THE INFORMAL MEETING La
REDSD participa del Encuentro de operadores y centros culturales independientes del mundo árabe, plataforma iniciada por YATF, Young Arab Theatre Fund, cuyo objetivo esencial es crear circuitos de movilidad para la creación contemporánea de la región.
The Informal Meeting es un encuentro regular concebido para proporcionar un espacio de intercambio y discusión en torno a temas y cuestiones relacionados con la gestión, financiación, comunicación, estructura, marco legal, creación de redes, y circulación.
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THE INFORMAL MEETING The Informal Meeting of independent cultural spaces and operators in the Arab world is a platform initiated by the Young Arab Theatre Fund (YATF). It essentially aims to create mobility circuits and stimulate touring possibilities for contemporary artistic creations in the Arab region. The Informal Meeting is a regular meeting point of independent cultural spaces and practitioners in the Arab world, meticulously conceived to provide a healthy space for exchange and discussion around topics and issues specifically related to management, funding, communication, structuring, legal framework, networking, and mobility. It is equally a space where the participants can promote their works and programs amongst their counterparts, funders, and Medias within a space called the Forum. Each time The Informal Meeting is organised, it is done in partnership with an independent cultural space or operator in the region. Thus, the 1st Informal Meeting was organised in Tangier (Morocco) in March 2006 in partnership with IETM and the Cinémathèque de Tanger; The 2nd Meeting was held at King Mariout in Alexandria (Egypt) in October 2007 in partnership with Jesuites Cultural Centre;
The 3rd—and the next—Informal Meeting is going to be held at King Mariout (Alexandria) from October 29th to November 1st 2009. Through the Informal Meeting, YATF has financially and/or via its expertise vitally contributed to launching and stimulating other networking initiatives in the region such as March Meeting in Sharjah, (UAE); Art Council Egypt in Cairo, (Egypt); Espace Pro in Casablanca, (Morocco); and the Arab Dance Platform in Beirut (Lebanon).
DRAFT AGENDADay 1: 29/10/09MORNING 09h30:
Welcome and presentation of the Informal Meeting Program and practicalities (10mn) 09h40:
Keynote address by Nicky du Plessis, Cultural Expert (South Africa) (20 mn)
PRESENTATIONS Besides working on funding programs for production, touring, and independent cultural spaces, Young Arab Theatre Fund (YATF) has also been involved in a variety of regional and international projects for the last two years. One of the experiences firmly relevant to the aforementioned projects has been Meeting Points 5, a unique itinerant festival in the region, presenting a wide range of artistic productions from the region and beyond and mobilising a significant network of partners, teams and medias in the Arab World. Alternatively, YATF team has attended several events in Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf, and Europe, intermingling with working and lobbying groups, researchers, and experts who reflect on policy making, networking, and funding. YATF would like to share with all the participants attending the Informal Meeting the Coups-de-Coeur of these lived experiences for inspiration, discussion, and networking as a paradigm of a remarkable tradition of sharing and exchange. 10h05:
A Fundraising Journey (20 mn) For the last decade, several cultural venues have been set by independent cultural operators in different cities in North Africa and the Middle East (MENA) who, by presenting new aesthetics, managed to fruitfully reflect their context’s cultural practices and enrich the debate on democracy and freedom of speech. Faced with challenging shortages in funds from the public sector and the pre-established agendas of the international funding agencies, some of these cultural practitioners developed creative tools and strategies to raise funds for their sustainability. By Nadia Al Issa, Beirut Art Center (Beirut)
www.beirutartcenter.org 10h40:
A Continent-Wide Network (20 mn) At a conference entitled "ARTERIAL: Vitalizing African Cultural Assets" held in 2007 in Goree Island (Senegal), Breyten Breytenbach, a South African poet and activist, invited African practitioners of arts to take part in the creation of a common citizen agora for reflections, debates, and artistic expressions. A campaign was set up as a direct response to Breyten's call for action and later gave birth to a continent-wide set of connections called ARTerial Network. It is specifically meant to give the African cultural activities a common visual expression and to use simple tools for raising awareness not only for the sake of attracting new parties to the African Arts and Culture network but also to hopefully lead to the establishment of a broad concept for fundraising. By , Arterial Network (Cape Town).
www.arterialnetwork.org 11h10 :
Coffee Break (15mn) 11h35:
A Case Study on Artist Live-Work Spaces (20 mn) In an ideal society, all individuals would have access both to affordable housing and to the opportunity to pursue careers that challenge them and allow them to give back to society on a number of levels. Artspace Projects, build and operate affordable housing for artists. Artspace give artists the opportunity to pursue their chosen careers, because it recognizes that while most American artists are poor, they do not choose poverty; rather, they are poor because they live in a society that does not value its artists as highly as its athletes, movie stars, and supermodels. The spaces created by Artspace bring new life to old buildings, contribute to the economic and social welfare of the communities in which they are located, and promote freedom of expression and social justice. Artspace currently owns and operates 24 projects across America where artists work, live, exhibit, rehearse, and perform; yet the team feels that there is still much work to do in this challenging realm. By L. Kelley Lindquist, ArtSpace, Minneapolis
www.artspace.org 12h05 :
Lunch Break (1h20)
AFTERNOONPLENARY SESSION 13h30:
Networks & Networking (2h) One of the main issues raised during the Informal Meeting held in Alexandria (October 2007) was the need for the professionals of the field to meet and converse about the urgent concerns of their particular sectors (visual arts, dance...etc.). Certain cultural programmers in the region have, on the other hand, expressed their will to launch satellite-networking initiatives in partnership with YATF via the Informal Meetings expertise. YATF closely observed events such as the March Meeting in Sharjah, Espace Pro in Casablanca, Art Council Egypt in Cairo and Arab Dance Platform in Beirut and provided financial support (i.e. flight tickets) as well as expertise (suggestions of the would be guest practitioners and development of working agendas...etc). YATF also keeps track of other networking events in the region, initiated by other organisations, such as the cinema network (NAAS) launched by ArteEast and a group of cultural operators in the region. In addition to the new networking initiatives in the Arab world, YATF will invite networks from other parts of the world, such as Arterial Network (Africa), Red Sudamericana de Danza (Latin America), Kultour (Australia)…etc. The Informal Meeting would like to offer a platform for these laboratories and a space for exchange of information and high-quality practices. This plenary session aims at raising the type of issues and problematics which are firmly linked to networking in the Arab world. These would be discussed in small working groups in order to come out with proposals and recommendations.
Speakers: Omar Rajeh, Arab Dance Platform (Beirut) Rasha Salti, NAAS (Beirut) Nevine Ebiary & William Wells, Art Council Egypt (Cairo) Ismail Refai, March Meeting (Sharjah) Moderator: Magdalena Moreno, Kultour Network & The South Project (Melbourne) 15h30:
Coffee Break (15 mn)
16h to 17h30:WORKING GROUPS The working groups will be singled out following the impressions given about the issues raised during the plenary session on Networks and Networking. Each working group is expected to report the recommendations and proposals ensuing from the groups’ discussions in a plenary session.
Day 2: 30/11/09MORNING PLENARY SESSIONS 09h:
International Public Policies in the Arab World (1h30) Independent cultural practitioners in the Arab world are usually cautious in building relationships with public institutions such as Ministries of Culture, City Councils…etc. The notion of independency is fundamentally associated to the work carried out outside the public influence, not necessarily reliant on public support. Simultaneously, there are some public institutions in the Arab world which are, and rightly so, aware of the crucial role that culture plays in development, in international cooperation, and in the establishment of dialogue among different local as well transnational artistic components. The aim of this plenary session is to establish a reciprocal give-and-take between one of the original public experiences in developing a cultural policy, and the independent cultural sector in the region.
