Watch A Special Episode of the Open Culture Voices Series, Part 1
In this Special Episode of the Open Culture Voices series, CC hosts a conversation among five open culture experts from around the world:
Dr. Andrea Wallace, Professor, University of Exeter Law School, United Kingdom
Dr. Nkem Osuigwe, Director, African Library and Information Associations and Institutions, Ghana
Medhavi Gandhi, Founder, The Heritage Lab, India
Evelin Heidel (Scann), Program Lead at Wikimedistas de Uruguay, Uruguay
Michael Peter Edson, Founding Director, Museum of Solutions, USA/India
This second part of the conversation revolves around several topics related to open culture, such as digital interactions, the climate crisis, and the challenges faced by the open culture movement. Our guests discuss the potential of open knowledge and culture in addressing environmental concerns, promoting diversity and access, and influencing policy changes.
Some of the other key points discussed include:
The material impact of digital technologies on the climate crisis and the need for more sustainable approaches to other societal challenges and the position that cultural institutions — like galleries, libraries, archives, and museums, or GLAMs — should not shy away from digital for fear of the digital footprint.
The pivotal role of cultural institutions as actors of change to promote open culture — as well as the huge cultural participation culture outside institutions. The universal fundamental right to participate in cultural life can be very hard to enjoy — openness can be a tool to help people engage with culture.
The importance of collaboration and organization across institutions to achieve common goals — sharing and comparing experiences can lead to institutional standards that can in turn influence policy in meaningful ways to advance open culture.
The challenges and ethical considerations surrounding the participation of individual creators and artisans in open culture — it is also important to reflect on who open culture might be pushing away and whose livelihoods it might threaten.
The importance of funding for institutions and the need to support open culture initiatives financially.
The potential for working with platforms to incorporate licensing options and improve copyright awareness.
The potential impact of open culture in shaping and influencing society during times of change, such as the climate crisis.
These points reflect our guests’ perspectives on the challenges and opportunities within the open culture movement and their suggestions for realizing its potential.
Here’s what our guests believe needs to change if we want to realize open culture:
“I think that cultural heritage institutions need to move away from a risk-based approach into a transformational one…They have a lot of leverage on changing the conversation around copyright and I think that they need to use it.” — Evelin Heidel (Scann)
“Making sure that we elect people who fund the public sector, fund institutions, set up funding schemes for artists, for creatives, for people to do research and really cool projects around some of these things.” — Andrea Wallace
“One could take the point of view that the toolkits are there, that there doesn’t need to be some massive intervention. It can be used, reapplied, remixed, to solve local problems, policy problems, execution problems at any scale… I still see this as a point of inflection. We’ve built two thirds of a bridge, and we’re curious why people haven’t crossed that bridge.” — Michael Peter Edson
“Support in funding, especially for institutions which do grapple with whether to open, whether it will take away from their monetization practices…It’s nice to have web monetization going and maybe support that” — Medhavi Gandhi
Closed captions are available for this video, you can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video. A red line will appear under the icon when closed captions have been enabled. Closed captions may be affected by Internet connectivity — if you experience a lag, we recommend watching the videos directly on YouTube.
As part of our #20CC anniversary, last year we joined forces with Fine Acts to spark a global dialogue on what better sharing looks like in action. Our #BetterSharing collection of illustrations was the result — we gathered insights from 12 prominent open advocates around the world and tasked 12 renowned artists who embrace openness with transforming these perspectives into captivating visual pieces available under a CC license.
Each month throughout 2023, we will be spotlighting a different CC-licensed illustration from the collection on our social media headers and the CC blog. For August, we’re excited to showcase “Sharing Is Growing” by Olga Mrozek. The piece, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, was inspired by a quote from Medhavi Gandhi, founder of The Heritage Lab:
“To me, with better (open) sharing, comes the promise of equality.”
Meet the artist:
Olga Mrozek is a multidisciplinary designer and an illustrator who finds interest in issues, development, structure, and functioning of human society. She enjoys creating concepts that challenge and provoke the viewer as she believes that the change begins with the thought.
The full #BetterSharing collection is available on TheGreats.co to be enjoyed, used and adapted, and then shared again, by anyone, forever. View the full collection >>
¡El equipo de CC y los voluntarios de la comunidad han estado trabajando arduamente en los preparativos para la Cumbre Global 2023, y estamos encantados de anunciar la obra de arte oficial para este evento! “Somos El Bien Común” es una representación de la cultura vibrante y la rica historia de México y también la estrategia de CC para compartir mejor: compartir que sea contextual, inclusivo, justo, equitativo, recíproco y sostenible.
Trabajamos con una artista local, Eréndira Derbez, para reflejar el tema de “IA y los bienes comunes” y combinar las esencias del movimiento abierto y México. En “Somos El Bien Común”, una sinfonía de color, comunidad y cultura se une para encapsular el espíritu de nuestra comunidad global y nuestras conexiones con las nuevas tecnologías y prácticas.
Eréndira reside en la Ciudad de México, donde trabaja como autora, artista e historiadora del arte. Es cofundadora de Plumbago Design and Illustration Studio, que se enfoca en proyectos educativos, editoriales y culturales a nivel mundial y, a menudo, se involucra en la justicia social y las políticas de género. Puedes conocer más sobre Eréndira en su sitio web personal.
Cada ventana de esta obra de arte cuenta una historia. Desde el amado axolotl, una salamandra en peligro de extinción que se encuentra solo en la Ciudad de México, hasta la máscara de luchador, hay muchos elementos que muestran la energía de México y evocan un sentido de comunidad, colaboración, e intercambio abierto. ¡Lo invitamos a elegir su panel favorito y estar atento a los lanzamientos individuales de cada ventana en nuestros canales de medios sociales!
Eréndira ha compartido “Somos El Bien Común” con una licencia CC BY 4.0, por lo que siempre que acredite al artista, lo alentamos a compartir y reutilizar este trabajo abierto para hacer conexiones con la Cumbre de este año. También puede descargar una versión SVG con capas.
Sobre la Cumbre Global de CC
Del 3 al 6 de octubre de 2023, nos reuniremos en el Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco para unirnos, compartir ideas, y crear un futuro más brillante para el intercambio abierto. Estamos encantados de organizar el evento en colaboración con CC México y esperamos que pueda unirse a lo que será una experiencia inolvidable. Mientras hacemos la cuenta regresiva para este evento, ¡esperamos que esta obra de arte oficial pueda servir como un símbolo emocionante de lo que está por venir!
¡Únase a nosotros en la Cumbre en la Ciudad de México! Visite nuestro sitio web Summit para obtener más información y registrarse hoy.
The CC team and community volunteers have been working hard on preparations for the 2023 Global Summit, and we are thrilled to announce the official artwork for this event! “Somos El Bien Común” is a representation of Mexico’s vibrant culture and rich history.
We worked with a local artist, Eréndira Derbez, to reflect the theme of “AI & the Commons” and combine the essences of the open movement and Mexico. In “Somos El Bien Común”, a symphony of color, community, and culture comes together to encapsulate the spirit of our global community and our connections to the new technologies and practices.
Eréndira is based in Mexico City, where she works as an author, artist, and art historian. She is co-founder of the Plumbago Design and Illustration Studio, which focuses on educational, editorial, and cultural projects globally, and often engages in social justice and gender politics. You can learn more about Eréndira on her personal website.
Each window of this artwork tells a story. From the beloved axolotl, an endangered salamander found only in Mexico City, to the luchador wrestling mask, there are many elements that showcase the energy of Mexico and evoke a sense of community, collaboration, and open sharing. We invite you to pick your favorite panel and be on the lookout for individual releases of each window on our social media channels!
Eréndira has released “Somos El Bien Común” with an CC BY 4.0 license, so as long as you credit the artist, we encourage you to reshare and reuse this open work to make connections with this year’s Summit. You can also download a layered SVG version.
About the CC Global Summit
During 3–6 October 2023, we will be gathering at the Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco to unite, share ideas, and create a brighter future for open sharing. We are thrilled to be organizing the event in collaboration with CC Mexico, and hope you will be able to join in what will be an unforgettable experience. As we count down to this event, we hope this official artwork can serve as an exciting symbol for what is to come!
Join us at the Summit in Mexico City! Visit our Summit website for more information and to register today.
Después de años de reunirse en línea, la comunidad de CC claramente está lista para reunirse en persona para la Cumbre Global de CC 2023 del 3 al 6 de octubre en la Ciudad de México, mostrando que el trabajo para abrir el conocimiento y la cultura es más popular e importante que nunca. Recibimos 184 respuestas de calidad a nuestra convocatoria de propuestas y más de 300 solicitudes de ayuda financiera para asistir. Ahora las personas reciben notificaciones sobre el éxito de sus propuestas de sesiones y solicitudes de becas y comienzan a planificar su viaje.
El interés inmenso en la Cumbre Global de este año generó grandes desafíos para los voluntarios que se unieron a la comunidad de CC para dar forma al programa y la participación de la Cumbre. Si bien hubiera sido maravilloso aceptar cada propuesta y solicitud, los límites de financiamiento, tiempo y espacio significaron que los miembros del comité tuvieron que tomar decisiones difíciles para tratar de formar una Cumbre que esperamos sea diversa, enriquecedora y práctica.
En todo momento, los comités trabajaron para tratar de hacer posible que todos tuvieran algún conexión con la Cumbre. Si bien decidimos que no sería práctico tratar de realizar un evento totalmente híbrido en el que tanto los participantes remotos como los presenciales pudieran participar de manera sincrónica, reconocimos que también era imposible reunir a todos los que quisieran asistir en un solo lugar.
En consecuencia, solicitamos sesiones en vivo en la Ciudad de México y experiencias a las que la gente pueda acceder en línea, cuando y donde pueda. Además de los paneles, talleres, charlas relámpago, carteles, y reuniones de la Cumbre misma, los participantes grabarán videos para verlos a pedido y reunirse en sesiones en línea antes y después de las sesiones en persona que tendrán lugar del 3 al 6 de octubre. En resumen, hay una manera de que cada sesión interesante llegue a una audiencia, ya sea solo los presentes en la Ciudad de México o el público mundial en línea. Dados los altos costos, las molestias de las restricciones de viaje, y los impactos ambientales de realizar eventos globales en ubicaciones únicas, más allá de la Cumbre de este año, esperamos continuar explorando prácticas tan variadas para unir a las personas.
En todas sus decisiones, los comités priorizaron la inclusión, trabajaron para equilibrar a los becarios e invitaron a sesiones para reflejar la diversidad de la comunidad de CC. Mientras tomamos en consideración factores como la calidad de la propuesta, la contribución anterior, y la necesidad financiera, también nos esforzamos por equilibrar el programa y los participantes por país, región, idioma, género, formato de entrega — enfatizando las sesiones que son colaborativas, interactivas y/o rompen el molde de la presentación clásica de un orador — y el tema — basándose en el tema de la Cumbre de IA y los bienes comunes, y temas que incluyen una mejor internet, creatividad contemporánea, cultura y patrimonio, educación, periodismo, y investigación y ciencia.
¡Únase a nosotros para agradecer a los miembros del comité del programa y de becas por su servicio! Se reunieron de todo el mundo — y en todo momento del día y de la noche — para refinar los procesos y revisar las presentaciones para ayudar a tantas personas como sea posible con fondos para asistir a la Cumbre y para dar forma a un programa que represente muchas actividades diversas en los bienes comunes que esperamos que inspire, pero no abrumar.
Nota: Los miembros de los comités presentaron sus biografías en inglés.
Comité de Programa
Amber Osman (she/her)
Ambassador, DOAJ
I am an open science advocate and my greater interests are in scholarly content and the publication ethics. I am actively involved in different international academic, research & publishing organizations and with the Higher Education Commission (Govt. of Pakistan). An award-winning journal editor for advancing the publishing process by adopting innovative research and publishing solutions.
