Foundation - Center for Contemporary Arts is non-profit cultural organisation which support all kinds of contemporary arts and stimulate their creation and presentation. Foundation helps by the educational programs, grant programs, exhibitions, documentation and publication activity to improve and strengthen slovak cultural sector.

Our mission

 Grant support for all forms of contemporary arts (mostly the visual arts)
 Stimulation of creation a new generation of young artists
 Support of projects in the field of education and livelong learning in culture and arts
 Strengthening of cultural sector

Foundation as a inovator

 is the only organisation providing specialised training courses and further education in the field of culture management for art operators and professionals
 is the pioneer in iniciating and organising first Slovak Auction of Contemporary Arts
 is the initiator of the individual and corporate filantrophy in the field of arts and culture
 is the only one in Slovakia offering developed database of Slovak artists - generation of period 1945 and contemporary artists (from 90’s until now)

History
The origins of activities of the Foundation - Center for Contemporary Arts date back to 1993, named at that time as Soros center for contemporary arts. During its life, guided by the „open society“ philosophy of its founder, philanthropist George Soros, it has greatly contributed to promotion and development of contemporary forms of fine arts, thetre, danse, music, cinema and film in Slovakia.
First Slovak center for the contemporary arts support became a part of existing network of art centres in the Central and Eastern Europe (SCCA Network 1985 -1999), actually registrated as a International Contemporary Art Network (ICAN).
Originally a foundation concentraiting notably on contemporary fine arts, it has gradually shaped its profile as an institution focusing on direct grant support of contemporary arts, organising arts projects, providing educational documentary and information activities.
Since its establishment in 1999 the Foundation has held a role of one of the most prominent sources of support for alternative culture and projects in the field of contemporary arts, encompassing all areas of artistic creation (with the exception of literature). During this period, the Foundation administrated finance from the funds of the Open Society Institue Foundation, New York. As the donor foundation was changing its policy and gradually moving out of Central and Eastern Europe, the Center for Comtemporary Arts had to determinate its activities, more precisely and turn to other sources in order to obtain funding.
Foundation - Center for Contemporary Arts will be striving to carry on the mission that it have been dedicated - providing a platform that encourages expansion of creative artistic and educational programs, as well as cooperation with institutions in the field of contemporary arts and culture, with the aim to enhance the visibility of contemporary artistic production.

Programs

GRANT PROGRAM

Foundation was originally an institution focusing on direct grant support of contemporary arts, organising arts projects, providing educational documentary and information activities.
Since its establishment in 1993 the Foundation has held a role of one of the most prominent sources of support for alternative culture and projects in the field of contemporary arts, encompassing all areas of artisitc creation (with the exception of literature). During this period, the Foundation administered finance from the funds of the Open Society Institue Foundation, New York. As the donor foundation was changing its policy and gradually moving out of Central and Eastern Europe, the Centre for Contemporary Arts had to determinate its activities, more precisely and turn to other sources in order to obtain funding. Since 2002 Foundation is organising once a year auction of contemporary art. Part of a auction benefit is then used for grant program. From its begining the foundation was supporting visual and performing arts / contemporary theatre, dance and music/ and since 2004 continue to support only visual arts. The The F-CCA Expert Commission on the Visual Arts set each year the focus of interest. Visual arts grant is open to the Slovak professionals visual artists, as well as theorist, curators to realize low-budget exhibitional projects with the emphasis placed on current tendencies in the contemporary arts, confronting the international art scene. Grant program is announced each year in spring. The application is available also on webpage, in a part Grant Progams.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

1.Open Perception
Educational project Open Perception on the appearances of contemporary arts: music, dance, film and the visual arts was created in the year 2000. The aim of this project is to arouse the interest of young people in contemporary arts, show the way of its perception and better comprehension and to provide artistic experience of a performance. During 2001 the project was tested in four grammar schools in the region of Slovakia. The ambition was to incorporate the project in school curricula for aesthetic education, and thus to extend the scope of this subject by 20th-century art. During 2003 -2004 the foundation organized seminar for secondary school teachers of aesthetics in the region of Bratislava (West Slovakia), Banskà¡ Bystrica (Central Slovakia) and Pre_ov (East Slovakia) In 2003 educators and the authors of conceptions prepared methodologies, which serve as a foundation for the extension of aesthetic education in secondary schools. The methodology contains print book, CD and videocassette. Actually, we try to concentrate above all on teachers for secondary school and teachers of aesthetics in grammar schools in Bratislava region. We offer then individual collaboration with our Foundation, which means, studying material of art theory, documentation and information service, guide tour for students in Open Galley during art exposition and creative examples of perception and comprehension of contemporary arts.
In 2003 the project was accredited by the Ministry of Education.

2.Closer to the museum
Closer to the Museum is three-year educational programme, which attempts to develop the educational capacity of the museums of art and galleries in Slovakia as well as to justify the education departments as a respectful part of their structure. The starting point of the programme was the actual situation of the galleries and museums in Slovakia, where the educational activities are perceived marginal, or there are no educational activities at all to be offered to the visitors. The main objective of the project is to form a team of well-qualified operators within the education departments of the galleries and museums and to establish a methodical and theoretical background for the future employees of these departments. Programme Closer to the Museum runs in two connected levels, in theoretical and practical. Twenty operators from various Slovak galleries and museum participate in seminars and trainings, which are led by professional international lecture. In the second year, participants will in the form of individual projects naturally connect the theoretical part with the practical outcome.The ambition is to give the participants the opportunity to be confronted with the European environment and to mediate foreign know-how in the area of the education within museums and its effective implementation on Slovak environment.

