaverde, a faculty member at the Fontys Academy of the Arts (Netherlands).
This half-day of meetings and discussions offers a reflection on contemporary artistic practices in public spaces and the professional and pedagogical challenges that accompany them.
Online participation for 4th- and 5th-year students at ÉSADHAR.
May 25–30, 2026
“The Resilient City” – European Camp at Hangar 0, Le Havre
This intensive one-week workshop brings together 50 students from partner schools: ArBA-ESA (Belgium), FBAUP (Portugal), Fontys Academy of the Arts (Netherlands), Kunstuniversität Linz (Austria), and ésadhar (France).
Hosted at Hangar 0 in Le Havre, this camp offers a program combining artistic practice, talks by professionals, visits, and time for collective reflection, culminating in a final presentation of the projects.
The activities (seminars, hybrid sessions, and camp) are structured around three themes:
Coexistence
New ways of living together, human/non-human relationships, ecosystems, environment.
Active citizenship
Participatory tools, cultural spaces as venues for encounter, debate, and collective action, citizens’ well-being and resilience, co-construction of public action.
Art and Design in Local Projects
The contribution of art and design to field analysis and decision-making by local authorities, transformations of urban space and its social fabric.
STEP is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ 2021–2027 program as part of the call for proposals “AC220-SUP – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education.”
Instagram: @step_europeanproject