As the members of our network are engaged in various forms of contemporary art and culture — from theatre, dance, film, visual arts and new media to youth work, arts education and research — we are all too familiar with the systematic refusal to support our practices, provide opportunities for them to become visible to local communities and audiences, enable cooperation with local cultural institutions, schools and authorities, or support them through local public funding calls.
At the same time, public cultural institutions in local communities are subject to strong political control, lack new qualified professionals, and have little insight into contemporary artistic practices. For years, contemporary artistic expression — both work that critically examines social reality and work that introduces new artistic languages and media to younger audiences — has been discouraged in favour of programmes that are deeply conservative, often devoid of meaningful content, and even more frequently overtly commercial, provincial and outdated. The consequences include declining cultural engagement among local populations and the departure of young people.
The forums aim to bring together everyone with ideas on how to encourage local contemporary artistic production through cooperation at both local and national levels, and how to establish channels of communication and exchange that will enable experimentation, knowledge-sharing across the country, and the revitalisation of local cultural life wherever public institutions and independent organisations exist.
We will address these and related questions:
How can we help young people discover and engage in contemporary art?
How can we provide space and equipment for emerging bands?
How can we connect local artists with schools and establish free arts programmes?
How can local organisations contribute to the development of public cultural institutions through collaborative programmes and mutual learning?
How can we enable the exchange of cultural programmes throughout Serbia, for the benefit of local audiences, artists and cultural workers?
These discussions are being initiated as part of the process of developing a new cultural policy planning document, with the aim of formulating proposals and guidelines for improving the existing cultural system.
The document will be based on a detailed analysis of the current situation, developed through a participatory process involving as many interested stakeholders as possible — individuals, institutions, organisations and collectives — and aligned with the standards applicable to similar public policy documents.
Its completion is planned for the end of the year, and the cultural forums represent one of the key elements of the consultation process.
The forum will be moderated by Marijana Cvetković, founder of Station – Service for Contemporary Dance.
The forum is organised in cooperation with the Blacklist Festival (October 14–21), which will take place under the slogan:
“What Culture Can Do, It Has the Right to Do.”
