PASCAL Observatory Brief: Advancing Aesthetic Education for Human Flourishing

PASCAL International Observatory has published a brief on Aesthetic Education, as part of its commitment to lifelong learning and cultural development. This interdisciplinary study explores how aesthetic education contributes to peacebuilding, critical thinking, and human flourishing within learning cities and museum environments.

This significant work is authored by:

• Annie Tubadji (Swansea University)
• Catherine Lido (University of Glasgow)
• Michael Osborne (University of Glasgow)
• James Conroy (University of Glasgow)
• Peter Baur (University of Johannesburg)
• Henrik Zipsane (European Museum Academy, Director)
• Margaret McColl (University of Glasgow, European Museum Academy, Board Member)
• Rob Mark (University of Glasgow)
• Balazs Nemeth (University of Pecs)

The study emphasizes the crucial role of museums in aesthetic education, demonstrating how they foster cultural awareness, creativity, and social cohesion. Museums are not just custodians of history but living spaces of learning that help individuals engage deeply with art, identity, and diverse cultural narratives.

Through initiatives like the international Children in Museums Award, the DASA Award, and the Art Museum Award, EMA continues to highlight the transformative power of museums as environments for artistic engagement and lifelong education.

We invite museum professionals, policymakers, educators, and researchers to explore this thought-provoking document, which offers insights into how aesthetic education can shape more inclusive and culturally enriched societies. By integrating these principles into policy and practice, EMA and its academic and institutional partners remain committed to strengthening museums’ role in developing sustainable learning cities.

Read the full document and join the conversation on the future of aesthetic education.

post image: CC licenses – State Museum for Art, Copenhagen