The panel has been proposed and will be co-chaired by Valeria Morea, Erwin Dekker, and Carolina Dalla Chiesa, and will focus on state-of-the-art research on the cultural and creative industries from an institutional perspective.
We’re proud to highlight two contributions from the GLAMMONS network:
16 June, 10:00–12:00 (Massachusetts time): Matilde Ferrero will present “Informal artistic practices as cultural commons”
17 June, 10:00–12:00 (Massachusetts time): Lyudmila Petrova, Ph.D. (CREARE Social) and Marilena Vecco will present “What is cultural in cultural commons”
Both presentations will take place online.
Learn more about the conference themes and how to register here.
Prefigurative commons refers to cooperative, non-hierarchical practices based on the principles of the commons, positioning them as alternative models for social, economic, political, and cultural futures. These practices emerge within the context of a broader conceptual shift, occupying the space between the old and the new, where evolving relationships have the potential to transform social reality. Prefigurative commons practices are less about techniques and more about principles, such as shared governance, self-management, mutual aid, and collective care. They also encompass imagination and curiosity, often taking place outside institutional frameworks. An important ludic element should not be overlooked—creating a model requires first imagining it, while remaining open to its transformations. Much like play, prefigurative commons represent a space for the free flow of imagination, where boundaries are determined by consensus.
Prefigurative commons can be found in many cultural forms traditionally referred to as “folk,” such as storytelling, music performance, and even dance semiotics and game mechanics. I am particularly referring here to the globally recognized, archetypal (or monomythic) patterns shared by many cultures across different regions of the world. Games are interesting examples to draw analogies to, as they represent complex forms of human interaction. Among other things, play is an essential pedagogical method for learning how to negotiate rules and relationships from an early age. Because games are time-limited—whether determined by the causal structure of a fantasy or by the open-ended nature of the flow, allowing players to stop at any time—they create temporary time-spaces for more or less stable communities, self-organized to manage resources sustainably and without top-down control. Games often mirror real-world commons dilemmas, illustrating models of collective action, cooperation, and sustainable resource use.
For example, many tabletop RPGs rely on co-created narrative commons-stories, rather than being owned by a single author. Open-source RPGs allow players to modify and expand upon the rules, reflecting commons-based peer production. LARPing often involves improvised rules, co-created worlds, and shared narratives, forming a cultural commons. Some LARP communities operate on gift economies or participatory governance, similar to real-world commons structures. In recent years, I have been exploring a genre called serious gaming.
Serious gaming refers to the use of games for purposes beyond entertainment, such as education, social change, research, and training. These games often simulate real-world systems to help players explore complex problems, decision-making, and cooperation—making them particularly relevant to commons theory. Unlike gamification, where game-like elements are added to non-game tasks, serious games are fully developed game experiences that balance fun with meaningful learning outcomes.
In the summer of 2023, I was invited to design a serious game titled THINKING SHAPES / SPEAKING SHAPES / SHAPING SOCIAL COMMONS by the društvo udružene odgovornosti collective for their exhibition program at the U10 art space in Belgrade. The theme of the program was the institution of the future, a politically sensitive topic in the local context. There were many potential points to approach critically, but I chose to engage the creative potentials of the players. Through this tabletop text-based cooperative serious game, I invited participants to question and deconstruct their expectations of institutional organizing, and to co-create new possible horizons for the institutional practices they wish to experience. The proposed rules of the game are negotiable; they are designed to serve the game, not the other way around. Each task presents a choice on a metanarrative level, provoking players to the adequacy and relevance of the rules in relation to the situations at hand, or the authority of the game master.
What I have learned from games is that everyone enjoys playing, especially when the game is not competitive, but rather encourages curiosity and creativity. It has been proven that play stimulates spontaneous and long-term learning processes through its open and inclusive, transdisciplinary nature. Just like the games, the best way to learn commoning is by practicing it until one becomes really good at it.
Ana Pinter – stage director, theater educator and co-founder of Tri groša (Threepenny) company based in Belgrade, Serbia
Would you like to share your experience? Feel free to leave a reply!
