PfC's Choice

New structure of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria (Sofia, February 22)
The Bulgarian Prime Minister, Simeon Sax-Coburg-Gotha, has recently announced a restructuring of the governement. The Parliament accepted his proposal aimed at the transformation of the Ministry of Culture, namely by joining the former State Tourism Agency and of the existing cultural Ministry of Culture in a Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The new Minister appointed is Nina Chilova, 32 year old jurist and economist, former MP from the National Movement “Simeon II”. Her mandate as Minister is functional until the next parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, which will take place in June 2005.
For more information write to Tsveta Andreeva, Local Policies for Culture coordinator, at C.Andreeva@culture.government.bg.

70 cents for culture - Campaign launch on March 15
The European Cultural Foundation and the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage will launch on March 15 the "70 cents for culture" campaign at the European Parliament in Brussels. The European Union currently spends just 34 million euros– roughly 7 cents per citizen per year – on its culture programme for trans-national cooperation. Unless this figure can be increased to 70 cents per year (315 million euros in total), the vision set out by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (at the Berlin Conference for European Cultural Policy, 26 November 2004) cannot possibly be realized: "The questions of what Europe can do for culture and what culture can do for Europe have acquired a new sense of urgency... Europe is not only about markets, it is also about values and culture... In the hierarchy of values, the cultural ones range above the economic ones. If the economy is a necessity for our lives, culture is really about what makes our life worth living...". This campaign is supported by Members of the European Parliament across the political groupings, by artists, by foundations, by cultural NGOs, and by representatives of the business community.
For more information contact Isabelle Schwarz, Cultural Policy Development Manager, ECF, at ischwarz@eurocult.org, or Ilona Kish, Secretary General, EFAH, at ilona.kish@efah.org, or visit www.efah.org.

 Policies for Culture news

Reminder: PfC Forum. Current topic: The utility and use of the (quasi-) arm's length financing mechanisms in SEE
The Policies for Culture programme has recently launched its Forum webpage - a new interactive tool that aims to build a space of discussion and exchange of information and experiences on current issues on the agenda of cultural policy research in the region. The forum, which is open to all interested contributors, from SEE and beyond, facilitates contributions on the basis of a background paper provided for each topic, gathering in the end the input received into a summarising report. The first topic proposed aims to question the relevance, utility and use of the (quasi-) arm's length financing mechanisms in SEE, on the basis of a background paper written by Delia Mucica. All those with an interest and experience are invited to contribute to the proposed topic or to suggest a new topic of interest which can be of regional relevance.
Your contributions are welcome at the PfC Forum webpage.

Action project update: ARCult launches Cultural Forum: Why and how should culture be funded? In Romania (Bucharest, Romania)
In the framework of the ARCult programme, the ECUMEST Association has organised on February 25 the debate "Why and how should culture be funded? In Romania". The Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs has participated in this meeting with key members of the new team. Throught this event ECUMEST has launched the ARCult Cultural Forum, a process of analysis, proposals and debates aiming at contributing to the design of a long term cultural strategy in Romania. This first meeting has offered a space of debate on the needed reform of the present funding system, starting from the motivation and the aims of this public support in the current context, from the viewpoint of diverse cultural actors (public institutions, NGOs, artists, unions & association of creators, cultural administration). The meeting will be followed by sectorial and thematic debates, the next meeting, dedicated to the independent organisations, being planned to take place in the month of April. More information about the development and results of this process will be available at www.ecumest.ro.

Action project update: Publication on the project "Platform for a New Impact of Culture in Montenegro" (Podgorica, Montenegro)
Nansen Dialogue Centre Montenegro has recently published a booklet presenting its action project "Platform for a New Impact of Culture in Montenegro". It summarises the whole project by offering descriptions of its mission and aims, reports on each of its phases and events, a selection from the press clippings and several additional documents related to the project. The booklet is published in Serbian-Montenegrin in 500 copies, which will be distributed to cultural institutions and operators in Montenegro and abroad.
For more information write to Svetlana Racanovic, Project coordinator, at impulsivo68@cg.yu, or visit the action project's webpage.