3.Training of trainers
Programme Training of Trainers (TOT) is organised in co-operation with the Civil Society Development Foundation Hungary (CSDF). The objective of the programme is to get participants acknowledged with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for trainer and group facilitation work.
The group of 13 participants, futur trainers and leaders, was selected by the representatives of the Civil Society Development Foundation after passing of the 3-step selection procedure.
TOT is the continuation of the activities of foundation, which is based on capacity building to enhance organizational sustainability of the cultural sector in Slovakia. The overall aim is to disseminate and to introduce new effective models of management and develop a new generation of Slovak trainers and leaders by providing Training of Trainers (TOT). By introducing this TOT program in Slovakia we would like to establish and develop quasi “Center - New Management School†, which will gather all trained trainers. Their task would also be to disseminate the professional knowledge and to enhance the management effectiveness of the cultural sector of Slovakia. The project is unique by its multiplier effect. Participants will not only follow the content of the trainings but also learn about forms and techniques of providing trainings.

4 .ArTogether
ArTogether was a Bilateral Seminar on Cultural Management about cross-border cooperation of young managers in the field of culture. Training was realised from May 26th - to 28th, 2005 , in Bratislava and was led by foreign trainer Mrs. Karin Wolf and organised by Juergen Rendl, austrian volunteer of european Programe Youth, who realised in Foundation one year project.
About ArTogether project: The entry of Slovakia into the European Union opens new perspectives for a cultural cooperation between the two neighbouring countries. The cultural scenes of the capitals Bratislava and Vienna will increasingly get in contact and pursue a cultural exchange in various areas.
Programme arTogether wants to contribute to cultural cross-linking, with the aim to prepare future cultural managers in both neighbouring countries for carrying out bilateral cultural projects. Aims of the project were to establish a network between Austrian and Slovak future professionals in the field of cultural/arts-management, to bridge the gap between theoretical university education and the required project management, to initiate the project “cultural calendar/database Vienna-Bratislava†due to the actual mutual information shortage in those towns, to make the students aware of the situation and the conditions in their neighbouring countries by letting professionals talk about their experiences with bordercross-projects and to enable and support informal relationships between the students of both countries by providing group-work during the seminar and “get-togethers†in the evening.

5. Cultural Policy from Amsterdam to Zilina
The 3-year project is jointly managed by European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam), Foundation - Center for Contemporary Arts (Bratislava) with the cooperation Truc Sphérique (_ilina), Department of Culture, _ilina Selfgoverning Region and Ministry of Culture of Slovak republic.
The project is focused on mapping the current state of cultural infrastructure, creating the cultural development plan, improving the management of various cultural institutions in line with the new relationship among the government, regional and local authorities and the arts sector, especially focusing on the system changes of the cultural policy with long-term vision in _ilina Self-Governing Region. Project has three linked parts: research, methodology and implementation phase of new model of regional cultural policy.
The main goal of the project is to initiate a complex process dealing with the development and implementation of cultural and political principles of the cultural strategies, in order to achieve variety, quality and accessibility of cultural activities for the citizens of the _ilina region. At the same time, the project shall serve as a pilot project for other regional self-governments in Slovakia .
The project is addressing all regional and local organizations in _ilina region, which in partnership with cultural organizations, Slovak and foreign experts and professionals from region, will analyse, initiate and undergo the implementation of the process of the regional /local cultural policy development.
Cultural organizations with various forms of legal personality and focus shall have had the possibility to cooperate with each other, as well as with the public authorities, in the process of developing the cultural policy which they will implement.
The result of the project is that the citizens of _ilina region shall be confronted with a better-organised cultural infrastructure (development policy for the arts, priorities for innovation, financing policy of arts, management of institutions, accessibility of cultural offer).

VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMS

Oskar _epan Award

The Oskar _epà¡n Award is a competition designed for young visual artists, which was initiated by Wendy W. Luers, the founder and director of The Foundation for a Civil Society, and established in 1996 as a parallel to the Jind_ich Chalupeck_ Award (Czech Republic), Radoslav Putar Award (Croatia) and Dimitre Be_i_evi_ Mangelos Award (Serbia) and Artists of Tomorow (Kosova).
Since 2001 the competition has been bearing the name of the leading Slovak art theorist Oskà¡r _epan (1925 - 1992), who by his numerous studies on the visual arts considerably contributed to Slovak theoretical writings and artistic events.
The competition is open to candidates under 35 years of age holding Slovak citizenship. They may present their work in painting, sculpture, graphics, drawing, installation, photography, multimedia and video art... The applied arts, theatre and film are not included. The Oskar _epà¡n Award winner is decided by an expert commission made up of visual art theorists and visual artists appointed by the Foundation - Center for Contemporary Arts for a two-year term of office.
The competition has two rounds. In the first round, the expert commission selects four finalists from all the entrants, of whom it nominates the winner in the second round. The second round takes place in the common exhibition of the four finalists who are required to present themselves by works of their choice.
The winner is awarded a six-week creative stay in New York (U.S) and a solo exhibition, conceived on the basis of the experience acquired during his/her stay in the U.S.

Open Gallery

The series of exhibitions presented in Open Gallery are a follow-up to the dramaturgical conception of previous years, which has been each year synergically tied to a single thematic line The series of last year’s exhibitions presented a kind of live art communication platform, which is consistent with the programme and organizational structure of the Center for Contemporary Art Foundation.
This year is dramaturgical conception focused on a presentation of a young generation of futur slovak artists /students of a Faculty of visual arts in Bratislava/.