New ways to manage and finance creative spaces in Europe

In the last decades Europe has witnessed an important increase in the number of creative spaces. Some of them are official, with landmark buildings erected in many cities; others are alternative, being also very necessary for creation.

In a situation of crisis, which is not only financial, we need to rethink and analyze how to maintain and develop fundamental principals, such as the importance of culture in our society, so that it can still be considered a basic element in the life of citizens. Nowadays, intellectual European referents such as André Malraux have not lost their relevance, as when he said that “culture is the sum of all the forms of art, of love and of thought which, throughout the centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved”.

 But in order to do so it is also important to consider –as one of the speakers in this conference has stated- that a creative project requires combining a good technical structure, a qualified management team and a complex balance between the risk of supporting creation and the need to show results. A well-rounded cultural policy, with a broad vision, must be the essential starting point of any creative project. To this we must add a good dose of reality, humility and self-criticism. Because, as Walter Benjamin asked himself, “what value does all the culture have when experience doesn’t connect us with it?”

This is the main objective of this Conference. We are convinced that the cultural and creative sectors are a source of growth inEurope. But we are also aware of the difficulties, for instance, in financing the sector. Research, policies and concrete experiences related to these issues will be presented during this Conference, with the participation of all the sectors involved. We are convinced that culture must be at the heart of public policy and we must strive for the emergence of a new generation of creators and cultural entrepreneurs.

We are, we become, we are deformed and we are transformed through education and culture. Therefore, a decisive characteristic of any government, of any policy, of any action must be to take special care of the institutions where this training and these cultures are made possible. 

Video:  http://www.salentoweb.tv/video/9130/creart-spazio-creativita-gestione-sp...