INTRODUCTION

For over twenty years creative spaces of culture and art, stemming from citizen artistic projects and based on an interaction with local communities, have grown more numerous all over the world.
These are defined as places of creativity,  production, development, artistic cross-polinization,  experimentation,  invention, encounters, conviviality,  proximity  etc. Their main intention is to offer new ways and possibilities in the reality of contemporary creation, geared towards community development.
These initiatives play a part in local development in many ways, culturally, socially, economically, through education, and the preservation of heritage. This interaction between these spaces and the greater urban space are related to the urban renewal process.

This course has been designed in order to be adapted to the needs of contemporary artists and cultural practitioners who have little or no experience in the management of creative autonomous cultural spaces in Europe and/or in the refurbishment of abondoned sites into art spaces and who wish to broaden their experiences in this field.

INITIATORS

In association with Artfactories, the Felix Meritis Foundation and financially supported by the Social Transformation Programme Central and Eastern Europe (Matra) of the the Netherlands.
Also interventions by leading international producers.

COURSE LEADERS

Fazette Bordage, Artfactories, Mains d’Oeuvres
Steve Austen, Permanent Fellow, Felix Meritis
Dragan Klaic, President, European Forum for the Arts and Heritage

OBJECTIVES

*Support the emergence and sustainability of this kind of initiative
*Reinforce the content, meaning and impact of an artistic and civic space project
*Enlarge a support base through alliances and partnerships
*Create a synergy between local and international surroundings
*Value contemporary artistic practices related to the community or territory at different levels (urban development, neighborhood imaging, education, etc.) 

AIMS

 to build up self-confidence among  the participants in the value of their project
 to define long term perspectives for participants’ project (in opposition to short term engagement and work)
 to enable the participants to elaborate an argument in favour of their project which can be presented in front of diverse audiences (public authorities, eventual funding bodies, communities, artists....)
 to explore the diversity of possible developmental and operating models
 to highlight the common points among these experiences
 to better grasp the related experiences of others
 Â to offer a European perspective on this phenomenon
 Â to instigate an exchange of practices during the course
 Â to help structure and evolve the projects
 to approach contemporary cultural and artistic practices
 to help existing centres reconsider their work in a critical manner
 to understand the scale of issues, linked with a centre’s project (local development, economy, social matters, fostering art, emerging processes...)

PREPARATION

Each participant will be asked to complete a questionnaire about their own project or organisation, including the problems, advantages, and goals of the individual and organisation. This questionnaire will be mailed in before the course will begin and will ensure that the course leaders also have a chance to analyse the needs of the group. The participants will also each give a 8-minute presentation about their project or organisation on the first day. Full participation is expected in all of the sessions.

APPLICANT PROFILE

# Leaders of centre’ project in need of peer input and additional expertise.
# Cultural operators, working in an existing centre, wishing to broaden their vision and actions in content, skills and international perspective
# Civil servants working in the cultural field, interested in artistic creativity in a micro-social context.

CAPACITY

The course is limited to 30 participants.

LANGUAGE

All sessions and lectures will be held in English.

LOCATION

Most sessions will take place at the Felix Meritis Building, Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam. There will also be two visits to two other creative spaces in Amsterdam (see schedule).

COURSE FEE

Course Fee € 750,— includes registration, reader, access to all the sessions, lunches and coffee, as well access a group dinner for the participants.
It does not include the travel expenses and the accomodation in Amsterdam.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A limited number of scholarships are available for students from most Central and Eastern European Countries and Turkey and are financially supported by the Social Transformation Programme Cental and Eastern Europe (MATRA) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Two grants are also available for cultural practitioners from the South bank of Mediterranean sea and are supported by the René Seydoux Foundation.

These scholarships cover course fee and accommodation but do not cover any travel expenses to the Netherlands.

Applicants are subject to a selection procedure. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, please send us: 1) a completed application form (available below or upon request); 2) a recent curriculum vitae 3) a letter of motivation and 4) a letter of recommendation before 20th of July.

APPLICATION

You can register as soon as possible online on the Amsterdam Maastricht Summer University website or contact directly Alana Henry at alanahenry@fastmail.fm

REGISTRATION

Participants are requested to register on Monday, 23 August 2004 at 16:00 at the Felix Meritis building, located at Keizersgracht 324, Amsterdam.

PROGRAMME

Tuesday 24th till Saturday 28th August 2004
Preliminary Schedule:
Work in Felix Meritis each day from 9.30 to 17.30

THEMES TO BE EXPLORED DURING THE COURSE

1)   ECONOMY

 fundraising (how and where)
 Â finding own resources and effective use of them
 Â negotiation and development of trust with the financers
 Â working with the volunteers
 Â sponsoring
 alliances and partnerships, at home and internationally

2)   BUILDING

 Â building occupation, use and transformation

3)   ARTISTIC MATTERS

 Articulating, testing, affirming and implementing the project. Development, growth and modifications/alternations.
 Keeping the purpose and the sense of direction under the pressure of circumstances. Self-critical awareness and external input.
 Recognizing opportunities and needs: articulating appropriate responses.  Pooling talents and contextualizing projects
 Social perspective of artistic interventions,
 Developing residences for artists.

4)   FUNCTIONING MATTERS AND ATTITUDE

 Internal organisation (team structure, legal structure, board, management, staff) legal form and institutional developments
 Project leadership and team management
 Â Participation of volunteers in the management
 Linking projects with the local environment: immersion and contextualization
 Consolidating links with the local community and the civil society infra-structure  
 Networking and cooperation
 Â Relation to public policies (culture, education, urbanism, community work...)