Policies for Culture inspires Conference on regional Cultural Development for the Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian Federation)
Since summer 2004 the European Cultural Foundation has been supporting a regional cultural development initiative in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad at the Baltic Sea. The initiative is largely based on experiences of the ECUMEST Association and the ECF gained during the implementation of Policies for Culture in SEE. The project recently resulted in a large-scale public conference on the elaboration of cultural 'visions' for the further development of the Kaliningrad region. The event, which was organised by the local cultural NGO 'Tranzit Agency', and the Kaliningrad Branch of the National Centre for Contemporary Arts, gathered some 50 representatives of local NGOs, public institutions, local and national decision makers, the consulates of the neighbouring countries and the Russian Ministry of Culture as well as artists, journalists and international experts including Policies for Culture representatives. The conference resulted in the collection and debate of a number of cultural 'visions' for the region, which was dominated by questions of what cultural identity to emphasise in the future (Russian? Baltic? European?), and how to deal with the complex historic heritage. Further trainings and events are planned for the second half of the year.
For more information contact Philipp Dietachmair, ECF Programme officer, at pdietachmair@eurocult.org.

 News from the region

Bulgaria: New cultural fund for the Bulgarian capital
The Municipality of Sofia has announced the intention of establishing a Municipal Culture Fund. The first open call for projects will be launched in May 2005. The idea for a cultural fund in Sofia was raised in the recent years by the civil sector organisations and the decision for its establishment came as a result of a series of discussions and hearings among the NGOs and the authorities. The most active participants in this process were the Open Society Institute - Sofia, the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate. The news was made public in the analytical material "More openness and transparency in the financing of culture in Sofia", written by Dessislava Gavrilova and published in the last issue of POLITIKI Electronic Journal of the OSI - Sofia, disseminated on February 25.
Source: Information provided by Tsveta Andreeva, Local Policies for Culture coordinator in Bulgaria, C.Andreeva@culture.government.bg.

Romania: Exploring partnerships in view of the 2007 European Cultural Capitals Luxembourg & Sibiu
Luxembourg and Sibiu (Romania) will be the "European Capitals of Culture" in 2007. Kulturfabrik, Luxembourg, is organising an exploratory visit in Romania in March 2005 in view of establishing partnerships with Romanian organisations. Kulturfabrik would like to work on a cultural exchange with the City of Sibiu and Romania in the framework of the 2007 Cultural Capitals programme, and made this proposal to the Lux2007 committee. The fields Kulturfabrik envisages to work in are: music, theatre, streetanimation, video artists/ visual artists, writing, poetry, contemporary dance, plastic arts, architecture, traditional Romanian kitchen.
For more information contact Rene Penning, Kulturfabrik, at rene@kulturfabrik.lu, or visit www.kulturfabrik.lu.

Romania: Regional Networks - Banlieues d'Europ'Est (Bucharest, February 7)
The recently launched Banlieues d'Europe'Est and Banlieues d'Europe have organised on February 7 in Bucharest the meeting "The Synthesis and the Perspectives of an International Cultural Cooperation". The meeting has offered the opportunity to present a series of initiatives and projects developed in Romania, which are intervening in the space of the city and creating links with the people. The experiences presented during this meeting have drawn up an image of the existing resources, as well as of the need of creating new forms and new approaches to art, culture and society. Following this first event organised in Romania, Banlieues d'Europe'Est will initiate a series of actions aiming at discovering innovating projects, at linking artists, cultural operators, associations and collectivities in view of responding to the proposals of cooperation at European level.
For more details about Banlieues d'Europe'Est, its profile and objectives visit the Banlieues d'Europe webpage or write to Silvia Cazacu, Network coordinator, at silviacazacu@hotmail.com.

Serbia & Montenegro: The set-up of the BalkanKult Foundation
The BalkanKult Foundation continues the work started and realised by the regional association BalkanKult, which was established in 1999, in Sarajevo. The goals of the foundation are the development of creative industries in the region, the support for cultural diversity, the development of regional cultural market, the support for mobility of people, ideas and works. A BalkanKult Foundation Fund has been also established for the support of cultural production and cultural life in the Balkan region. The first call for proposals will probably be launched by the end of 2005.
For more information visit www.balkankult.org.

