Monthly Archives: August 2019

BITE – Introduction of new business model into European contemporary art operators to generate new young audience

Project Leader: Association BUM, Republic of Serbia
Backslash, Spain
Color media communications, Republic of Serbia
Connect international, Belgium
Consorci de museus de la Comunitat Valenciana, Spain
Javni zavod mladi zmaji-center za kakovostno prezivljanje prostega casa mladih, Slovenia
Kulturni centar Beograda, Republic of Serbia
Tipovej, Zavod za ustvarjalno druzbo, Slovenia

Maximum Grant Awarded: 200.000,00 €

Today in the fast-changing environment than ever, driven with rapid development of technology, new ideas, change of communication and habits of people, all industries faced a moment in which they will either refuse to adapt to new circumstances and eventually struggle on market, or they will embrace those changes and take advantage of it. This applies to all business today, same as it applies to culture and art. Surrounded with those changes contemporary art and culture remained distant from ordinary citizens. Problems in their relation appears two levels: WAY of COMMUNICATION between cultural operators and young people and INNOVATION in sense of offered CONTENT. Both of which need to become more attractive and more appealing to them. There are new business strategies offered, communication models, and even new events in this field, however none is offering to cultural operator all of it in one “package”. Consequently, as sustainability of culture and art depends on the audience, consumers and buyers who are not attracted, we have situation in which artistic community is facing existential problems.

The “BITE of Art” project is about using pan-European + comprehensive + multi-stakeholder approach for introducing of innovative business model in contemporary art which will ensure financial sustainability of the cultural operators by using new management and marketing tools in attracting new young audience. It represents a joint vision of cultural and artistic institutions and organizations coming from Spain, Slovenia and Serbia to bring innovative practices into work of cultural operators, shaping a path of mainstreaming contemporary art among young citizens. BITE CABM combines modern marketing, business and communication expertise with innovative contemporary artistic events and performances, creating a comprehensive package which aim to redefine approach of contemporary art to the market in its core, targeting young people as new audience of contemporary art.

Stories Behind Cities (Novi Sad, Rijeka and Timisoara)

Project Leader: Umetnicka asocijacija Inbox, Republic of Serbia
Fundatia Judeteana Pentru Tineret Timis, Romania
Melting pro learning societa cooperativa, Italy
Udruga za scenske umjetnosti Prostor Plus, Croatia

Maximum Grant Awarded: 102.206,00 €

Stories, narratives, and storytelling are central aspects of all cultures. Stories provide people with a sense of history, a sense of community, a sense of generations, a sensitivity to oral language and its importance to heritage. They play an important role in how other nations see us and how we see ourselves. Croatia, Serbia and Romania have experienced a common history marked by conflicts, changing borders, and totalitarian regimes.

Those 3 countries have not yet succeeded in creating new narratives that would distance them from the negative stereotypes that determine them especially in the Western European countries. Post Conflict identity narratives are very difficult to change. Clearly, we need new stories, stories that highlight human rights discourse and practices in Serbia, Croatia and Romania. In the coming years Rijeka (Croatia), Timișoara (Romania), and Novi Sad (Serbia) will be European Capitals of Culture in 2020 and 2021.This title has been used by many cities (especially those in the transition) to change or reshape their earlier narratives. This project aims to reflect on the connections between urban narratives and city making in an interdisciplinary way. It deals with mapping new resources (urban stories, myths etc.) which will enable Rijeka, Novi Sad and Temisoara joining visions, data and actions to tell new stories. Cities will also explore their common heritage and stories that connect them through history. This approach will provide multiple perspectives and will empowered us to read our cities differently, and to rethink our blinkered and biased views.

This project contains a research, educational and artistic part. The research part of the project is about exploring urban narratives through community involvement, the educational part will deal with developing new skills and storytelling techniques, in order to provide models of use of these narratives, and the artistic part will deal with creative ways of their transnational promotions.

