PfC's Choice

PfC co-initiator appointed as director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York

Starting the 1st of March 2006, Corina Suteu is director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York. Founder and president of the ECUMEST Association and co-initiator of the Policies for Culture programme, Corina Suteu pursues her international career favouring as always cultural cooperation as a key to a more democratic and less conflictual environment. Formerly director of UNITER - the Theatre Union of Romania and of Theatrum Mundi in Bucharest at the beginning of the '90s, she directed the European Master's degree in Cultural management of the Business School in Dijon and set up and coordinated the ECUMEST cultural management training programme for Eastern European professionals. Formerly president of the European Forum of Cultural Networks, she has worked extensively as independent trainer, consultant and researcher in the fields of cultural cooperation and cultural management and policies in Europe. Corina Suteu will also continue to participate and contribute with her expertise to the ECUMEST projects developed in Romania, in the region or internationally.
The contacts of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York are: roculture@aol.com, tel: 001-212 687 01 80, fax: 001-212 687 53 45.

 Policies for Culture news

Reminder: PfC publication "The arts, politics and change"

The recently launched publication commissioned by the European Cultural Foundation and the ECUMEST Association and published by Boekmanstudies has enjoyed a lot of interest and attention. Policies for Culture has received a lot of positive feedback, for which we would like to thank you. You may still purchase this publication directly from the Boekman Foundation in Amsterdam at the coordinates below. Undertitled "Participative cultural policy-making in South East Europe", this book documents and builds on the activities of the Policies for Culture programme throughout the region since its launch in 2000 and the results achieved to date. The publication provides both theoretical reflection and practical examples of cultural policy initiatives, of relevance to examining the role of cultural policy frameworks in politically and socially unstable societies in South East Europe and beyond. Edited by Cas Smithuijsen, Corina Suteu and Hanneloes Weeda. Boekmanstudies, Amsterdam, 2005.
More details on the publication are available at www.policiesforculture.org/printed.php. To purchase this book, please visit www.boekman.nl.

 News from the region

Bulgaria: Debate: Is There a Point in Remembering Socialism? (Sofia)
The Red House Centre for Culture and Debate in Sofia hosted on February 28 a discussion around the project "I lived socialism" as well as the book of memories and stories about socialism, the result of the project initiated by journalists Diana Ivanova and Kalin Manolov, writer Georgi Gospodinov and psychiatrist Roumen Petrov (all born in the '60s). "I lived socialism" started as a website on 26 March 2004 and was the first website for personal recollections from the socialist years in Bulgaria. The project is based exclusively on the use of Internet as a tool and place for storytelling and is the first of that kind in Eastern Europe. The idea of the project was to look at socialism from our own experience and to encourage people to talk about their own feelings and experiences connected with that time.
For more details and to download stories in English visit www.spomeniteni.org.

Croatia: Freedom to Creativity Festival (Zagreb)
The Second Freedom to Creativity Festival of free culture, science and technology, organised by the Zagreb – Cultural Capital 3000 project and the Multimedia Institute, took place in Zagreb on 1-5 February. Inspired by the philosophy and success of the free software movement, the participating projects produced, within their respective areas, the counterbalance to the negative trends of privatization and created information resources available for free exchange. This year's programme included exhibition, lectures, workshops, book presentations as well as music performances. The current edition was a continuation of the last years's focus, entirely dedicated to different efforts of fostering "free culture" - culture whose creators allow others to freely share, modify and publish the modifications of their works without infinging on their copyrights.
For more information visit www.slobodastvaralastvu.net.
Source: SEE Portal.

SEE: Launch of the Adriatic Euroregion
A new Adriatic Euroregion, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Serbia-Montenegro and Slovenia, formally opened on 6 February 2006 under the auspices of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at a ceremony in Venice. According to its signed Statutes, the new Euroregion has among its general objectives to reinforce stability in the Adriatic and Balkan regions, promote sustainable development and ensure social and economic cohesion in the region and serve as a tool for Balkan cooperation and integration with the wider European area. On the occasion of the launch of the Adriatic Euroregion, Terry Davis, the Council of Europe Secretary General, said this Euroregion had been established in order to also "provide a platform for cultural co-operation and exchange'' in the region.
For more details visit www.coe.int.
Source: SETimes.

 Projects and Initiatives

art-e-conomy
art-e-conomy (transitional economics and art - theory and practice of contemporary global production) is an international collaborative research and educational project, initiated with an attempt to re-think the ideas behind the economy of art and the status of art market in the post-socialist Eastern European situation. The project, departing from the lack (for Serbian and SEE cultural and political space) of a specific and articulated discourse related to the intersection between art and economy, aims to address questions and arguments such as: Is it possible to talk about the ways in which contemporary art represents economic processes, and (if the answer is positive) what kind of meaning this artistic discourse brings to light? How this art can be read and how this discourse can be interpreted as a source of knowledge about contemporary economy? How is the Eastern European post-socialism positioned with regard to the contemporary global capitalism? If art and various discourses related to art represent a possible tool for discussing, questioning, and influencing the most pressing problems and issues dealing with the impact of economy on today's society, then the relation between culture and the marketplace stands for a fundamental point of reference in contemporary re-thinking of economic implications in the global art world. Initiated by art historian and curator Marko Stamenkovic (Serbia & Montenegro), the project is supported by the Ministry of Culture – Republic of Serbia and the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency – SIEPA.
For more details write to marko@art-e-conomy.org or visit www.art-e-conomy.org.

The Usual Suspects project & debate on "Contemporary Dance in Bulgaria - realities and perspectives"
Initiated and carried out by DanceBG - association for contemporary dance in Burgas, Bulgaria, the project "The Usual Suspects: actions for artistic cooperation" came to an end in February 2006 with presentations of the performances produced in its framework, followed by a discussion on the condition of the contemporary dance scene in Bulgaria. The debate hosted by the Red House in Sofia on February 21 brought together representatives of the dance sector in Bulgaria and national authorities, as well as foreign supporters of this field. As all over the region, contemporary dance in Bulgaria is almost invisible and with little legitimacy as compared to other performance arts, as illustrated by the minimal place and support given by the specialised granting institution (the National Center for Music and Dance within the Ministry of Culture). Among various recommendations made in order to counteract this situation, the setup in Sofia of a Centre for contemporary dance and performance arts, which would provide a stage and rehearsal space for dance was considered to be crucial. Moreover, the establishment of a network of stages throughout the country for distribution of dance productions could help at prolonging the life of a project and make it financially more sustainable. This could also attract new audiences for a genre that is at present highly concentrated in the capital. The participants agreed on the need to continue the public talks in order to further discuss the critical issues in this field and to envisage more concrete actions for improvement, the next debate being envisaged for April 4.
For more details write to Marga Goranova, Project coordinator, at dance_bg@abv.bg, or visit www.dancebg.org.

 Upcoming Events

April 27-28: Europe for intercultural dialogue (Granada, Spain)
This meeting is designed as a continuation of the series of meetings that have been held with a view to promoting the process of European construction and citizen integration that was started in November 2004, at the Berlin Conference for European cultural policy. The following steps were the meetings in Paris (2-3 May 2005) and Budapest (17-19 November 2005), which highlighted the importance of the role of culture in building a new Europe. The central focus of the Granada Conference will be the dialogue between cultures inside and outside Europe, in accordance with the Commission's project to make 2008 the Year of Intercultural Dialogue. Its departure point will be the fact that culture nowadays is a factor of cohesion, growth, identity, dialogue between peoples and quality of life. The Granada meeting will be structured in work sessions on the intercultural dialogue between Europe and third parties (paying special attention to the Euromediterranean and Iberoamerican contexts), the participation of civil society in intercultural dialogue, the role of the regions and local corporations in this task and the mechanisms for the exchange of cultural goods, services and agents.
For more details visit www.mcu.es/cooperacion/dialogoIntercult.

