ASA Convenes Expert Stakeholder Meeting on Armenia’s Creative Sector

On January 28, the Advocacy Society for the Arts (ASA) held its first expert meeting at the AGBU Armenia office, bringing together a group of professionals who will contribute to the organization’s long-term work across the cultural and creative sector.

The meeting marked the formal launch of ASA’s expert network—a structured group assembled to support research, policy development, and sectoral growth. The network brings together specialists from cultural policy, research, law, education, and the creative industries. These experts form a core body of ASA expertise, accessible to the broader ASA community through the platform for professional services, strategic support, and larger-scale initiatives, including advocacy efforts, policy briefings, and collaborative research projects.

ASA members will be able to contact an expert of their choice on the website , based on the nature of their request. From there, they can initiate direct contact, arrange a consultation, and receive targeted professional guidance. This mechanism is intended to facilitate timely, practical support, with consultations offered free of charge to ensure accessibility across the cultural and creative field. The up-to-date list of ASA experts can be found on ASA's website.

As part of this framework, the expert network is expected to contribute across multiple stages of ASA’s work — from shaping research methodologies and participating in working groups to co-authoring publications and advising on implementation.

Key priorities presented during the meeting included addressing the lack of reliable data on cultural consumption, strengthening coordination across the sector, and expanding access to professional skills. ASA’s upcoming research project on cultural consumption in Armenia, developed in partnership with the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and international partners, was introduced as a central initiative in this direction.

The discussion that followed focused on how this expertise can be applied in practice. Participants raised questions around the structure of consultations, the role of ASA’s platform in relation to existing professional networks, and the need for accessible tools such as funding guidance and resource libraries. Suggestions included developing short-form expert content, strengthening research outputs, and building a more comprehensive picture of the sector through data and mapping initiatives.

Plans for the coming months were also presented, including a regional outreach campaign consisting of 12 meetings across Armenia, aimed at engaging local cultural communities and identifying sector needs.

The meeting concluded with a working discussion and survey, inviting experts to contribute to ASA’s next steps — including participation in upcoming programs, publications, and the continued development of the expert network.

As ASA continues to build its structure, this group forms the foundation of its work: a defined body of expertise intended to inform decision-making, support collaboration with public institutions, and contribute to the long-term development of Armenia’s cultural sector. Experts’ in-depth articles can be found in the News section of the website.