On May 8th, 2025, our partners Creare Social and BSB organized a training and open day in Turin together with Sciences Po. The event aimed to explore the latest research for GLAMMONS, bringing together researchers, young scholars and practitioners. They were hosted in one of the cultural spaces that best represents the city’s ecosystem of cultural commons: the Off Topic. On behalf of CREARE Social, Lyudmila Petrova and Arjo Klamer shared their expertise on the topic.
The day was opened by Marilena Vecco (Burgundy School of Business and Sciences) who invited the participants to an engaging conversation on different findings and tools of GLAMMONS. Further, Marilena Vecco presented the GLAMMONS to the audience and discussed how co-curation practices—particularly those supported through forms of patronage—as a central strategy for commons-based innovation and collective governance. These approaches actively involve communities, foster meaningful relationships, and contribute to wider processes of social development. Enrico Bertacchini, who, although not a member of the GLAMMONS project, but a key researcher on cultural commons from the Turin University reflected on the independent cultural scene in Turin and Italy, framing it through the lens of the commons. His analysis focused on how these spaces emerge in response to urban transformations and, in turn, shape those processes. He identified four typologies of independent cultural spaces, highlighting their relational fluidity and the often non-reciprocal, temporary nature of their collaborations.
Arjo Klamer (CREARE Social) offered an intervention on value – how it is generated, shared and managed in commons practices. Commons, he argued, are intentionally open, fluid, and even chaotic. Their actions and motivations do not always conform to external frameworks or political agendas. For example, when commons-based initiatives occupy an abandoned urban space, their presence is not necessarily driven by a goal of urban regeneration, but simply by the fact that the space is available and meaningful to them. This narrative introduces a new perspective that he defines as personal economy. Building on this, Lyudmila Petrova (CREARE Social) presented findings from research developed within the GLAMMONS framework and introduced some of the tools developed during the three years of the HorizonEurope supported project. More particularly, she introduced the Quality Evaluator and its application to various commons orientated case studies In this context, the value-based approach (VBA) helps to examine how commons-based practices emerge, evolve, and adapt. The VBA identifies personal, social, societal, and transcendent values as core elements that shape the commons. These values shift over time and context, influencing how commons-based initiatives balance sustainability, autonomy, and adaptability, as the analysis of seven case studies has revealed.
During different interactions, the audience engaged in inspiring conversations about the importance of support to the grass roots initiatives and commons-orientated organisations across Europe.
On Thursday 08 May, a workshop titled “The State of the Cultural Commons” will take place at Off Topic, Turin, from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM. The event will present recent findings from the Glammons project, focusing on cultural commons and participatory practices.
Research conducted by BSB and CREARE will be featured, offering an overview of the current state of the arts in this field and exploring its implications for cultural organisations, civil society, research communities, and citizens.
This workshop forms part of the broader Glammons initiative, which investigates how shared cultural resources and collaborative practices can inform more inclusive and sustainable cultural policy and practice.
For more information and to find out about the program click here.
On Tuesday 15 April, Lyudmila Petrova (Creare NL) is presenting at Philea – Philanthropy European Association webinar on “The Heart of Culture: Measuring Value Beyond Statistics”.
Why do arts and culture matter? With the artistic and cultural fields coming under increasing scrutiny comes the need to spell out and justify the value of arts and culture. The 2024 State of Culture report demonstrates how the “intrinsic” value remains challenging to articulate in policy terms yet the instrumentalisation of culture, recognised as a driver for non-cultural issues, is a major growing trend across European and national policies.
“As cultural policy is tuned to serve multiple external goals, cultural activities and practices have come under the quantitative measurement” – State of Culture. Artists and cultural institutions are increasingly pressured by funders to demonstrate their achievements at the conclusion of a project, which fails to capture the long-term effects of arts and culture.
How is philanthropy tackling the challenge of recognising the value of arts and culture beyond quantitative data? Are funders contributing to expressing art’s impact in numbers? What are the practices in terms of monitoring, evaluation and learning that foundations can implement to avoid instrumentalising the field and putting their partners in the complex position to predict and calculate the transformative effect of their work?
She presents the value-based approach methodology and its application in the GLAMMONS.