May 1-4: Trans Europe Halles Spring Meeting (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
The spring meeting of Trans Europe Halles (TEH) - the European network of independent cultural centres - will be organised by the Metelkova Cultural Centre in Ljubljana - the well known squatted and converted military prison that is now home to various artistic and social groups. It will be precedeed by a European Voluntary Service (EVS) Contact Seminar for the TEH network. This meeting will thus focus on making it possible for the young people in the network to gain work experience and inspiration at other member centres using the EVS service. The meeting could represent an inspiration for other projects and initiatives in the SEE region aiming at creating and developing alternative cultural spaces. The second TEH meeting of the year will take place in the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof in Bremen, on 14-17 September 2006. With its focus on audience development, "Getting to known the unknown species in front of the stage" could be the motto of the autumn meeting.
For more information visit www.teh.net.

May 12-13: 7th International Fulbright Conference - Culture, Education, Leadership Today and Tomorrow (Sofia, Bulgaria)
The conference with this theme is organised and sponsored by the Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange. The conference discussions will focus on various topics and subtopics relevant to its theme, e.g. the changing nature of culture in the new age; culture and globalization; education and culture; globalization and internationalisation of education; Bulgarian education and the challenges of EU accession; intercultural communication in the changing socio-political and cultural environment; modern leadership; organisational culture and leadership; management and leadership etc. The main contributors to the conference are expected to be scholars and educators from the U.S., Europe and Bulgaria, US Fulbrighters in Bulgaria and Europe, Bulgarian Fulbright alumni, representatives of U.S., European and Bulgarian educational and government institutions. Participants may propose other topics and subtopics related to the main theme. The application deadline is March 30, 2006.
Fore more information write to fulbright@fulbright.bg or visit www.fulbright.bg.

May 18-21: 14th ENCATC Annual Conference (Bratislava, Slovakia)
The 14th Annual Conference of the European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres (ENCATC) will deal with the practical consequences of cultural diversity issues on teaching programmes. The event aims to raise questions such as: What does it mean to implement the UNESCO Convention (on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions) in curricula? How this legal instrument will influence both teaching methods and curricula? In teaching cultural diversity, what do trainers need? How do arts management courses deal with diversity of art forms from different communities? How should the teaching of cultural policy reflect a diversity of cultures? How can artists be encouraged through policy to "share the cultural space"? The Conference aims at preparing the ENCATC members for the challenges and problems, which will be faced when implementing the UNESCO Convention not only in the curricula for artistic programmes but also in the cultural policy and management programmes.
For more details write to info@encatc.org or visit www.encatc.org.

July 12-16 (reminder & news): ICCPR 2006 - Fourth International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (Vienna, Austria)
Following the call for papers launched in fall 2005, EDUCULT Vienna, the organiser of the 2006 International Conference on Cultural Policy Research, has received more than 280 abstracts. In terms of geographical representation of the proposal for papers received, 49 are coming from the UK, 29 from the USA, followed by Germany with 22, while 21 are submitted by researchers from Central and Eastern European countries. Choosing as thematic mostly international and inter-cultural approaches to cultural policy or cultural policy education and cultural education, these papers are dealing with issues such as "Transitional Cultural Policies in Southeastern Europe: An Effort to Systematize Cultural Change" (by Nada Svob-Dokic, HR), "Cultural policy studies and the professional development of cultural administration in Central and Eastern European countries" (by Corina Suteu, RO) or "To harmonize or not European curricula in the field of cultural policy: Theoretical and methodological issues" (by Sanjin Dragojevic, HR). Selected authors must submit their final papers until April 2. The final programme of the conference will be available in April/May.
For more details and to consult the abstracts of ICCPR 2006 visit www.iccpr2006.com/abstracts.

