Art to Face will take part in the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2026 Conference, held from March 28 to April 1, 2026 in San Francisco, United States. The conference theme this year is “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World.”

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During the conference, Dr. Albane Buriel, founder of Art to Face, will coordinate the panel “Engaging Communities: The Impact of Culture and Art Education in Emergency and Recovery Situations.” The session will take place on Monday, March 30, from 8:00 to 9:15 AM.

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The panel explores the role of arts and cultural education in contexts of crisis, conflict and recovery, examining how creative practices can support community engagement, psychosocial resilience and cultural continuity among populations affected by violence and displacement.

Drawing on fieldwork and research conducted in conflict-affected regions such as Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Romania, the presentations highlight innovative educational approaches that connect formal and non-formal learning environments. These initiatives often involve collaboration between artists, educators, humanitarian organisations and local communities, with the aim of co-creating culturally meaningful learning experiences.

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The discussion is grounded in several interdisciplinary frameworks, including the didactics of action (Sensevy), cooperative engineering approaches in education (Artigue & Gruson) and resilience theory (Ungar). It also connects to recent international policy discussions, particularly those emerging from the 2024 World Conference on Cultural and Artistic Education (WCCAE), which emphasized the importance of cultural education in processes of recovery, social justice and peacebuilding.

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The panel will address key challenges faced by practitioners working in fragile contexts, including limited resources, security constraints and the need to respect local cultural identities while navigating complex political environments. Particular attention will be given to the role of arts education as a psychosocial support mechanism for young people, enabling narrative reconstruction, emotional expression and community dialogue.

By bringing together academic research, field experience and artistic perspectives, the session aims to contribute to ongoing debates on the potential of creative education as a tool for resilience, participation and social transformationin crisis-affected societies.

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Review the complete program here

Source: https://conference.cies.us/