Sapir Academic College’s “Culture in Action” conference returns this year for its sixth edition and will take place on Wednesday, January 28, under the title “Cultural Citizenship”. The conference explores culture as an active civic force in the public, social, and community spheres, and examines how artistic creation and cultural practice shape civic awareness and social engagement.

As part of the conference, a special panel dedicated to Poland–Israel relations will be held, following an academic study tour to Poland undertaken by students and faculty members of the college. The panel will address cultural dialogue between the two countries, processes of shared learning, and the ways in which international encounters shape perceptions of citizenship and cultural action at both local and global levels.

The panel is grounded in the work of the Cultural Innovation Lab at Sapir Academic College, which led an academic delegation to Poland between September 14–19, 2025. The delegation marked the conclusion of the annual academic program, during which students examined Poland as a case study over two semesters. The visit focused on the ways in which art and culture foster social change in societies shaped by conflict, through the study of institutional models, cultural policy, and contemporary artistic practices.

The program included meetings with artists, curators, and academics, as well as visits to leading cultural institutions in Warsaw and Orońsko. In parallel, Sapir presented its innovative projects with the aim of promoting mutual knowledge exchange, developing new collaborations, and strengthening cultural and academic dialogue between Poland and Israel. The delegation’s visit was also accompanied by an academic panel held in December 2025, with the participation of a senior representative of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

The panel at the “Culture in Action” conference offers an opportunity to deepen the insights gained from this international exchange and to examine how experiences, knowledge, and connections formed abroad are translated into cultural and civic action in Israel.

Full details and the conference program will be published soon on the college website.