 Projects and Initiatives

Recent Developments in the framework of Relations
relations is a project initiated by the kulturstiftung des bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation, Germany), within the framework of its Eastern and Central Europe programme. In collaboration with curators, social researchers and artists, relations develops cultural and art projects in various countries in eastern Europe. The aim is to formulate overarching questions arising from the local context which further the relations between art, everyday life, social research, politics and history. For more information visit www.projekt-relations.de.
We are presenting below two of the projects in development in the framework of relations:

> East.Art.Map. History is not given. Please help construct it. (Ljubjana, Slovenia)
In most countries in eastern Europe there is a lack of a continuous art history in the sense of a reliable reference system. This means that a comprehensible, transnational historicization, contextualization and appraisal of art works is almost impossible. Systematic comparisons with contemporary art, say, from the West are therefore seldom even attempted. Against this background, the internationally well-known Slovenian group of artists, IRWIN, that has existed for twenty years, has developed the project, East Art Map. In a first phase, the lines connecting individual artists to each other and to various institutions in the East and West have been traced in a literal sense and a network of artists that has been working together for decades has thus been visualized for the first time. In the next phase of the project it is therefore now a matter of deciding who should be included in this map for the first time and replace an artist who has already been included in it. The East Art Map is conceived as a stimulus for an ongoing debate that is adequate for the purposes of art research. East Art Map Online is now open for contributions by its users. You are invited to participate in the selection of the ten most important artworks or crucial art projects from every country of Eastern Europe since 1945.
For more information contact editor@eastartmap.org or visit www.eastartmap.org.

> ALTE ARTE (Chisinau, Moldova)
Against the background of a huge lack of information and deficits in education in the area of contemporary art, as well as cultural work that is only in its beginnings in the Republic of Moldova, the television project, ALTE ARTE, was developed taking up an idea of the artist, Pavel Braila. ALTE ARTE reports are on both local/ regional (Romania and Ukraine) and international cultural events. It presents institutions, makes artists' portraits and produces reports and in-depth features on socially relevant topics and issues in the Republic of Moldova. ALTE ARTE thus creates a public sphere for cultural questions in the country. It also promotes a joining-in with international discussions because a further fixed component of the television magazine are the contributions and works of international artists. ALTE ARTE thus conceives of itself not only as TV on art, but also as art on TV. The first magazine was launched on Moldova 1 TV by the end of January 2005.
The body responsible for the project is the Centre for Contemporary Art, Chisinau [ksa:k]. For more information contact info@altearte.md or visit www.altearte.md.

Terrains Fertiles: Supporting creativity through regional cooperation
Terrains Fertiles is a cooperative programme that unites artists, cultural actors and sites, with the common objective of accompanying artists in dance and emerging contemporary art forms in the realisation of their creative projects. This meeting of Art, Society and Territory is manifested by Terrains Fertiles through residencies for creation, open to artists in the initial phases of developing a creative project. Among the aims of this programme are: Strengthen international cooperation for the exchange of knowledge in multicultural contexts; Encourage a strong local and regional investment in cooperative efforts with the aim of structuring cultural and social development; Accompany young artists in the elaboration and production of their creative projects; Further the mobility of young artists and their works; Extend frontiers by creating links between sensitive regions in Central and Eastern Europe (the Balkans). Terrains Fertiles 2005 will grow on the European territory during residencies in Romania, Austria and France, thanks to the synergy of experiences of Joel Borges and the organisation IXKIZIT (France), Anita Kaya and the organisation Im_flieger (Austria), and Cosmin Manolescu and the ArCuB – Center for Cultural Projects of the city of Bucharest (Romania). The selection of the artists has recently been completed and the first residency will take place in Romania, in April.
For more information contact Isabel Andreen, general coordinator, at ixkizit@terrainsfertiles.org or visit www.terrainsfertiles.org.

 Upcoming Events

Reminder & update: March 15-17, 2005: Balkan Express Meeting & IETM Spring Plenary Meeting (Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro)
The next meeting of the Balkan Express network will take place in Belgrade, March 15–17, only two days before the IETM Plenary Meeting. The meeting is organised by the DAH Theatre Research Centre (Belgrade), in cooperation with ECUMEST (Bucharest) and Bunker productions (Ljubljana). The main topic will be "Place of Performing Arts in Regional Processes". Theatre makers will investigate different models of relation between performing arts/artists and their societies and its institutions, exchange their experiences in different social-political surroundings - societies in transition, in reforms, in becoming the part of new European Community. The meeting will gather participants – performers, directors, producers, managers, cultural policy makers/workers - from South East of Europe, Turkey, Italy, France, and other participants interested in collaborating with the region. The meeting is a satellite to the IETM plenary meeting announced below.
For more information contact the DAH Theatre Research Centre at dahteatar@sbb.co.yu or visit the IETM website.

