The Arts in Society Research Network

Invitation

We invite proposals for 2026 Imagining Creative Worlds, an annual online symposium in the Common Ground Imagining Futures Series, taking place 11–12 November 2026.

The symposium brings together scholars, researchers, artists, designers, educators, publishers, museum professionals, media makers, and cultural practitioners working across creative fields and practices. We welcome proposals that explore how creative worlds are made, shared, interpreted, circulated, and transformed.

For 2026, The Arts in Society Research Network serves as the host Network, helping shape the symposium’s emphasis within the wider theme of Imagining Creative Worlds.

Hosted by the Common Ground Media Lab @ Research Park at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, the symposium is also part of Common Ground’s ongoing research into the knowledge experience: exploring how online environments can support focused dialogue, continuous exchange, publication pathways, and new forms of scholarly communication.

Proposals are welcome in English or Spanish, and participants may present in either language.

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Symposium Themes

Imagining Creative Worlds is organized around four annual themes that reflect the wider ecology of creative inquiry and practice across Common Ground.

We welcome proposals that engage creativity as a form of research, cultural production, public communication, and world-making. Contributions may be theoretical, empirical, practice-based, pedagogical, curatorial, or community-oriented, and may address established fields of creative practice as well as emerging questions at the intersections of art, design, media, communication, publishing, technology, and public culture.

Together, the themes invite participants to consider how creative forms are made, how they circulate, how they are interpreted, and how they shape the social, cultural, and material worlds we inhabit.

  • Theme 1: Image, Representation, and Visual Culture
  • Theme 2: Creative Practice, Materiality, and Form
  • Theme 3: Communication, Publishing, and Cultural Circulation
  • Theme 4: Museums, Curation, and Cultural Engagement
Read More About Themes

Ways to Participate

Imagining Creative Worlds is an online symposium designed to support both live exchange and asynchronous engagement. The format creates space for presentation, discussion, mentoring, reflection, and continued exchange across time zones and schedules.

Participants may engage through live online sessions, themed discussions, workshops, asynchronous presentations, posters, and presentation pages. The symposium also includes support-oriented sessions for PhD students, early career researchers, and emerging scholars, with attention to research development, academic pathways, publication advice, and participation in wider scholarly communities.

This flexible structure is intended to keep the online experience active and connected: live sessions offer real-time dialogue, while asynchronous formats allow work to remain visible for viewing, discussion, and feedback beyond a single scheduled session.

Read more about the format

Publication Pathways

Imagining Creative Worlds connects presentation with publication, giving participants opportunities to develop their work beyond the symposium.

Accepted and registered presentations will be included in the symposium proceedings, creating a formal record of the work shared. Participants may also develop their papers for possible publication in journals associated with the participating Research Networks, depending on the scope, quality, and fit of the work.

Selected contributions may be invited for inclusion in a curated best of the symposium book volume.

The symposium also supports wider field-level reflection through plenary dialogue, Talking Circles, publication advice sessions, and a dedicated working group contributing to a collective state of the field statement.

Together, these pathways support both individual scholarly development and the wider work of defining emerging questions, voices, and directions in creative fields.

publication pathways

Proposal and Registration Periods

Proposal submission and registration are organized into Early, Regular, and Late periods. Proposals are accepted until 11 October 2026, one month before the symposium begins, and are reviewed within two to four weeks of submission.

Registration remains open through the start of the symposium, though presenters are encouraged to register early so they have time to prepare and upload the required digital media before the deadline.

Digital media should be uploaded by 4 November 2026.

Proposal Periods

Proposals will be reviewed within two to four weeks of submission.

Early Launch to 11 July 2026
Regular 12 July–11 September 2026
Late 12 September–11 October 2026

Registration Deadlines

The digital media deadline is 4 November 2026, one week before the symposium begins.

Early Launch to 11 August 2026
Regular 12 August–11 September 2026
Late 12 September–11 November 2026

Registration Options FAQ | Proposal Review

Submit Proposal

Ready to share your work? Submit a proposal to join 2026 Imagining Creative Worlds and contribute to a focused online exchange on creativity, culture, media, design, publishing, museums, and the arts.

We welcome proposals from scholars, artists, designers, educators, curators, publishers, media makers, students, early career researchers, and practitioners working across creative fields.

Proposals may be submitted in English or Spanish. Accepted presenters will be invited to take part in the symposium’s live and asynchronous formats, with opportunities for discussion, feedback, support sessions, and publication pathways.

Submit Proposal

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