September 21-25: La Rencontre de Vojvodina: "Circulation of theatre works and artists mobility in South East Europe and the role of regional & local Governments" (Vojvodina, Serbia & Montenegro)
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (Serbia & Montenegro), nominated European Region in 2006, will host a regional and thematic meeting of Les Rencontres - Association of European Cities and Regions for Culture. The Province’s main asset is its cultural and linguistic diversity. Within such a context and 10 years after the Dayton Peace Accords, theatre plays a very important role and raises many questions related to mobility and circulation of artists and art works. In 2006, European Year of the Mobility of Workers, movement and confrontation of ideas are very topical issues wich favour creativity, and regions should be supporting this. The meeting will take place during the Belgrade International Theatre Festival.
For more information write to info@lesrencontres.org or visit www.lesrencontres.org.

October 26-27: Art and Politics: Case Studies from Eastern Europe (Kaunas, Lithuania)
This conference, organised by the Art Institute and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, starts from the fact that political art, art as a tool of power and a hostage of authority – are all questions that are hard to escape when researching Eastern European culture. The 20th century turned this region into a laboratory of social engineering and political experiments where boundaries of artistic practices have been tested too. Here one can easily find the most radical examples of cultural production that flirts between art and politics, the magic and failure of avant-garde utopia, the sharpest conflicts between ethics and aesthetics. Thus contexts of art practices as well as political contents of artistic strategies (rather than pure stylistic qualities and artistic values) are under consideration in recent studies of Eastern Europe art history. The conference therefore aims to bring together different case studies on art and politics in order to analyse the complex relationship between artistic and political regimes as well as political meanings of art in Soviet and Post-Soviet conditions. Among its proposed topics are: subversions of political art in non-democratic state; cultural policy and culture as resistance; ideological art and artistic ideologies; critique of representation and creating of new myths. Participants are requested to submit their papers in the form of case studies using a particular artifact, event or phenomena as a ground for research of a broader problem focused on the varied intersections of art and politics. Deadline: April 20. A publication of the conference proceedings is also planned.
For more details write to linara_dovydaityte@fc.vdu.lt or jurate_tutlyte@fc.vdu.lt, or visit www.vdu.lt/Menai/konferencija_en.htm.

 Opportunities

CLCWEB: Call for papers on Culture and Cultural Policy in the New European Union
Deadline: 30 March 2006
CLCWeb - Comparative Literature and Culture, a peer-refereed full-text scholarly journal of humanities and social sciences published online, announces a call for papers for its thematic issue on Culture and Cultural Policy in the New European Union. Foci of the issue dedicated to this topic include aspects of culture and culture policy in the context of the eastward enlargement of the European Union.
For more information and to send papers write to Steven Totosy de Zepetnek, editor of CLCWeb, at clcweb@purdue.edu, or visit http://clcwebjournal.lib.purdue.edu.

Cultural internships & exchanges in France (Spring/Fall 2006)
Application deadlines: 17, 31 March & 14 April 2006
"Maison des Cultures du Monde" launched its annual call for the "stages culture Courants du Monde" and "Université Internationale Culture" open to experienced cultural professionals from throughout Europe (and not only) to take place in France during the months of June & November 2006 and throught the academic year 2006-2007, respectively. Among the proposed sessions "Politiques Culturelles et leur administration" (Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles/Grenoble), "Financement et economie de la culture" (Université Paris IX-Dauphine/Paris) or "Industries culturelles en Europe" (Maison des Cultures du Monde and Université Paris VIII-Vincennes-Saint Denis). For a full listing of proposed sessions as well as the application forms visit the webpage below. Applications should be submitted to the Cultural Cooperation Services inside the French Embassies in the country of the applicant. Please check in your country for more details and the national application deadlines (with 17, 31 March & 14 April being the final deadlines for nationally selected applications to reach Paris).
For more details visit www.mcm.asso.fr.