Reminder & update: March 17-20, 2005: IETM Spring Plenary Meeting (Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro)
This year's spring meeting of the IETM - Informal European Theatre Meeting, which will take place in the Dom Omladine Cultural Centre, Belgrade, will have as main topic "Europe: re-union? Re-forming, re-thinking, re-inventing, re-questioning, re-acting, re-volving". The local organisers made this choice in the hope that at least in the performing arts, the professionals of the field could overcome stereotypes and the restraining political rules. The European Union appears to the people living in Belgrade and Serbia & Montenegro as a single cultural space, regardless of how much this may seem unrealistic to those living and working in the EU. How do these questions then sound looking from this point of view?
For more information contact ietm@ietm.org or visit www.ietm.org.

Follow ups to "A Soul for Europe" - the Berlin Conference for European Cultural Policy
> May 2-3, 2005: Conference in Paris (France)
The dates for the Paris conference on cultural policy, organised as a follow up to the conference held in Berlin in November 2004, are confirmed for 2-3 May 2005. The venue is still to be established and the programme under development.
Source: www.efah.org.
>November 17-19, 2005: Inclusive Europe: Horizon 2020 (Budapest, Hungary)
By organising this conference, the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage aims to maintain the momentum created by the conference "A Soul for Europe". The event will explore the twin challenges of cultural democratisation and cultural democracy for Europe today and tomorrow. The conference will also provide a platform for prospective visions: eminent intellectuals and political thinkers will be invited to look at the future of European culture on the horizon of 2020.
Source: the Budapest Observatory website.

May 9-10, 2005: Cultural Rights in European Perspectives (Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria)
The Conference 'Cultural Rights in European Perspectives' is organised by the South-West University 'Neofit Rilsky', Blagoevgrad, and will take place in the framework of the International Festival of Youth 'EUROARTS 2005'. The conference intends to bring into focus the question of cultural rights in the broader context of issues such as cultural diversity and cultural identity in a United Europe, the philosophy of multiculturalism and its European implications. The conference aims to make a Central and East European contribution to the design of an action plan for research, information, advocacy and action on culture as an essential element in the development of other civic, public and private initiatives which place culture at the core of developmental strategies. Papers should be sent no later than March 30 at the contact below.
For more information write to Svetlana Hristova, Assoc. Prof and Director of Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Integration at the South-West University 'Neofit Rilsky', Blagoevgrad, at sv.hristova@aix.swu.bg or go HERE.

September 22-24, 2005: Best in Heritage 2005 (Dubrovnik, Croatia)
This international annual presentation of the best, awarded museums, heritage and conservation projects takes place under the patronage of ICOM, UNESCO, ICOMOS, Europa Nostra, and the City of Dubrovnik. Representatives of twenty-odd handpicked projects will show why their projects were distinguished, on either an international or a national level, demonstrating practical and theoretical dimensions of excellence that result in competitiveness and prestige. Presentations, discussions and personal contact with the best, make this conference a highly pragmatic event.
For more information contact or visit info@thebestinheritage.com or visit www.thebestinheritage.com.

 Opportunities

Cultural Policy Research Award 2005 - For Applied Comparative Cultural Policy Research
Application deadline: 5 May 2005
The main aim of the Cultural Policy Research Award (CPR Award) is to stimulate academic research in the field of cultural policy, with an emphasis on the usefulness of the research in terms of practical application. The research should throw light on contemporary European cultural issues and problems, possibly analyzing them and working towards new policy solutions. The overall area covered by the award is ‘applied comparative cultural policy research’. Preference will be given to proposed research which covers a topical issue affecting contemporary Europe and which considers the possible remodelling of cultural systems, cultural institutions and cultural policy education. The winner of the CPR Award 2005 will be announced at the European Foundation Centre’s 16th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Conference ‘Foundations for Europe: Making the Union Work for All Citizens’, Budapest, Hungary, June 4-6, 2005.
For more information contact Svetlana Jovicic, CPR Award manager at cpraward@cpraward.org or visit www.cpraward.org.

Turkey included in the STEP beyond mobility scheme of the European Cultural Foundation
Supporting individual mobility in the setting-up phase of cultural and artistic initiatives is one means of strengthening cultural ties between those European countries that are not currently members of the EU and the present EU countries, and the ECF has established the STEP beyond mobility scheme in early 2003 to do so. Following the European Union's and Turkey's agreement on opening negotiations regarding the accession of Turkey to the EU, the ECF is intending to include Turkey even more in its activities. Through opening up its STEP beyond mobility scheme to Turkey, the Foundation wishes to emphasize that bridges should be built between all the countries of Europe, including Turkey. Art professionals, cultural operators, cultural journalists, cultural translators and cultural researchers from all 41 countries covered by STEP beyond's remit are invited to apply.
For details and guidelines, see the ECF website under programmes. mobility.

Fellowship programme in Multiple Institutional Cultures in Southeast Europe within the Context of European Unification at the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia
Application deadline: 15 April 2005
The Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS) is announcing its call for applications for fellowships in the international research project "Roles, Identities and Hybrids - Multiple Institutional Cultures in
Southeast Europe within the Context of European Unification" for the academic 2005-2006 year. The annual enrolment includes eight researchers - four fellows from the humanities and four from the social sciences. The duration of each fellowship is 9 months. Non-Bulgarian fellows are also eligible - they will be residing permanently or on a part-time basis in Sofia (negotiable in each individual case) and shall participate in all workshops, seminars and public events of the "Roles, Identities and Hybrids" project that take part in CAS, Sofia. The working language of the project is English. The goal of this collective research project is to explore the zone of intersection, interaction, and hybridization between institutional roles and collective identities. These intersections are of special
importance for the countries in Southeastern Europe.
For more details contact Mila Popova, Project Coordinator, at milapopova@cas.bg or visit www.cas.bg.

Fernand Braudel Fellowships programme for young researchers from South Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean
Application deadline: 15 April 2005
The Paris Municipality and Maison des sciences de l'homme Foundation have recently launched the call for the Fernand Braudel post-doctoral fellowships addressed to young researchers from South Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. The fields concerned are humanistic and social sciences. The duration of each fellowship is between 6-10 months.
For more details and the application forms contact Neli Dobreva, Project coordinator, at neli.dobreva@msh-paris.fr, or visit www.msh-paris.fr.

Kennedy Center for Performing Arts: Fellowships at the Vilar Institute for Arts Management
Application deadline: 1 April 2005
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers valuable skills building for arts managers through the Vilar Institute for Arts Management. Vilar Fellows enjoy close working relationships with experienced arts professionals, hands-on work opportunities, a structured blend of independent and collective learning experiences, and the opportunity to work in one of the busiest and most artistically diverse performing arts centers in the United States. Fellows are expected to attend performances and educational events, as well as complete significant projects within the context of the Kennedy Center. Vilar Fellowships are full-time and last 10 months starting in September and ending in June. The Vilar Institute emphasizes excellence, creativity, economic problem solving, strategic planning, internationalism, and a commitment to new technologies.
For more information visit the Kennedy Center webpage.

 Publications & Information Resources

Laboratory East Germany. Cultural dimensions of social changes
2003, Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Federal Cultural Foundation), Kristina Bauer-Volke & Ina Dietzsch ed. (German only). The Federal Cultural Foundation initiated the project "Cultural Report of East Germany" aiming to get a better overview on cultural developments and perspective in East Germany. The publication prepared in the framwork of this project is a systematic collection of contemporary examinations of various aspects of the social, political and economic changes and those in the arts/ in culture happening currently - and their correlation. The publishers approach is to show the very close connections between arts, culture and society - also in order to give new inspiration to cultural policies. The cultural policies are not only asked here to look for new strategies of financing arts and culture but also to give new reasons why to support these.
For more information contact info@kulturstiftung-bund.de or visit www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de.
Source: Summary provided by Kristina Bauer-Volke.

Virtual Library Eastern Europe - The academic portal for the countries of Eastern, Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe
The Virtual Library Eastern Europe (ViFaOst) is a scientific web portal (now online in English, Russian and in the German original) that provides extensive specialist information on the history, culture, politics and society of the states and regions of Eastern Europe. While history has been the site's main focus to date, the other subject areas will be extended substantially within the coming year and a half. A variety of research tools provides easy access to a wide range of information on the most recent literature, bibliographies, annotated internet resources, primary sources, full texts and other materials of interest. ViFaOst is a joint initiative of the Bavarian State Library, the Department of Eastern and South-eastern European History at Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University, the Munich-based Osteuropa-Institut and the Herder Institute in Marburg. It is sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
For further information visit www.vifaost.de.

Europe as a Cultural Project - Final Report of the reflection Group of the European Cultural Foundation (2002-2004)
February 2005. The ECF´s Reflection Group explored the cultural dimensions of the European integration, with particular reference to enlargement, and developped recommendations in the area of cultural policy. This publication presents the final report of the Reflection Group by Dragan Klaic and gives the members´individual perspectives on the cultural challenges facing Europe today.
The report is available for download at the ECF website.