Polish Conference on Cultural Economics 2022
The 1st Polish Conference of Cultural Economics took place on November 24, 2022 in Warsaw! The event constituted an opportunity for meeting cultural researchers, and a space to both exchange ideas and present ongoing projects. We hope it created the first foundation for future collaboration of researchers of various affiliations.
The conference took place at the location of the Faculty of Modern Languages at the University of Warsaw. The event comprised two guest lectures, a panel discussion, a workshop and a guided tour behind the scenes of one of Warsaw theatres! Around 50 people joined in to participate, with further viewers joining the open lectures – both online and on-site.
Below you’ll find a brief summary of the event, links to recorded media and the photo gallery.
The 2022 Conference in a nutshell
The conference was kicked off with opening remarks from the Faculty of Economic Sciences’ Dean Prof. Gabriela Grotkowska as well as from ACEP’s dr Aleksandra Wiśniewska. It then moved to the first of the guest lectures, provided by prof. Karol Borowiecki of the University of Southern Denmark on the topic of „What Drives the Creativity of Music Composers? Some Insights from Economic History of the Arts”. You can view the recording below!
After a coffee break, the conference resumed with a discussion panel on the state and need for quantitative cultural studies in Poland. Dr Aleksandra Wiśniewska and dr Jarosław Górski (Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw) moderated the discussion, which centered on the current knowledge and knowledge gaps surrounding cultural studies in Poland. 
Thoughts on the topic were shared by prof. Barbara Fatyga (Institute of Applied Social Sciences of the University of Warsaw), dr Wojciech Hardy (ACEP, DELab and the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw), prof. Dorota Ilczuk (Creative Economy Research Center at the SWPS University), Piotr Lewandowski, Institute for Structural Research – IBS, dr Paweł Płoski (Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw), Stanisław Trzciński (STX Music Solutions and the Creative Economy Research Center at the SWPS University). You can read more about the panelists here.
The panel was followed up by a short presentation on the Association for Cultural Economics International – ACEI, conducted by prof. Borowiecki. The networking then moved to the lunch break. Notably, while moving around the conference location, the participants were able to learn about the research projects of their colleagues from the conference posters presented by the lecture hall.
Participants then reconvened for the workshop on “Mapping quantitative cultural studies in Poland”, moderated by dr Jarosław Górski. Four groups were formed around key topics related to cultural studies, with members learning about one another, mapping known researchers around Poland and writing down the future steps in the discussed areas.
The final lecture was provided by prof. Trine Bille of the Copenhagen Business School – the president of the Association for Cultural Economics International – ACEI. Prof. Trine Bille talked about the value of arts and culture – the ways of measuring it, the reasons for measuring it, and the ways of understanding it.
Dr Aleksandra Wiśniewska delivered the closing remarks for the conference and invited the participants to a guided tour of the STUDIO Theater (located at the Palace of Culture and Science). Aleksandra Wiśniewska – a longtime theater production manager – delivered a (literal!) behind-the-scenes look at preparing and directing stage plays! Finally, the conference participants gathered for a dinner at Cafe Kulturalna (“Cultural Cafe”), to continue networking into the evening hours.
Organisation
Organising committee (ACEP)
Conference support (moderation)
dr Jarosław Górski
Pracademic combining professional practice (consulting) with knowledge and experience in science and teaching at the university. PhD in Economics. Assistant professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Warsaw in the Department of Management and Information Technology. Head of postgraduate studies “Innovative economy. The role of economic policy”. Member of the board of the Best Place Foundation – European Place Marketing Institute, founder and member of the International Place Branding Association, advisor to the president of the Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation, advisor to cities in the Association of Polish Cities. Lecturer in the Executive MBA studies in health care carried out by the Warsaw School of Economics and the Medical University of Warsaw. EY Academy of Business trainer.
Conference support (volunteers)
Barbara Błaszczak
Student of the Masters programme in Law at the University of Warsaw.
Wiktoria Kossakowska-Wojdaszka
Currently pursuing a BA degree in History of Art and a dual Masters degree in Law granted by the University of Warsaw in cooperation with the University of Poitiers. During her studies she has directed her attention towards the legal aspects of Intellectual Property and became interested in its impact on creative industries. She’s also an enthusiast of linguistics and opera music.
Mila Markiewicz
Second-year undergraduate student at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at the University of Warsaw. For four years she’s been working at the 6. Piętro Theatre (eng. 6th Floor Theatre), as an usher. Last year, while searching for ways of combining business and culture interests, she found the “Economics of Art and Culture” course at the University of Warsaw, to which she happily enrolled. This year, she’s helping with the organization of the Conference, while continuing the search for her future scientific and vocational path within the Cultural Economics area.
Conference support (communication)
Conference artwork
The conference benefitted highly from the great artwork provided by the artist Urszula Łozińska. Beyond the general conference visual representation, she contributed the conference posters.
Photo gallery
Conference as seen through the lens of Mirek Kaźmierczak. Click on the slides for a gallery view and here for more of the artist’s work.