Milena Jesenska Fellowships for Cultural Journalists 2006-2007
Application deadline: 31 March 2006
The Milena Jesenska Fellowships are awarded to enable experienced European journalists in print, broadcasting, and electronic media to work in Vienna for three months on projects of their own choice. The projects typically have not only local, but also European relevance. The current call for applications is directed towards cultural journalists, with the term ‘cultural’ interpreted in a broad sense to encompass a wide variety of artistic and intellectual fields. The program was established in cooperation with the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam) and is supported by Project Syndicate. The application consists of the following: the application form; a concise project proposal in English (not more than 3 double-spaced pages); a curriculum vitae including a list of publications.
For more details write to fellowships@iwm.at (subject: Milena Jesenska) or visit www.iwm.at.

May 12-21: European Atelier for young festival managers (Gorlitz, Germany)
Application deadline: 17 March 2006
The European Festivals Association (EFA) is launching a training programme for emerging festival operators: the European Atelier for young festival managers, specifically designed for those working in the programming department or those - festival managers and students - who have the ambition to enroll a function in the artistic department of a festival. Workshop leaders and speakers include a unique range of the most experienced festival directors as well as young, innovative and trend-setting festival pioneers, especially from South- Central- and Eastern Europe. Lectures, round tables, practical activities, informal talks and contacts with the artists and with leading cultural institutions and arts houses create an outstanding opportunity for young festival operators to improve their skills in various environments.
For more information write to info@efa-aef.org or visit www.efa-aef.org.

 Publications & Information Resources

Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive
February 2006. CPANDA - the Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive (interactive digital archive of policy-relevant data on the arts and cultural policy in the United States) - has recently released a new feature for cultural policy researchers - a Citation Index of empirical literature on the arts and culture sector. The Citation Index is an online, searchable bibliographic database of selected monographs, serials, reports, papers, proceedings, articles and books relevant to arts and cultural policy studies. It is primarily, but not exclusively, focused on methodologically rigorous, policy-relevant literature with a strong emphasis on empirical data collected on culture and the arts. The goal of the Citation Index is to identify empirical data in the field of cultural policy and the arts research and to make bibliographic information about these items easily accessible to researchers, policy makers and practitioners.
For more details and to explore the Citation Index visit www.cpanda.org/resources/citation-meth.html.

Regioculture. Regions d'Europe, Culture et Territoires
October 2005, an off-series issue of Relais, the magazine realised by Relais Culture Europe in Paris and the network of regional poles Culture Europe in France. This publication presents the results of the action research "Regioculture", developed by Relais Culture Europe in partnership with two regions of France (Lorraine and Nord-Pas de Calais) and two resource structures (EPCC Arteca and Maison des Suds). Initiated in a moment of redefinition of the community programmes of the European Union and of their priorities for the 2007-2013 perspective, the project has as objective to inscribe culture - in a large sense - in the future EU cohesion and rural development policies (and among the strategic objectives of the structural funds) as a factor for economic and social development of the regions. The publication provides various examples of cultural projects as engines of regional development, which can be relevant both for Bulgaria and Romania in how they will use the EU regional funds which they will have access to upon EU accession, and for all the other SEE countries in providing examples of and arguments for the role of culture in local and regional development. Available in French only.
For more information contact regioculture@relais-culture-europe.org or visit www.regioculture.org.

Portal of the Forte project
Interarts Foundation (Barcelona) has recently launched FORTE, an Internet portal describing practices in the field of education, culture and active citizenship of young people. Coordinated by Interarts, the project brought together four pioneering partner organisations from Germany, Lithuania, Spain and the UK, which work with cultural tradition, experimentation and exchange to make learning attractive for young people and allow them to develop new skills and participate actively in society. The result of a project funded by the EU, FORTE includes a database of good practices and invites users to provide other examples. Subscribers will receive updates every two months.
Visit the portal at www.forteproject.org.