During this CLI Lunch & Learn, you will learn more about the interesting educational innovations and research taking place at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and beyond. During this edition, Dr Laura Braden (ESHCC) will talk about cultural projects and how to research, design and communicate them.
In arts and culture, a compelling idea is only the beginning. Cultural projects operate in a sector characterized by uncertain audience response, multiple and sometimes contested forms of value, fragmented organizational ecosystems, and extensive dependence on partners, funders, and communities. As a result, conventional approaches to market research and project planning can miss what matters most.
In this Lunch & Learn, Dr Laura Braden of ESHCC’s Arts and Culture Studies explains how these conditions change the way cultural projects should be researched, designed, and communicated. Using practical examples and grants as a recurring lens, she will discuss:
- how to map a project’s cultural ecosystem;
- define its artistic and public value;
- test its feasibility;
- communicate its relevance to funders, professional audiences, and wider society.
The session will also consider how to identify genuine funding fit and respond to a call without allowing funder priorities to distort the project itself.
Dr Laura Braden
Dr Laura Braden is Assistant Professor of Arts and Culture Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam and a sociologist of art and organizations. Her research examines cultural organizations, artistic careers, cultural policy, and the processes through which artists and cultural projects acquire value and recognition. She leads the NWO-funded project DEI at the Crossroads and contributes to European research on cultural participation, institutional change, and public engagement.
Laura teaches cultural policy, project and grant development, and research methods across the arts and cultural sector. Alongside her academic work, she has undertaken cultural-policy, consultancy, and project-management work in Atlanta and Bexar County/San Antonio. Working in these large and culturally diverse urban regions has informed her practical approach to stakeholder engagement, institutional collaboration, public value, and communicating cultural projects to different communities and decision-makers.
Will we see you there? Register now!
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Date: Thursday 17 September 2026
Time: 12:00 - 13:00 (doors open at 11:45)
Location: Erasmus Education Lab - Campus Woudestein
Entrance: free (including lunch)Organised by the Community for Learning & Innovation
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