PRIORITY OBJECTIVES

Following the experience and expertise gained by the association and in order to respond to the needs identified as critical, ECUMEST focused its efforts on two priority objectives:

 >>> Accompanying the EU integration process

through two action lines:

• Initiating interactive pedagogical spaces between cultural operators and decision-makers in Romania (through international debates, publications, academic education, training of professionals);
• Accompanying cultural organizations in understanding the processes of accession and their sensibilisation to promoting democratic values through cultural action.

>>> Accompanying the creative processes

as a condition of the rehabilitation of the individual in the post-communist context, through:

• Professionalization and contextualisation of the competences needed in the administration of the artistic and cultural action (the administration and management in favor of arts and artists);
• Organizing in Romania various international workshops opened to artists from different fields, as well as of conferences, debates and encounters aimed at facilitating the confrontation of the Romanian audience with other cultural contexts;

· Bringing an adapted support to the mobility of young artists (through a mobility program adapted to the need of creators to explore and confront with different cultural practices).

This page contains a map of the ECUMEST projects and programmes developed in its various areas of intervention:

• cultural policies

 Policies for Culture

 ARCult - Romanian Cultural Agency

 Professional development

• international cultural cooperation and european integration: towards an european public space

 Cultural diplomacy and European integration

 Cultural networks - informal platforms for international cooperation

 Supporting cultural press

• supporting creativity

 Promoting mobility and creativity

 Development of the Balkan Express network

• consultancy & commissioned work

The activities realized up to present (in the fields of cultural policies, professional development, promotion of international cultural cooperation, support to cultural press, as well as to mobility and creativity of young artists) have contributed to the development of a singular expertise in the South East European region in the following fields:

Cultural policies

• Consultancy in the field of cultural policy in Central and Eastern Europe and transversal expertise in the theory of cultural policies (papers, lectures, conferences, publications)

International cultural cooperation and European integration. Cooperation policies

• Very good knowledge of the European cultural networks (securing the general secretariat and the presidency of the Forum of European Networks, 1996-2002) and an active collaboration with these organisations;
• Constant collaborations with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and the European Union (expertise, professional development);
• Constant collaborations with the cultural diplomacy agencies, as well as the French Institute and Cultural Centres, British Council, Goethe Institute, the Royal Netherlands Embassy (consultancy, publications, co-production of events, etc.);
• Constant collaborations and partnerships with various agencies, foundations and international organisations such as: the European Cultural Foundation, Boekman Foundation and Felix Meritis Foundation (Amsterdam), AFAA - Association Francaise d'Action Artistique and Relais Culture Europe (Paris), Counterpoint (London) or DAAD (Berlin);
• Coordinator and/or participant in the development of lobby actions at European level: “Sharing Cultures”, Rotterdam, or “Berlin Conference for European Cultural Policy” (2004); general rapporteur “arts and education” in the Rotterdam process (2002); rapporteur for ENCATC with regard to the Bologna process in the university educational system in the field of cultural management; member in the group of expertise for the re-organisation of the Culture 2000 programme of the European Commission.

Concept, development and implementation of international cultural programmes

among which:

• the ECUME/ECUMEST European Master's degree in cultural management of Dijon Business School in France; the MA programme in Cultural Policies and Cultural Policies in the Balkans (Belgrade); the Policies for Culture programme (in South East Europe); the Balkan Express network; the Forum of European Networks; organisation of artistic residencies and workshops;
• Participation in programmes of the European Union.

Professional development in the fields of cultural management and policies

• Graduate programmes: the ECUME/ECUMEST European Master's degree in cultural management of Dijon Business School; the MA programme in Cultural Policies and Cultural Policies in the Balkans of the University of Arts in Belgrade;
• Initiating, developing and organising short term seminars, both in Romania and abroad, in the fields of cultural management and policies as well as of international cultural cooperation.

Mediation & lobby actions

among which:

• Initiator of a Task Force in the field of cultural policy research in the Balkans;
• PSG (Press Stress Group) – content development and coordination of a project aimed at a better distribution of the cultural information between the capital city and the provinces in Romania;
• Mediation in the development of the Balkan Express network - the performing arts network in the Balkans.

List of different reports, papers and articles produced by the ECUMEST team and its collaborators and partners in main areas of intervention of the association:

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL COOPERATION

Overview of the Romanian independent cultural scene in focus at LabforCulture.org
Author: ECUMEST, at the commissioning of LabforCulture.org
A series of materials on this theme were prepared by ECUMEST at the commissioning of LabforCulture.org, a partner initiative of the European Cultural Foundation. Among these are an article writen by Corina Suteu on the basis of interviews given by artist Ciprian Muresan; curator Alina Serban; film producer Ada Solomon; sociologist Radu Malureanu; Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs Virgil-Stefan Nitulescu. Details...
DESCARCATI:
> Article Corina Suteu; English version; pdf document; 66,9 kb
> Interview Ciprian Muresan; Romanian version; pdf document; 30 kb
> Interview Alina Serban; Romanian version; pdf document; 51kb
> Interview Ada Solomon; Romanian version; pdf document; 34 kb
> Interview Radu Malureanu; Romanian version; pdf document; 30 kb
> Interview Virgil-Stefan Nitulescu; Romanian version; pdf document; 27kb

Funding opportunities for international cultural cooperation in and with South East Europe
Author: ECUMEST, at the commissioning of the European Cultural Foundation
The study on this theme was realised by ECUMEST at the commissioning of the European Cultural Foundation with the participation of Relais Culture Europe. Detalii...
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document; 584 kb

Challenges of Cultural Cooperation in Southeastern Europe:
the Internationalization of Cultural Policies and Practices
Authors: Corina SUTEU & