Library News & Updates

International Open Access Week: Open Access in the Arts

The theme of this year’s Open Access Week, “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”, is a tough one to tackle

Much of the conversations around this premise center on publishing scholarly research and the critical concerns of who gets to create knowledge, who controls it, how it is shared, and who gets access to it. When we broaden the question to consider how knowledge could possibly be owned in the first place, it further muddies the waters that reflect our academic and professional values. To effectively decide what information systems we want to promote and grow, we must also reflect on what aspects of the creation and dissemination of knowledge are core to our very existence. 

This is more than a philosophical exercise

Students are learning both the content of their respective disciplines and the systems in which to search for and access information, systems they are both contributing to and will one day inherit. Faculty are conducting new inquiries and reporting their findings to progress their fields, while pushing back on systemic barriers that threaten this progression. And the public is navigating an increasingly commercialized information landscape, questioning who can be trusted to produce and share information for the common good. Considering these realities exist within an increasingly digital environment, I am cautiously hopeful to hear this question being asked in the context of open access. 

Open Access at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University

At the Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, the benefits of open access may seem somewhat removed from creative endeavors historically situated outside the scholarly publishing sphere. Yet the question of “Who Owns Our Knowledge?” aligns perfectly with ongoing and urgent fears of AI and copyright infringement, inadequate funding for arts programs, and skepticism surrounding the purpose of art in the world. In light of these existential threats, engaging in open access conversations on a larger level can help artists and art programs explore avenues to co-creating a world where sharing and giving freely is the norm. Openness is central to the creation of art itself and should be central to the path towards its continuation. 

Get In Touch

Got questions about Open Access in the arts? Please don't hesitate to reach out to libraryref@cornish.edu or Associate Librarian, Renée Bedard, at rbedard@seattleu.edu.

"I look forward to learning more about the relationship between open access and the arts and I hope you’ll join me!" -- Renée Bedard, Associate Librarian at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University.

Thank you to Renée Bedard, Associate Librarian at Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University, for contributing this piece to the Library's International Open Access Week 2026 Blog Series.