The RIAM 2026 Organizing Committee invites researchers, educators, artists, practitioners, and policymakers to submit proposals that engage critically, reflectively, and constructively with the theme: Educating Through Care: Music, the Arts, and the Social Value of Cultural Education in Contemporary Societies. RIAM 2026 builds on the interdisciplinary, innovative, and research-driven foundations of RIAM 2025, advancing the discussion toward the social responsibility, ethical grounding, and public value of music and arts education. The conference foregrounds care-informed perspectives that recognize education for culture as a relational, emotional, and socially embedded practice with demonstrable impact on individuals, communities, and institutions. We welcome theoretical, empirical, methodological, and practice-based contributions that explore how music and the arts function as educational practices of care, inclusion, participation, and social benefit across formal, non-formal, and informal contexts, and across all levels of education. The RIAM 2026 Organizing Committee explicitly welcomes contributions focusing on primary and secondary education, recognizing schools as central spaces where the pedagogy of care, inclusion, and social responsibility is enacted daily through music and the arts. 

The symposium aims to explore the role of music and the arts as transformative forces of care, inclusion, and social cohesion within contemporary educational and cultural contexts. It seeks to bring together researchers, educators, artists, and policymakers to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue on the social value of cultural education.

Key thematic areas include (but are not limited to):

• Music and arts as practices of care and well-being 

• Cultural education and social inclusion

• Intercultural and community-based artistic practices

• Arts, education, and social justice

• Early childhood education and creative pedagogies

• Digital arts, multimodality, and contemporary learning environments
  
  

The RIAM symposium 2026 welcomes theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions that critically engage with the intersections of education, culture, and society. 

Why Participate in RIAM 2026?

The RIAM Symposium 2026—Research Impact of Arts@Matter, hosted by the University of the Aegean in Rhodes, provides a unique international forum for exploring the transformative role of the arts in education, culture, and society. The symposium brings together researchers, educators, artists, doctoral students, and practitioners who are interested in examining how artistic practices generate meaningful social, cultural, and educational impact. Interdisciplinary Dialogue: RIAM 2026 fosters dialogue across disciplines, including arts education, music education, cultural studies, creative practices, social innovation, and digital culture. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, present research, and engage in discussions that highlight the ways artistic practices contribute to contemporary educational and societal challenges.

International Academic Exchange: The symposium welcomes contributions from scholars and practitioners from different countries and institutional contexts. By encouraging international collaboration, RIAM 2026 promotes the development of new research networks and interdisciplinary partnerships that strengthen the global dialogue on arts-based research and education.

Publication Opportunities: Participants will have the opportunity to publish their accepted papers in the conference proceedings, which will include DOI assignment and editorial processing. This provides an opportunity for researchers to disseminate their work within an international academic community.

Hybrid Participation: RIAM 2026 offers both on-site and online participation, allowing scholars from around the world to participate in the symposium regardless of location. This hybrid format promotes inclusive academic participation and expands the reach of the symposium’s discussions.

Academic and Cultural Experience in Rhodes: The symposium will take place on the island of Rhodes, home to the University of the Aegean and a site of rich historical and cultural heritage. On-site participants will experience an inspiring academic environment where research, culture, and dialogue intersect in one of the Mediterranean’s most historically significant locations.

You are warmly invited to contribute to RIAM Symposium 2026 and to participate in an international dialogue on the role of the arts in shaping educational innovation, cultural understanding, and social transformation.

Members include distinguished scholars from the University of the Aegean. 

Dr. Maria Argyriou, Applied Music Pedagogy, International Symposium Chair, RIAM 2026 Symposium, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean

Marissa Silverman, Professor & Coordinator of Music Education, The John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University (New Jersey), USA

John Kratus, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, USA

Markus Cslovjecsek, Professor Emeritus, Chair of Music Pedagogy, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland

Armela Panagioti, Department of Spanish, Modern and Classical Philology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain

Guillem Escorihuela Carbonell, Department: Didactics of Physical, Artistic and Music Education, University of Valencia, Spain 

Eliona Lici, Department of Education, School of Humanities, University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali” & University of Arts, Tirana, Albania

Tomas Butvilas, Institute of Educational Sciences and Social Work (ESDI), Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania

Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

v  Alivizos (Loizos) Sofos, Pedagogy with an emphasis on Media Pedagogy, Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

v Polykarpos Karamouzis, Sociology of Religion, Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean

v Maria Kladaki, Theatre Education in Primary Education, Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean

v  Asimina Tsimpidaki, Special Education: Psychopedagogical Dimensions in the Family and the School, Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean 

v  Kyriaki Fardi, Pedagogy & History Education, Department of Primary Education, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean 

Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

§  Dionysios Gouvias, Educational Policy and Sociology of Education, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean

§  Nikolaos Andreadakis, Educational Research and Evaluation, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

§  Panagiotis Stamatis, Pedagogical Communication in Early Childhood and Primary Education, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

§  Eleni Nikolaou, Educational Counselling in Primary Education, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean

§  Dimitra Katsarou, Developmental Psychopathology and Speech Disorders, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of The Aegean 

§ Nikolaos Tapsis, New Forms of Education and Learning, Department of Pre-School Education & Educational Design, School of Humanities, University of the Aegean 

Research Centers/Research Laboratories

Research Group iMUSED – Department of Didactics of Physical Education, Artistic and Musical Education, Universitat de València (SPAIN): The research group specialises in artistic education, with a particular focus on multimodal learning and music pedagogy. Their work examines the educational and social aspects of music in diverse learning environments. More info: https://www.uv.es/uvweb/research-service/en/research-groups/group-1285949714098.html?p2=GIUV2020-483

UR Scènes du monde – Université Paris 8 (FRANCE): An interdisciplinary research unit exploring globalised and intercultural artistic practices. It is housed within the Faculty of Arts, Philosophy and Aesthetics and engages critically with questions of performance, representation, and aesthetics. More info: https://www.univ-paris8.fr/UR-Scenes-du-monde

École Doctorale Esthétique, Sciences et Technologies des Arts (EDESTA) – Université Paris 8 (FRANCE). EDESTA is a leading doctoral school fostering advanced research in aesthetics, art theory, and artistic technologies. It serves as a hub for researchers exploring the intersections of art, society, and digital media. More info: https://edesta.univ-paris8.fr/

Arts@matter/Research cluster

Info & Detailed program: https://www.pse.aegean.gr/riam-symposium2025/