At ISTA, we believe research is essential to shaping a future where the arts are central to education.
Through original studies, strategic consultancy, and collaborative partnerships, our research explores how creativity, collaboration, and cultural exchange transform learning.
ISTA is uniquely positioned as a living, breathing global laboratory. Every year, we connect with thousands of students, educators, and artists across 50+ countries through festivals, residencies, events, and virtual learning.
This unparalleled reach gives us extraordinary insight into arts learning in diverse contexts—across cultures, curricula, and communities.
We explore how creative experiences shape understanding, identity, and personal growth.
Our research informs the design of arts curricula and meaningful assessment in creative disciplines.
We generate evidence to help schools, educators, and systems value and invest in the arts.
As a long-standing consultant to the International Baccalaureate (IB), we help shape international arts education through strategic input and subject expertise.
We consult on arts curriculum and assessment frameworks, drawing on decades of practice to help organisations and schools align creative learning with global standards.
We co-develop research proposals with academic institutions—most recently with Loughborough University—and invite new partnerships that align with our mission.
Our pedagogy and andragogy are grounded in 45+ years of real-world learning. We create experiences that are artistically rigorous, culturally responsive, and inquiry-driven.
ISTA Executive Director
Dinos Aristidou’s 2019 impact study investigates ISTA festivals as immersive learning environments and analyses how ensemble and experiential practices foster deep, transformative outcomes.
Our festival model functions as a designed learning ecosystem. Outlined in the ISTA Festival Framework, it is currently being developed into a formal study to inform global practice in co-creative, arts-based education.
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