International Artefacta conference to bring material culture and heritage professionals to Estonia

The fifth international Artefacta conference will take place in Tartu and Viljandi, Estonia, from 14 to 16 April 2027. Organised by the Estonian National Museum and the University of Tartu, the conference invites researchers, museum professionals, conservators, curators, craft and design specialists, and other heritage practitioners to submit proposals for presentations and workshops. The submission deadline is 15 November 2026.

The theme of the Fifth International Artefacta Conference is “Sustainability and Heritage”, which connects objects and material culture to discussions of sustainability and cultural heritage. Sustainability is increasingly significant and relevant to the study of artefacts, material culture, and heritage. Beyond cultural, social, and economic sustainability, concerns about ecological viability and the climate crisis are prompting scholars to view artefacts, material culture, and the materiality of cultural heritage in new light and contexts, and to ask new questions. The meaning of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, is shifting from an object of preservation to a cultural resource for sustainability and resilience.

The 2027 conference focuses on the importance and advances in the study of objects and material culture through the combined lens of sustainability and cultural heritage. It also examines the inherent and potential innovative links between cultural heritage and sustainability. The conference invites participants to theorise “sustainable artefacts”, “material cultures of sustainability”, and “sustainable cultural heritage”, and to ask what they might be and how best to study them.

The conference welcomes abstract proposals on the theme “Sustainability and Heritage” from around the world and from interdisciplinary perspectives, including material culture studies, history, archaeology, ethnology, anthropology, folkloristics, craft science, conservation, museology, art history, design, architecture, heritage science, cultural policy, and related fields. The conference is open to all kinds of academic research, including practice-led and artistic research.

Participants may propose:

• an oral presentation;
• a poster presentation;
• a practical workshop.

The length of the proposals is a maximum of 1000 characters. Multiple presenters or workshop conveners are permitted. Applicants will be informed of the results by 15 January 2027. Conference registration will open on 18 January 2027.

Artefacta 2027 will be an in-person event. Oral and poster presentations will take place at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu on 14 and 15 April. The third conference day, held at the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy on 16 April, will focus on excursions and practical workshops. Transportation from Tartu to Viljandi will be provided for conference participants.

The conference is organised in cooperation with the Estonian National Museum, the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy and the UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the University of Tartu.