4th Annual Europan Forum 5/6 June 2012

PLATFORM FOR INTERCULTURAL EUROPE
4th Annual European Forum

"Participation and Citizenship:
Can Cultural Institutions in Europe
lead the way? Should they?"

5/6 June 2012, Brussels, Espace Magh

This event will explore cultural participation as an element of “active citizenship” and ask what role cultural institutions play. If cultural democracy requires a full polyphonic representation of social and ethnic diversity, are public cultural institutions the needed spaces for encounter and interaction? Do public policies help cultural institutions launch significant intercultural processes, outreach and organisational re-invention?

Some programme headlines:

Meeting and Creating Audience Expectations in an Age of Super-Diversity
Engaging with Citizens: Good Practice in the Museum World
Responding To Immediate Diversity Challenges: Can Culture Help?
Cultural Diversity In Cultural Institutions: Researching And Benchmarking Commitments

See the draft programme !

This Forum will bring together academics, cultural practitioners and NGO activitist who work for interculturalism. It takes place in the context of the Platform for Intercultural Europe’s involvement in the Structured Dialogue between the EU with Civil Society.

The Forum will be followed by our General Assembly of Members (non-members interested in membership can attend it as guests).

The European Commission will kindly sponsor our annual meeting once more with the use of their premises and catering on the second day, some travel subsidies for our members and the registration management. Interpretation between English and French will be available on the second day for a limited number of people (‘chuchotage’).

We look forward to seeing you in Brussels on 5/6th June !

Platform for Intercultural Europe
10, rue de la Science, B-1000 Brussels - Tel. +32-(0)2 534 40 02
dialogue@intercultural-europe.org - http://www.intercultural-europe.org

The Platform for Intercultural Europe has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the Platform and the Commission cannot
be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Platform for Intercultural Europe, European Forum, 5/6th June 2012

Draft Agenda as of 23rd of March

1: Participation and Citizenship: Can Cultural Institutions in Europe lead the way?
Should they?

Introduction

The EU and many of its Member States alike promote ‘Active citizenship’. The backdrop is a
widespread lack of care for democracy. The concept was put forward in search of citizens who
make use of their rights and assume responsibilities on top - citizens, who volunteer and get
involved with each other through associations, clubs or faith groups, who participate in
processes, which give shape to public services, public opinion and ideas for the future.

Cultural participation is also part of democratic behaviour – it involves sharing spaces,
experiences, and joining narratives. Artists and cultural animators can enable it. Yet the arts
remain accessible only to a minority of the population and artists seek legitimacy from core
audiences, critics and decision-makers. Cultural institutions still target those who by
education, tradition and status are already engaged. Fulfilling the ‘democratic responsibility’ of
outreach and diversity seems an extra burden in times of financial pressures.

Cultural democracy requires a full polyphonic representation of social and ethnic diversity.
As our populations become ever more mobile and hybridised, public cultural institutions must
become spaces for encounter and interaction. They can be the looms where society is woven.

Cultural policy therefore cannot remain a practice of distributing funds across art forms. It
must help cultural institutions to launch significant intercultural processes, outreach and
organisational re-invention. It is a question of building capacity for change.

In line with the Platform for Intercultural Europe’s conviction that interculturalism – evolving
culture(s) through intercultural engagement – must become the norm, this event brings the
challenge of cultural participation into the spotlight. We examine the future of cultural
institutions and the challenges they face as intercultural meeting places.

Tuesday, 5th June
Espace Magh, Rue du Poinçon 17, 1000 Bruxelles
09.30 Registration
10.00 Welcome & Introduction to the Day Sabine Frank (Platform for Intercultural Europe)
10.10 Introduction to Espace Magh
10.20 MEETING AND CREATING AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS IN AN AGE OF SUPERDIVERSITY:
HOW FIT ARE PUBLIC CULTURAL POLICIES?
Presentation:
Peter Duelund, cultural sociologist and Associate Professor at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen
Moderators of Discussion:
Niels Righolt (Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture, Copenhagen) &
Guido Orlandini (Intercultural Communication and Leadership School, Rome)
11.30 Coffee break
12.00 ENGAGING WITH CITIZENS: GOOD PRACTICE IN THE MUSEUM WORLD
Presentation:
Jouette van der Ploeg, Director of City Museum Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Moderators of Discussion:
Niels Righolt (Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture, Copenhagen) &
Guido Orlandini (Intercultural Communication and Leadership School, Rome)
12.45 Lunch
13.45 Multiple parallel roundtable presentations & discussions:
Platform members share their intercultural projects
Guiding questions:
• What problem related to diversity are you aiming to solve?
• What intercultural change are you aiming to bring about?
• How/do you know your project achieves what you mean it to achieve?
Round 1
14.55 Round 2
15.50 Coffee break
16.00 RESPONDING TO IMMEDIATE DIVERSITY CHALLENGES: CAN CULTURE HELP?
Testing an idea: An intercultural deployment force
Presenter: Chris Torch (Intercult, Sweden)
Facilitator: Tarafa Baghajati (European Network Against Racism)
Platform for Intercultural Europe, European Forum, 5/6th June 2012, Draft Agenda 3
17.30 Stock-take and round-off
Moderator: Chris Torch, (Intercult, Sweden)
18.00 Close of Forum
Followed by
19.30 Dinner

Wednesday, 6th June
Tour Madou (European Commission), 1 Place Madou, 1210 Brussels
09.30 Welcome & Recap of Day One
Tarafa Baghajati (European Network Against Racism)
09.45 Presentation and discussion:
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION ON THE INTERCULTURAL OPENING OF
CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Engaging with the EU Culture Council Expert Working Group on Accessible
Culture and Intercultural Dialogue
Presenter: Sabine Frank
Respondent: Vladimir Šucha, Director for Culture & Education, European Commission, tbc
Moderator: tbc
11.00 Coffee Break
11.15 Presentation and discussion:
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS: RESEARCHING AND BENCHMARKING COMMITMENTS
Outlook on a joint project of the Platform for Intercultural Europe and the Migration Policy Group
Presenter: Jan Niessen, Director, Migration Policy Group, tbc
Respondent: Vladimir Šucha, Director for Culture & Education, European Commission, tbc
Moderator: Niels Righolt, Danish Centre for Arts & Interculture
12.00 Close of Forum & Lunch
Followed by
14.00-17.00 Annual General Assembly of Members

This programme was produced by Sabine Frank, Niels Righolt and Chris Torch.
Overall responsibility: Sabine Frank

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

^ Top

« Agenda for InterCulture | Meeting and Creating Audience Expectations in an Age of Super-Diversity »

Ποιειν Και Πραττειν - create and do

Navigation