The art market, patronage, and digital innovation: tokenization, traceability, and legitimacy networks

The art market, patronage, and digital innovation: tokenization, traceability, and legitimacy networks

Overview

This micro-credential addresses the analysis of the contemporary art market, identifying its agents, value systems, and cultural funding models. The program also explores the impact of digital technologies on cultural assets and trains participants to use network analysis and mapping tools, geared towards designing patronage and fundraising strategies.

Goals

Understanding and analyzing the mechanisms of the art market, the logic of patronage, and the processes of digital innovation applied to the traceability and tokenization of cultural assets.

Access requirements

  • Students must be between 25 and 64 years old on the date the training begins.
  • The micro-credential is primarily intended for individuals with university degrees in related fields (culture, heritage, humanities, social sciences, etc.), although this is not a mandatory requirement. Admission will be prioritized in the following order:
    a) Hold an official Spanish university degree or another degree issued by a higher education institution belonging to another Member State of the European Higher Education Area
    Higher education qualification that enables access to master's level studies. Preferably, university graduates with degrees related to culture, heritage, humanities, social sciences, arts, architecture, tourism, communication or public administration.
    b) Holding a degree issued by an educational system outside the European Higher Education Area without official recognition or a declaration of equivalence. In these cases, the academic director will submit a report to the Academic Committee, which will authorize or deny admission. Under no circumstances will authorization imply official recognition of the foreign degree, nor its recognition for any purpose other than pursuing postgraduate studies at the ULL. Preference will be given to university graduates in fields related to culture, heritage, humanities, social sciences, arts, architecture, tourism, communication, or public administration.
    c) Professionals without university qualifications who demonstrate experience or interest in the cultural field.

Academic program

Contents

  • Agents in the art market: galleries, fairs, auction houses, curating.
  • Patronage and sponsorship: contemporary models, incentives and strategies.
  • Systems of legitimation: institutional, critical, curatorial and digital circuits.
  • Tokenization of cultural assets: foundations, uses and limitations.
  • Traceability and emerging technologies (DLT, blockchain, cultural metadata).
  • Basic legal framework: intellectual property, certification and copyright.
  • Apply basic criteria for the analysis and representation of cultural networks to design positioning and resource acquisition strategies.
  • Case studies: international models and island ecosystems.

Methodology and activities

The training activities to be carried out during the delivery of the micro-credential will be:

  • Theoretical classes: expository, explanatory or demonstration sessions of the contents and knowledge.
  • Practical classes: sessions of practical application of the content developed in the theoretical classes, through the resolution of exercises, problems or theoretical-practical scenarios.
  • Seminars, workshops, or other complementary activities (discussion forums, simulations, etc.): monographic sessions that encourage student participation. These are supervised by the course instructors.
  • Work: preparation of a study, essay, work, etc. proposed in the subject, either individually or in a group following established guidelines.
  • Independent work: independent and self-regulated activity of the student based on the documentation and guidelines proposed in the subject, preparation of classes and exams, preparation of final reports, internship reports…
  • Presentations, debates and defenses of works and projects: activity through which students present works, exercises, projects… based on established criteria, demonstrating sufficiency and maturity in the acquisition of the planned competencies.
    •Tutoring (individual, group): activity in which the teaching staff attends to, facilitates and guides one or more students in the training process.
  • Assessment: continuous assessment tests and final exams. Tests may be in person or online, and may be written, oral, or consist of practical exercises.
  • Field trips/visits: an activity carried out outside the classroom. Its objective is for students to put what they have learned in class into practice in a real-world context, which will allow them to reinforce the theoretical content (meaningful learning).

Regarding the way to organize the teaching to achieve the objectives set out in the micro-credential, the organizational modality summarized below will be followed:

  • Lectures/expository method: presentation or explanation by the teaching staff.
  • Seminars: completing exercises, solving problems or practical cases, others.
  • Individual work: individual preparation of assignments/projects/reports, portfolio, …
  • Group work: group preparation of assignments, projects/reports.
  • Tutoring: instruction period in which teachers and students interact with the aim of reviewing and discussing materials and topics presented in class.
  • Exhibitions, debates and presentation of works and projects: activities supervised by the teaching staff.
  • Active methodologies: cooperative learning, project-based learning, flipped classroom, service learning, game-based learning, case studies, problem-solving…
    They are aimed at making learning a participatory process and are based on the leading role of the students.

Evaluation criteria

The microcredential will have an evaluation system (ES) based on the following assessment tests:

  • Case studies, exercises and problems: tests in which students must solve, in a reasoned manner, within a certain time, and according to the established criteria, the cases, exercises or problems posed by the teaching staff, with the aim of applying the knowledge acquired.
  • Attendance, participation or attitude in teaching activities, seminars, tutorials, etc.: monitoring student attendance and participation in teaching activities, carrying out activities during teaching sessions.
  • Written works, memoirs, internship reports, and projects: a document prepared on a topic or activity carried out, following the instructions established by the teaching staff.
  • Oral presentation and defense of topics, assignments, etc.: oral presentation on a topic related to the micro-credential content or on the results of an assignment, exercise, or project, followed by discussion with the teaching staff. This can be done individually or in a group.

General information

Credits: 3 ECTS

Duration: 05/05/2026 – 14/05/2026

Teaching modality: Blended learning

Location: Spaces: Faculty of Humanities (music room) of the University of La Laguna, Caja Canarias Santa Cruz space, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Chamber of Commerce space

Registration fee: €30

Valued at: €217.50

Registration
More info and registration help

The cost of tuition for this Microcredential will be subsidized by the 'Plan for the development of university microcredentials', investment 6 of component 21 of the Addendum to the 'Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan', financed by the European Union – Next Generation EU, year 2025.

Flexibility

Short courses available in various formats (in-person, online, or hybrid). Ideal for learning without interrupting your professional life.

Employability

Content created and delivered by professionals and experts in the field, designed for immediate application.

Certification

Endorsed by the University of La Laguna. You will receive an official ECTS certificate, valid in the European Higher Education Area.

Teaching staff

Nuria Segovia Martín

PhD in Art History and professor at the University of La Laguna. Specialist with extensive experience in cultural management, museology and art appraisal, with expertise in valuation, collecting and museum projects.

Almudena González Brito

Professor and researcher at the University of La Laguna, expert in neuromusicology and the neuroscience of music. Cultural manager and cellist, she designs training programs on perception, cognition, and identity in contemporary cultural contexts.

Miguela Ángel Recio Crespo

Angela Beatriz Alvarez

Eduardo Bobillo Doyague

Carlos Trujillo

Ale Montañez

Juan José Hernández Castro

Specialist in economic societies and institutional development. With extensive experience in analyzing and structuring the business fabric in strategic contexts.

Bernardo García Morales

Alejandro Tosco

Cynthia Viera Pérez

Guillermo Ortega Puerta

Ana Beatriz Alonso Arribas

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