BSB and CREARE present the State of the Arts of Glammons, workshop and training session, an event dedicated to exploring the latest research and developments in the field of commons-orintated GLAMs (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums).
Date: May 8, 2025 Time: 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM Location: OFF Topic, Turin.
This event aims to engage civil society, communities of practices, and research communities in discussions on the current state of values assessment, participatory and self-governance practices as well as skills development of GLAMs. Participants will gain valuable insights into the key findings of the EU project Glammons (glammons.eu), presented and debated by leading experts in the field.
Organized by: Burgundy School of Business (France) and CREARE Social (The Netherlands) In cooperation with OFF Topic.
On Wednesday March 19, 2025, the info day for the project Glammons took place successfully at the welcome lounge of the BSB Dijon Campus, where the BSB Glammons Research Team shared the information on the project and also discussed how co-curation opens up inclusive participatory spaces in the contemporary arts sector.
The webinar explored the various Creative Commons licenses for documenting open-source data and content, highlighting their relevance for cultural institutions, particularly in fostering spaces for active audience engagement.
Presented by Dr. Stelios Lekakis from Mazomos and moderated by Dr. Marilena Vecco from BSB, the session was followed by a Q&A session addressing all questions related to Creative Commons licensing.
Conference: Commons and commoning in/for cultural production
4-5 September 2025, Romantso Cultural Hub, Athens, Greece
The conference marks the end of the GLAMMONS project, which aimed to explore practices (concerning management, financial sustainability and participation) that have emerged around small-scale, community-led GLAMS (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) through the theoretical lens of the commons. The project aimed to inspire commoning practices around GLAMs and beyond, and bring to the fore best practices that can respond to challenges that commons-oriented cultural organisations face.
We welcome contributions that build on empirical and/or theoretical approaches and we are particularly interested in critical contributions about the development of commons in cultural organisations from different academic perspectives, such as cultural studies, cultural economics, urban and cultural geography, sociology, management studies, labour studies, political sciences etc. We also welcome contributions from practitioners that would like to showcase their commons-oriented cultural organisations and discuss their challenges and practices.
The conference will be organised around six thematic panels, where each participant will have around 15 minutes to present their work.
After the conference, all contributors will be invited to submit their paper for publication to an edited book on commons and commoning in/for cultural production.
Keynote Speakers
Alice Borchi, University of Leeds
Ana Margarida Esteves, Center for International Studies of the University Institute of Lisbon
Andreas Exner, University of Graz
Amanda Huron, University of the District of Columbia
Alexandros Kioupkiolis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Prodromos Tsiavos, Onassis Foundation
Abstracts can focus on one or more of the following thematic panels:
Management and participatory practices under commons
Participation and co-curation in museums and cultural institutions: challenges and good practices
The past as a commons resource: Community narratives, traditional knowledge and heritage-making
Effective tools and mechanisms for horizontal decision-making in GLAMs and other cultural organisations
Networks and Intercommoning
In what kind of networks commons-oriented organisations participate and draw resources?
How can relations and networks with other commons (housing, energy, agrofood) assist and further stabilize commons- oriented GLAMs and commons from other fields of cultural production?
How do Diverse and Community Economies enable commoning in cultural production?
Commons-enabling infrastructures: Relationalised finance, volunteer labour and other resources
What resources (financial and other) are needed for enabling and sustaining commoning in the field of culture?
What are the social, financial, political or legal barriers, resistances and opportunities for supporting commoning in the field of culture?
What financial practices support commoning without the predatory extraction of conventional finance or the bureaucratic procedures that come with state support?
What are the challenges of communal volunteer labour in commons-oriented cultural organisations and initiatives?
Values and co-creation practices in/for commoning
What values inform different practices of cultural commons?
How can cultural commons build collective sense of purpose?
How to assess the importance of different clusters (cultural, social, societal) of values?
Digital commons and cultural accessibility
Repositories and their functions for culture and GLAMs
What are the digital tools for increasing access and engagement in cultural heritage and GLAM collections?
How can digital commons inform sectorial practices of heritage and culture institutions?
Policies for enabling commoning practices in cultural production
What is the role of the state (in various spatial scales) in enabling and sustaining commons-oriented cultural production?