Z Elements: Artistic experiences and exchanges to attract a younger audience through Transmedia co-creations

Project Leader: Fundacion municipal de cultura de Avilés, Spain
Artesis Plantijn hogeschool Antwerpen, Belgium
Association Kulturanova, Republic of Serbia
Ecole superieure Europeenne d’art de Bretagne, France
Fondazione Accademia di Belle Arti di Verona, Italy

Maximum Grant Awarded: 200.000,00 €

Generation Z is formed by young people that grew up during the last years of the economic crisis, mostly born between mid-90’s and 2010. They represent 25% of the world population and have a strong influential capacity that make them a decisive target, particularly for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) and institutions. It is considered as the first generation to be digital natives, having grown up permanently connected in a multi-screen environment, and being familiar with anything related to Internet or digital multitasking. Due to their digital profile, many traditional cultural institutions and artists are facing difficulties in attracting and engaging them.
The objective of the project is to develop artistic experiences and exchanges to explore how traditional and analogue artistic expressions can involve and attract a younger audience from Generation Z, and how young people can contribute to the development of such subsectors through co-creative processes towards the development of Digital Transmedia Storytelling products.

In that framework, Z Elements will implement a series of activities in order to pursue the following objectives:

• Audience development

Through the involvement of some 75 young volunteers in co-creation and co-curation of works, their participation in workshops with artists and conversion into e-reporters.
The project will also develop some research to identify and map Good Practices and trends towards the e-distribution of cultural goods that better reach young people.

• Mobilities

Through the participation 20 artists from different fields to 4 artistic residences for the production of works inspired by the classical elements (Water, Fire, Earth and Aether), and the posterior distribution of the work through Social Networks and platforms.

• Capacity Building–New digital skills

Training of participants on Digital Transmedia Storytelling through ad hoc workshops and “Learning by doing” tutored transformation processes.

The Ulysses’ Shelter: Building writers-in-residence network 2

Project Leader: Srsen Ivan, Croatia
Društvo slovenskih pisateljev, Slovenia
Opaka, Greece
Udruženje Krokodil, Republic of Serbia
University of Wales Trinity Saint David Royal Charter, United Kingdom

Maximum Grant Awarded: 158.108,00 €

Ulysses’ Shelter: Building writers-in-residence 2 is a literary residency network of five partners from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece and Wales. The idea of the programme is to combine literary residencies for young literary authors with a strong supportive programme for local target groups. The residency programme, with the priority of transnational mobility, will give young emerging authors an opportunity to work, perform and present themselves in different social and cultural contexts. The programme will try to reach this objective by giving the residents new transnational experiences and motives for their work by:

• enabling young writers and translators to gain an insight into literary scenes of another two European countries, which will increase their chances of future transnational mobility;

• improving transnational networking between young participants of the creative process in the literary field, which might lead to future transnational collaborations;

• connecting the residents with local communities and other residents through project activities and the website Tovar.hr, which will post information on the project
activities, video interviews with writers in residence and their reflections on their experiences during the residency programs and expected outcomes of the project;

• inspiring other literary authors, translators and editors from these and other European countries to participate in similar transnational programs in the future.

The priority of audience development will be implemented through numerous public talks and readings held by residents and other established authors, and literature-related workshops aimed at local target groups such as the elderly, the population of socially isolated areas, immigrants, children and students, who will be learning how to run the local library on Mljet, and participating in creative writing and translation workshops in Belgrade, Ljubljana/Bled Lake, Aberystwyth and Larissa.

TRAINART – Building new skills for innovative business models in the performing arts sector

Project Leader: Consorzio marche spettacolo, Italy
Association Kulturanova, Republic of Serbia
Haceria arteak, Spain
Teater Nu, Sweden
Welcome A.P.S., Italia

Maximum Grant Awarded: 198.796,00 €

TRAINART addresses the need of artists/cultural operators to shape their entrepreneurial mindsets, to ensure the financial sustainability of their activities, to turn their talent into a profession and to become fully able to make a living from their art. Thus, the project aims at strengthening the competitiveness of the European Performing Arts sector and shaping new skills for cultural operators interested in developing innovative business models in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs). To reach these objectives, a peer learning community will made up of creative partners coming from Italy, Spain, Sweden and Serbia and supported by associated partners also coming from Ireland, will address two particular fields of CCIs A_the innovation of management models for partners’ cultural spaces and B_the introduction of innovative services in their performing art portfolios (i.e. live performances in non-conventional contexts). Project strategy will firstly lay on the assessment of the missing professional skills needed in both the fields at local levels. Secondly, it will implement a blended-long term Capacity Building for a pilot group of 24 artists/cultural operators from Theatre, Dance and Music sectors. Beneficiaries will participate in 120 training hours delivered via MOOCs (60h), to foster transversal skills in management, business and marketing common to both the CCIs fields and through transnational mobility schemes (60h) specifically tailored on field A or B.

