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Residency Programmes Forum
The Forum on Residency Programmes took place in Zagreb, at Pogon Jedinstvo, on June 4-5, 2014. It was organized by Pogon – Zagreb Centre for Independent and Youth Culture, in partnership with the Croatian Ministry of Culture, EUNIC Cluster Croatia, and Clubture Network.
The Forum gathered cultural professionals, artists, experts, and decision-makers. The participants discussed various practices of residency programmes, different support and networking schemes, and the importance of residency programmes for cultural and social development. An essential part of the Forum were the working sessions, during which the participants discussed the needs and possible measures that could be implemented at the national and local levels in Croatia and that are applicable in other countries sharing similar challenges. The following conclusions and recommendations are based on the outcomes of these sessions.
The Value of Residency Programmes
Residency programmes have become an important tool for both artistic and broader cultural and social development. They provide a unique opportunity for exchange across the borders and for building relationships. They are important for inspiration and artistic research and development, as well as for creating stronger and more meaningful links within the society – between individual citizens, our audiences, different social groups and communities, associations dedicated to environmental or social questions, human rights, and other issues, schools, libraries, scholarly centres, local small businesses, and many others. Contrary to the established representational forms such as exhibitions and festivals, residency programmes focus on process and communication rather than the end result and visibility. Finally, residency programmes are crucial in fostering the mobility of artists and cultural workers, as well in developing lasting partnerships and promoting cultural exchange within and beyond the European Union.
The Current Situation: Croatia
Residency programmes have been organized for quite a while in Croatia, both formally and informally. Most of the exchange happens with the wealthier countries, predominantly with those that support such mobility through their foreign policies, while exchange within South-Eastern Europe is still rare. We have noticed different approaches – from process-oriented to result-oriented – and different fields – literature, visual and performing arts, interdisciplinary and others. There is a striking lack of information as to who, how, and when organizes the residency programmes in Croatia.
Residency programmes are supported through the funds of the Croatian Ministry of Culture, as well as county administrations and local authorities, but this support is often meagre, insufficient, and almost accidental. There are no grant schemes financed from the public funds that would be dedicated specifically to residency programmes, and the awareness and understanding of the administration and the decision-makers is often very low, especially at the local level.
The infrastructure for residency programmes is underdeveloped. There are no residency centres as can be found in other European countries and most of the programmes use the scarce resources that are available, often in an inadequate form, in order to provide accommodation and studios to artists in residence. Some public institutions have some basic and small premises for such programmes within their buildings, and so do some of the municipalities, but these resources remain inaccessible for many independent organizations.
The main reason for this situation is the lack of clear public policy in the field of residency programmes, since such policy has not been developed either on the local or on the national level.
Recommendations to the Ministry of Culture
I. Creating a framework
II. Support for programmes and projects
III. Infrastructure
IV. Supporting actions