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"Success is not measured in how inspired we are” – Reassessing artist-academic collaborations under neoliberalism

Posted on 31 March 2020

Sara De Jong's opinion piece on the LSE Impact Blog

a hand holding 2 coins in front of a clock

In their latest opinion piece with the LSE Impact Blog, "Success is not measured in how inspired we are” – Reassessing artist-academic collaborations under neoliberalism. Sara de Jong and Alena Pfoser argue that however inspiring and innovative artist-academic collaborations can be, it is necessary to critically interrogate the conditions under which such collaborations take place. Highlighting the effects of, different remuneration structures, audit cultures, and working timescales, they question benign readings of artist-academic collaborations that can easily turn collaboration into exploitation. They further propose that these challenges require a collective response, starting with honest appraisal; refusing to write project reports as celebratory success scripts and instead formulating collective demands for conditions in which equitable partnerships can flourish.