Speakers: Latifa Yaakoubi, Souss Massa Draa Region (Agadir) Fazette Bordage, The French Institute of Cities (Paris) Moderator: Mike Van Graan, Arterial Network (Cape Town) 10h30:
Coffee Break (15 mn) 10h50:
Private Funding & Philanthropy (2h) Funding is an endless discussion topic. It has been part of the working agenda of the two previous informal Meetings. In Tangier, YATF tackled the issue on the light of the European funding available for circulation for art works in the South Mediterranean and also discussed the funding alternatives in the region. Prior to the 2007 meeting in Alexandria, YATF commissioned a research about private funders who typically act on the regional level in the Arab world, and invited the researchers to a panel exchange with the participants in the research report. For the current 2009 Informal Meeting, YATF is inviting two important private funders of culture in the region from the Machreq and another from the Maghreb respectively for an open dialogue with cultural practitioners, supported and moderated by specialists and researchers in philanthropy and funding from Africa and the Arab world.
Speakers: Ghita Triki, Attijariwafa Bank (Casablanca) Ziad Khalaf, A.M. Qattan Foundation (Ramallah) Karim Shalaby, Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement (Cairo) Moderator: Nicky du Plessis, Art Moves Africa/Cultural Radius (Durban) 13h10:
Lunch Break (1h)
AFTERNOON 14h15 to 17h30 (3h) 16h15 to 16h30:
Coffee BreakTraining Session: "Arts Management in Challenging Times", by Michael Kaiser, Kennedy Center (Washington) Michael Kaiser will present a seminar on the major challenges facing arts organizations today and strategies for addressing them. Major topics to be discussed include artistic planning, marketing and fund-raising. This session will be informal and stress interaction between Mr. Kaiser and the participants. Mr. Kaiser has done extensive teaching and consulting throughout the Arab world.
Open ProgramTraining Session: “Financial Management”, by Nicholas Constantakis, Constantakis Consulting Group, NY Nicholas Constantakis will provide consulting services on an organization by organization basis. During the sessions dedicated to Financial Management training, the work will be done with individual organizations to evaluate their financial systems with focus on budgets, Financial, grant and project reporting, as well as cash flow reporting and provide information on how organizations might strengthen their systems. In addition to these evaluation services, Mr Constantakis will be available to review issues of organizational governance or discuss anything as it relates to issues of financial management within each organization. This way, the trainer will be able to address the individual concerns of participating organizations. A sign up sheet will be sent to the organizations that are interested in having a private session lasting approximately 1 hour in length.
Working groups: follow-up networks and networking working groups
Day 3 (31/10/09)MORNINGPLENARY SESSION 09h30:
Art Spaces as Civic Spaces & Community Development (1h20) The independent cultural sector in the Arab world is embedded in the fabric of the civil society, and is open to intellectual debate, resisting mainstream values, advocating democracy, freedom of speech and tolerance of difference. Paradoxically, independent cultural spaces are laboratories for contemporary arts, thus more or less synonymous of elitism. This plenary session will tackle with the creative balances between the freedom of artistic experimentation and the necessity to participate in the community development.
Speakers: Carole Bebelle, Ashe Cultural Center, New Orleans William Wells, The Town House Gallery, Cairo Moderator : Joy Mboya, The Go Down Art Center, Nairobi 11h20:
Social Networking Sessions (1h50) 13h10:
Lunch Break (1h)
AFTERNOON14h15 to 16h15 (2h)Training Session: “Developing Partnerships as a Way of Sustaining Organisations”, by , Cultural Radius (Durban) Partnerships with various stakeholders offer the possibility to build the resources of an organization in various ways. Increasing resources is of course a vital part of establishing the sustainability of the organization. But what exactly do we mean, when we talk about “partnerships”? And is financial sustainability the only goal we should be aiming towards? This session aims to provide some basic understandings around the principles of negotiating partnerships, as well as open up the discussion around “sustainability”. Theoretical input will be supplemented by interactive participation in small groups where possible, in order to incorporate existing knowledge and ground the session in local contexts as much as possible.