What good practices/ policies exist for mobilising and sustaining commoning processes?
Public and private sector synergies? Terms and conditions for serving public benefit
Important dates and guidelines
Deadline for abstracts submission: 30 June 2025 (please indicate the thematic panel you would like to contribute to)
Send your abstracts at glammons.pmo@gmail.com
Notification of accepted abstracts: 15 July 2025
Length of abstracts: Maximum 300 words. All titles and abstracts must be written in English.
The conference has no fee.
Free accommodation for early career researchers
We aim to offer 12 bursaries to cover accommodation and lunches (3-6 September 2025) for early career researchers (post-doctoral researchers, PhD candidates, etc.) to join the conference and present their contribution. In order to be considered for free accommodation, please send us your CV along with the abstract by the 30th of June 2025.
The GLAMMONS project reimagines Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums (GLAMs) as dynamic, participatory and commons-oriented organisations that thrive on community engagement, meaningful participation, and co-creation. Across the EU, local commons-oriented initiatives – such as neighbourhood libraries, oral history archives and community museums – are emerging in urban, rural, and peripheral areas. These initiatives hold significant cultural and social value, strengthening community bonds, promoting inclusivity, social cohesion, and advancing social justice. GLAMMONS invites heritage and culture professionals, as well as cultural commoners, to help unlock the past and use cultural heritage as a resource for current and future social development.
GLAMMONS highlights inspiring examples of GLAMs operating as commons in countries such as Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, and Serbia. Each case exemplifies the importance of community engagement, volunteerism, and the preservation of cultural and historical resources. The nine cases outlined below share a commitment to creating and sustaining accessible spaces for knowledge-sharing and cultural enrichment, while often adapting to evolving circumstances and community needs. They overcome financial constraints, address challenges of community engagement, and discover innovative ways to ensure sustainability. These cases offer practical guidance for others wishing to embark on similar initiatives.
GLAM professionals and academics are invited to collaborate and share their own experience on a dedicated platform.
A unique network of bottom-up, self-organised initiatives focused on the creation and dissemination of oral history archives. Research by Mina Dragouni and Dimitris Pettas (Panteion University).
Established in 1992 as a civic non-profit organisation, ASKI preserves the history and memory of Greek leftist political and social movements. It brings together a community of experts interested in the genealogy and biography of the Greek New Left. Research by Mina Dragouni and Dimitris Pettas (Panteion University).
Focusing on LGBTQ+ history and culture, this museum remains adaptable to changing demands while maintaining a strong volunteer presence. It combines political expression, scientific archival work, exhibitions, and workshops within an association structure. Research by Ares Kalandides, Bastian Lange, and Georgios Thodos (Inpolis)
Employing feminist pedagogy to foster critical thinking, creativity, and civic awareness in an underprivileged region. Research by Miljana Milojković (Nova Iskra), Ares Kalandides, Bastian Lange, and Georgios Thodos (Inpolis).
Operating as part of Magacin, a self-organized and self-managed cultural center in Belgrade. Research by Miljana Milojković (Nova Iskra), Ares Kalandides, Bastian Lange, and Georgios Thodos (Inpolis).
An independent art space that exemplifies a powerful model of cultural and artistic practice grounded in artistic and economic autonomy, long-term personal commitment and collaboration. Research by Lyudmila Petrova and Matilde Ferrero (CREARE).
“The research revealed that three key organizational modes emerged in response to these challenges: top-down professional consultancy, bottom-up semi-professional practices, and routinized participatory modes. These modes reflected the growing diversity of duties and thematic focuses within the museum but also highlighted the tensions between professional management and volunteer-driven governance.”
-Ares Kalandides, Inpolis (Except from “How GLAM Institutions Are Rewriting the Rulebook: Adapting to the Post-Pandemic and Digital Age?”).
“What sets Bestemming bereikt? apart is its pioneering shift from traditional curating to a collaborative, community-focused process. Professionals and local people worked hand in hand to create an exhibition that celebrated the stories and identities of its creators as much as the objects on display.”
-Lyudmila Petrova and Arjo Klamer, CREARE (Except from “Co-curating history: The Bestemming bereikt? Exhibition”).
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