Six training hotspots will be hosted by project partners during the project lifetime to provide beneficiaries with training sessions led by business models experts/mentors, capitalization visits and peer networking initiatives, hotbeds of creativity for new co-production ideas and cross-fertilizations among economic sectors. Finally, to test and evaluate learning outcomes achieved through TRAINART programme, 8 new models of revenue, management and marketing will be piloted in the local CCIs.

Young Theatre on the Move

Project Leader: Pionirski dom – Center za kulturo mladih, Slovenia
CNC Danse, France
Dečiji kulturni centar Beograd, Republic of Serbia
Elckie centrum kultury, Poland
Opera Comica Pentru Copii, Romania

Maximum Grant Awarded: 199.999,00 €

The main objective of the project is to develop and spread innovative, engaging and practical audience development approach that relies on the creative methods and techniques of improvisational theatre and contemporary dance and their shared potential. The project aims to address the main audience development challenge of steadily declining popularity of theatre and dance, especially among the young.

The project will accomplish this by developing innovative cultural and artistic education programme that roots in techniques and tools of this field. Methodology of programme will be delivered in all 5 partner countries to key target groups in creating audience development and cultural education programme for the young: theatre and dance professionals, pedagogues, youth workers and other important cultural operators in the field.

Partner network consists of 5 cultural institutions, from different geographical parts of Europe, with a focus on the four at- risk countries of Southern and Eastern Europe (Slovenia, Serbia, Poland, Romania), where Eurobarometer research shows the lowest audience interest in theatre and dance and one expert partner from France, which is one of the countries with the biggest audience interest for cultural events. The partner institutions involved in the project all share their mission to co-create quality cultural education for the young: Pionirski dom – Center za kulturo mladih, Slovenia; Dečiji kulturni centar Beograd, Serbia; Elckie Centrum Kultury, Poland; Opera Comica pentru Copii, Romania and CNC Danse, France.

Partner consortium will develop and implement attractive and engaging audience development approach, that will merge two of the most neglected art forms in curriculum-based cultural education for the young – theatre and dance. By combining two methods that encourage creativity, freedom of expression and active participation of everyone involved, we are inventing new capacity building tool: Impro Move.

European Outdoor Arts Academy: School of Participation

Project Leader: WALK THE PLANK, United Kingdom
Coventry City of Culture Trust, United Kingdom
Fondacija Novi Sad 2021 – ECoC, Republic of Serbia
Kaunas 2022 – ECoC, Lithuania
Obshtinska fondatsia Plovdiv 2019, Bulgaria
UniT – Verein für Kultur an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria

Maximum Grant Awarded: 195.000,00 €

European Outdoor Arts Academy will deliver five ‘School of Participation’ 8 day training into production schools, presented in five partner cities between 2019 and 2020. Each school will bring together 26 creative practitioners together from the 10 partner cities in 9 European countries, to gain new skills and experience in co-creating an outdoor participatory arts event.
All schools will be delivered by a team of outdoor arts experts drawn from across the core partnership. Each school will result in the creative practitioners collaborating with each other and 20 local community participants in each school hosting city to deliver an “end of school “outdoor participatory arts event to the public.

The programme will underpin the development of a transnational talent pool in European participatory creative practice and contribute to the strengthening of participants’ creative careers. It provides a practical opportunity to build capacity and create a programme of “action learning” for cultural organisations and practitioners in cities who have, plan to apply or are building to the delivery of European Capital of Culture or similar major cultural programmes.

