About UCSIA & the festival
Baroque Influencers is an initiative of the Jesuit Heritage Foundation.
University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp (UCSIA) and the University of Antwerp founded the Jesuit Heritage Foundation in 2020. This public utility foundation works on the scientific and social promotion of the movable material heritage of the Jesuits in Antwerp and beyond. UCSIA coordinates the city festival. The University of Antwerp acts as co-organizer. The curator of the city festival Baroque Influencers is Harold Polis.
The seventeenth century was decisive for the development of Antwerp and the Low Countries. The city festival Baroque Influencers shows the influence of the baroque and the central role the Jesuits played in Antwerp. Why are we (still) children of the baroque?
The baroque embodied the meeting between tradition and modernity. The Jesuits helped to shape that process thanks to their religious conviction and social commitment. Baroque Influencers examines how international and far-reaching that development was, how it continued into the twentieth century, and what the legacy of the baroque means today in our super-diverse society. The historical legacy of the Jesuits is an occasion for us to open a dialogue about the great challenges ahead.
It is no accident that Baroque Influencers takes place in Antwerp, the northern capital of the baroque. In 2023 you can experience for yourself how inspiring the baroque was and still is. Experience the stunning exhibitions, breathtaking music concerts and many other captivating events of the city festival. Baroque Influencers will change your view of the future.