Open Program Training Session:
“Financial Management”, by Nicholas Constantakis, Constantakis Consulting Group, NY
Working groups: follow-up networks and networking working groups
Social Networking sessions 16h15:
Coffee Break (15 mn)
16h30: Follow up of the Open Program (1h)
Day 4 (1st of November)MORNINGPLENARY SESSIONS 09h30:
Education Programs (1h20) Education is an integral part of the independent cultural sector’s concerns. Cultural practitioners are confronted with a not so comfortable task of starting afresh their sector’s educational system through building the artists, managers, and curators’ capacities. They are also requested to develop educational programs to build audiences productive reception of works of art and participate in shaping a strong public opinion as civil society activists.
Speakers: Christine Tohme, Ashkal Alwan, Beirut Clyde Valentin, Hip Hop Theater Festival, NY Moderator: Rasha Salti, ArteEast, Beirut 10h50:
Coffee Break (15 mn) 11h20:
Reports from the Networks Working Groups (1h50) 13h10:
Lunch Break (1h)
AFTERNOON 14h15:
Workshop – ONLINE TOOLS IN THE FILED OF CULTURE AND ARTS Using Mobility Hub Arab World & Mobility Hub Africa (2h) By Dea Vidović (Clubture/Kulturpunkt.hr, Zagreb; LabforCulture.org, Amsterdam) New technologies have left a trace in all the aspects of life and work, from the politics and economies to culture. Numerous virtual platforms (web-sites, portals, blogs, forums, social network etc.) offer to citizens, free communication, faster and easier access to the information which come from various sources: public, private or third sector, individuals, informal groups and initiatives etc. This kind of information economy is based on free production and unselfish sharing of resources and outputs. In this virtual environment cultural and artistic practices also exist. Virtual platforms are offering to cultural professionals more possibilities than ever for creating, connecting and collaborating. Freely accessible digital tools allow artists and cultural operators freedom for sharing and exchanging outside of institutional settings, engaging in dialogue, and to create, develop and test ideas, but also to create environment of virtual and real, physical mobility. In the 2007 Informal Meeting in Alexandria, YATF launched the Mobility Hub, a virtual diffusion platform aiming at facilitating the circulation of information and stimulating the supporting mechanisms for the circulation of art works in the Arab world. Art Moves Africa (AMA), the Mobility Fund within the African continent, developed by YATF is building Mobility Hub Africa in the same lines as YATF Mobility Hub for the Arab world. In order to encourage and support the use of the Mobility Hub, AMA is planning to convene training workshops in different parts of Africa for young cultural operators to be trained in the use of web-based materials and techniques that will substantially aid mobility. Each participant in this workshop will be requested to return to his/her country and solicit appropriate entries for the Mobility Hub in order to build this resource and encourage people to use it. These operators could also act as service providers to the cultural sector in respect of their knowledge of technical communication. AMA is, in collaboration with YATF, taking the opportunity of the Informal Meeting to organise a training in the use of Mobility Hub Africa and the Arab world for North African young practitioners. Mobility Hub Arab world
www.mobilityhubafrica.orgOpen Program Training Session:
“Financial Management”, by Nicholas Constantakis, Constantakis Consulting Group, NY 16h15:
Coffee Break (15mn) 16h30:
Follow up of the Open programDuring the four days Meeting The Forum, social networking sessions, informal networking opportunities…etc.
The Forum During the 2nd Informal Meeting, YATF launched a networking space called The Forum, wherein participants were given the opportunity to promote their works and programs in order to concretely enhance the concept of networking and exchange, and to encourage the participants to practically integrate the business practices and in their work.
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