The project will be led by Walk the Plank (UK) in partnership with small to medium sized European Capitals of Culture, candidate cities and UK City of Culture; Fondacija Novi Sad 2021 (Serbia), uniT – Verein für Kultur an der Karl-Franzens- Universität Graz (Austria), Municipal Foundation Plovdiv 2019 (Bulgaria), Kaunas 2022 (Lithuania), Limerick City and County Council (Ireland), Institute for Contemporary Art: ARé Festival (Armenia), Tartu 2024 (Estonia), Municipality of Town Veszprém 2023 (Hungry). It will serve to grow sustainable outdoor participatory arts capacity in small to medium sized, culturally engaged European cities. It will also exchange models of audience engagement through participatory practice in public space. Learning will be shared across the European Capitals of Culture network and beyond.

Paint the Change

Project Leader: Off-Centre Productions Limited, United Kingdom
Fondacija Fond B92, Republic of Serbia
Impact Hub Labs, Greece

Maximum Grant Awarded: 198.660,00 €

Last several years have seen a worrying rise in disassociation of vulnerable and marginalised youth from the cultural, social and political processes in Europe. Across the continent we have witnessed growing xenophobia and religious, ethnic and cultural intolerance that have managed to find outlets in hate crime and violent extremism. Street art has shown great potential in engaging young people and raising awareness by breaking through stereotypes and delivering powerful thought-provoking messages.

The three partner organisations have worked successfully to engage young audiences in cultural discussion and learning that promotes core European values of tolerance, respect and inclusion. We wish to test a curriculum that will engage marginalised and vulnerable youth in examination of causes and consequences of intolerance and extremism, concepts of artistic expression, and means of positive engagement and advocacy. Our aim is to increase the diversity of young people participating, attract those least engaged and increase the depth of their experience through active participation in developing street art concepts. By focusing on the values of tolerance, inclusion and respect for diversity, our goal in tandem is for the programme to contribute to civic life through significant advocacy training element.

Focusing on audience development and capacity building, our project will result in:

• Nine emerging street artists gaining skills in concept development through audience engagement

• Nine educators gaining experience in cross-disciplinary curricula testing and delivery

• 270 members of young audience engaging with art and its power to discuss social issues, gaining social action skills

• Nine murals in prominent public spaces sustaining general public discussion and awareness of issues of tolerance, respect and inclusion.

• Partners equipped with template curricula for young audience development; improved skills for cross-border collaborations.

Reading Balkans: Borders vs. Frontiers

Project Leader: Zalozba Goga, Slovenia
Drustvo za izdavanje, promet i uslugi Goten Group, North Macedonia
Association Krokodil, Serbia

Maximum Grant Awarded: 200.000,00 €

Reading Balkans: Borders vs. Frontiers is a continuation of the project Reading Balkans that was supported by Creative Europe in 2017. This time we have put in the focus topics of borders and cooperation with refugee writers – at the time when old wounds from Balkan Wars have not yet been healed, the question of our borders still not solved, new politics of fear and nationalism is built when refugees are crossing our region (and actual border walls are built as well) – through our activities we want to work on dialogue, debate and deeper understanding of our actual problems. More than ever, crossing of the borders for artists and books is important: the core of the project are residency programs for writers (42 residencies in 7 countries, each for 4 weeks), 8 festivals with 2 main topics: Borders vs. Frontiers and Exile in Language and video storytelling project Borders vs. Frontiers (creative writing and performance workshops for refugees will result in 5 videos made by refugee writers in Ljubljana + 5 videos of first class Balkan authors).

Important part is intensive international promotion of all writers participating in the project (at least 72) through the digital platform (web page readingbalkans.eu and mobile app: presentation of all authors in Eng. + short text newly translated into Eng./Ger. for at least 52), through the work of the Literary Agent/promotor visiting 14 international book-fairs (networking and promoting writers in the project) and through readings at Balkan Nacht event at Leipzig book-fair. International visibility is important as a capacity building: small national literatures need to cooperate closely to achieve success in the global market, new professional opportunities for writers included in our project can be opened.

The project encourages mobility of literary works all over Europe and better exchange of first-class authors also within Balkan region (the Western Balkans being underlined as a priority in A New EU Agenda for Culture).