Aysa Ekanger (she/her)
Open Access Advisor, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
I am based at the library of UiT The Arctic University of Norway and work mainly with Open Access-related topics. Giving advice about copyright and licensing issues is one of my tasks.
Brian Ssennoga (he/him)
CEO, Guild Digital
Brian is passionate mostly about 2 things: developing young leaders and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Development. Brian currently serves as Director, Digital Health, for Last Mile Health’s Liberia Country Program, overseeing the adoption of the eCBIS (Community Based Information System) powered by the OpenSRP, a digital public good choice for public and private sector Community health digitization programs in Liberia. He is a founding member of the ICT Association of Uganda, and holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, a Postgrad diploma in Information Technology and an MBA (International Business). When not exploring the world through technology events and adventure, Brian loves to cook meals for family and friends, enjoy a good book, post a blog or play the guitar.
Carlo is an educator and a free culture and open movement advocate from the Philippines. He has worked for several print publishing companies and an educational technology (edtech) company focusing on the content development of K to 12 instructional materials. Currently, he works for a USAID project on developing early grades reading materials in selected mother tongues in the Philippines. He is the lone member from the Philippines of the Creative Commons Global Network, a volunteer to several Wikimedia projects such as the Encyclopedia of Philippine Heritage, and a member of the Wikimedia Foundation’s Elections Committee.
Irene Soria (she/her)
Embajadora, Creative Commons México
Irene is a PhD in the Feminist Studies Department at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. She is a part-time faculty member, academic, consultant, graphic designer and activist for the free software / free culture movement since 2009. Irene decided to explore and study her own practices when migrating to the exclusive use of free software as a graphic designer, which led her to the in-depth analysis of open knowledge, free access, the Commons and above all: social sciences crossed by feminism and decolonial studies. Around these topics, she has written a degree thesis, academic and general interest articles, books and compilations, as well as attended and presented at conferences in many countries. In 2018, she was invited to re-found the Creative Commons Mexico Chapter, which she represents at the Global Network Council, in addition to being a member of the CC Global Network Council Membership Committee and, lately, part of the ExCom.
Jennifer Miller (she/her)
Independent Open Knowledge Advocate
As an independent civic technologist and open knowledge advocate, my activities currently focus on organizing civic tech volunteers at Code for the Carolinas, service on the board of FORCE11, and planning a sustainable future for Translate Science. My academic background is in public policy and technical communication, and I have completed the Creative Commons Certificate Program for Educators.
Lía Rodríguez (she/her)
Socióloga, TEDIC
Estudiante de Sociología, militante feminista de las ciencias sociales. Cuento con experiencia laboral en organizaciones sociales rurales y urbanas. Activista en ámbitos de la comunicación popular e inclusión digital de comunidades en situación de vulnerabilidad.
Marcela Basch (she/her)
Nexialist, LAIA
I am a journalist, educator and nexialist based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2013, I am focused on collaborative, free, and open culture. I founded El Plan C, the first website in Spanish focused on these issues. I co-founded Encuentro Comunes (Commons Conference) with the goal of spreading awareness about those initiatives. I write a newsletter, Diez palabras: new tendencies from a linguistics nerd perspective. I have been part of CCGN since 2017, the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH) since 2018, and Laboratorio Abierto de Inteligencia Artificial (LAIA) since 2023.
Nate Angell (co-chair; he/him)
Director of Communications & Community, Creative Commons
I’m an evangelist connecting people, ideas, and technologies to try to make things better, now leading communications and community at Creative Commons. I’ve worked across a wide variety of public and private institutions, focusing on community development, digital communications, meaningful education, open technologies, and sustainable growth. I live in Portland, Oregon, USA with some other cats and humans.
Nyirahabihirwe Clementine
General Secretary, Wikimedia Community User Group Rwanda
Nyirahabihirwe Clementine is Rwandese and holds a Bachelor’s degree from National University of Rwanda, in the faculty of Economics and Management, Economics Department. She started contributing on Wikimedia projects in 2019 and is one of the four founders of Rwanda Wikimedia community user group, acting as General Secretary in the executive team. She used to organize and coordinate many different Wikimedian projects in my community (eg, Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos, Wiki Loves Monuments , Wiki Loves Women, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Folklore).
Prodip Roy
Library Officer. RMIT University
I have been a library professional in local and state Governments and the tertiary education sector in Australia and Bangladesh for nineteen years. As the founder and Editor in Chief, I lead The Librarian Times team in implementing its vision and mission. I was the founder and President of the Bangla Language and Cultural School in Adelaide, South Australia, from 2013 -2015. I served as a Co-Chair for Special Interest Group-International Information Issues (SIG-III) of The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2021. I am serving as an ASIS&T Governance Committee member for 2022-2023. I have been a Creative Commons Global Network and CC Australia chapters member for the last few years.
Thalia Rahme (co-chair; she/her)
Independent Communications Consultant
A city goat, originally from Beirut, but currently living in Marseille. A former journalist, yet an unrepentant storyteller. A versatile comms person who’s into management. I’m interested in bridging between languages and technology and making information accessible to whomever needs it in the appropriate format. Currently learning 한국어 My Achilles heel is design but I haven’t lost hope yet
Comité de Becas
Eunice Mercado-Lara (she/her)
Civic Science Fellow, The Open Research Funders Group
I’m a Civic Science Fellow at the Open Research Funders Group, where I lead the Open & Equitable Model Funding Program, a research funders’ community of practice to pilot interventions to make grantmaking practices more equitable and incentivize open and collaborative scholarly practices. I have worked in the public sector to help government funding agencies in North and Latin America align incentives and policies to advance open research. I have served as a board and committee member in several international organizations and initiatives advocating for open scholarship practices, such as CERN’s SCOAP3 initiative, the Open Access Week, and the OpenCon LATAM.
Ivan Martínez (he/him)
Creative Commons México and R3D
Human rights defender and long-time free and open knowledge activist. Currently Creative Commons México Coordinator.
Lia P. Hernández Pérez (she/her)
Co-Founder, Creative Commons Panama Chapter
I am the founder of the Panamanian chapter of Creative Commons. Since 2014, I have been a very active actor promoting the use of CC licenses in the local and regional community.
Mari Moreshead (she/her)
Chief of Staff, Creative Commons
Mari came to CC in 2015 after three years at the Mozilla Foundation. Prior to that, she held similar administrative roles at a legal technology start up and the Playful Invention Company. She leads staff engagement, hiring, and other CC operations. She’s lived in a few Canadian cities but now calls Toronto home where she lives with her cats. When she’s not at her desk, she’s quilting.
Olatunde Isaac is a Nigerian scientist, food safety specialist, open knowledge advocate and social entrepreneur. He’s a long-term Wikipedia editor and Wikimedia community manager in Nigeria. Isaac is a versatile personality whose works in the open movement, specifically on Wikipedia, have been extensively covered by national and international media and have received numerous accolades for his contributions. He is one of the most prolific contributors to Wikipedia in Africa, and in 2015, he founded Wikimedia User Group Nigeria (now a charitable organization in Nigeria) that focuses on promoting Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in Nigeria.
Sami Mlouhi
CC Global Network Member
I’m Sami Mlouhi, a CC network member living in Tunis, Tunisia. I’m a Wikimedian and an advocate for open knowledge all over the world.
Amber Osman (she/her)
Aysa Ekanger (she/her)
Brian Ssennoga (he/him)
Carlo Joseph Moskito (co-chair; he/him)
Irene Soria (she/her)
Jennifer Miller (she/her)
Lía Rodríguez (she/her)
Marcela Basch (she/her)
Nate Angell (co-chair; he/him)
Nyirahabihirwe Clementine
Prodip Roy
Thalia Rahme (co-chair; she/her)
Eunice Mercado-Lara (she/her)
Ivan Martínez (he/him)
Lia P. Hernández Pérez (she/her)
Mari Moreshead (she/her)
Max Wardeh (he/him)
Olalekan Isaac Olatunde (he/him)
Sami Mlouhi