Els dies 25 i 26 de setembre del 2025, la Facultat de Formació del Professorat de la Universitat de València va acollir la celebració del I Congrés Internacional de Recerca Educativa Basada en les Arts: Art i democràcia (OBERTURA).

On September 25 and 26, 2025, the Faculty of Teacher Training of the University of Valencia hosted the 1st International Congress on Arts-Based Educational Research: Art and Democracy (ABERTURA). Organized by the ABERTURA Research Group of the University of Valencia, the event created a space for dialogue among researchers, cultural mediators, teachers, and professionals in the arts and education field interested in the relationship between art and democracy.
The congress focused on promoting the Art-Based Educational Research (ABER) methodology as a research approach that integrates aesthetics, symbolism, and reflection in social and educational research processes through the arts.
The congress featured a diverse program, including keynote presentations by internationally renowned researchers such as Raphael Vella, the Bunker team, Petra Šobáňová, Estibaliz Aberasturi, and Francesco Careri. Twenty oral presentation sessions on emerging topics in arts-based educational research were held, with 180 participants. In addition, an exhibition at the Almàssera Garden Museum showcased the results of social art projects, public pedagogy based on art, artivism, and other proposals for cultural transformation.
The discussion forums and participatory activities fostered exchange among attendees primarily from Brazil, Portugal, Italy, China, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Spain.
The contributions to the congress provided evidence of the importance of the ABER methodology in different research contexts and its practical utility and relevance in multiple fields of knowledge, as a fundamental research method in education and other areas. Arts-Based Educational Research was validated as an essential method in the academic field, alongside more traditional paradigms such as qualitative and quantitative research.
The organizing committee believes that the first edition of ABERTURA exceeded expectations, not only due to the quality of the presentations and the diversity of perspectives shared, but also because of the establishment of collaborative networks between institutions. This congress is expected to establish itself as a leading national and international forum for the convergence of art, education, and social research. This congress was made possible thanks to funding from: The Grant for the Organization and Promotion of International Scientific, Technological, Humanities, and Arts Conferences, Symposia, and Meetings (CIAORG 2024) for the 2025 fiscal year, issued by the Resolution of November 27, 2024, of the Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura, Universitats i Ocupació. Reference: CIAORG/2024/132, for the ABERTURA conference: I International Congress on Arts-Based Educational Research. Art and Democracy.
For more information, to access conference materials, or to contact us for future collaborations, please visit:
- The official congress website: www.uv.es/investigacion-educativa-cultura-artes/actividades/congresos/congreso-abertura-2025.html
- The collaborative online bulletin board: https://padlet.com/etorrecilla/congreso-abertura-ehq5pq24g8kka5k5
- The photo gallery: https://cooltenet.pixieset.com/congresoaberturaporcooltenet/