Artistry@Work

Welcome to year two of Artisty@Work.

Year one of the seminar series attracted audience participation from around the globe (from XX countries) and included anthropologists, sociologists, educationalists, scholars and practitioners of craft and the performing arts, and interested others from diverse fields. Given the stellar line-up of speakers and discussants for year two, we anticipate the continuation of stimulating interventions and discussions.

This seminar series in anthropology explores the situated practices of ‘artistry at work’ and, more broadly, the working lives and career trajectories of artists and artisans plying their trades in regions around the globe. The scope of the series also encompasses studies of occupations not conventionally categorised as “artistic” but that nevertheless foster creativity among (some) practitioners and even accommodate the development of “artist” identities.

More specifically, the series asks:

How might ‘artistry at work’ be defined in the twenty-first century? In what culturally diverse ways is artistry expressed, practised and culturally valued or denigrated? Who are the individuals and communities that pursue and engage in it? And, why? What hopes do they invest in their creative vocations, and what challenges do they confront in realising their ambitions? What ramifications are (existing or looming) funding cuts to the arts having on artisans’ sense of self-worth, employment prospects and future planning? How do they evaluate the impact of current and forthcoming transformations – social, political, environmental, technological – on their modes of production and their livelihoods, and how are they preparing for it? How do artists, artisans and those employed in other creative occupations make sense of their professional experiences, and how do they (and we, as anthropologists) generate narratives about their working lives?

With these guiding questions in mind, the aims of the series are to illuminate the tensions, as well as the productive synergies, that animate ties between hope and hardship, and to elucidate individual strategies and struggles to self-actualisation within ever-changing, and often precarious, creative fields of work.

Some practicalities: The online seminars are held in English and are hosted by the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme de Clermont-Ferrand in collaboration with the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI).

The eight online seminars for the 2025–2026 season are scheduled at 17.00–19.00hrs CET / 16.00–18.00hrs UK time on the first Tuesday of the month, commencing in October 2025 and concluding in May 2026. Each seminar is structured as follows: introduction of our guest speaker & discussant; 40-minute talk; 15-minute comments from the designated discussant, and 60 minutes for “open floor” Q&A.

Programme: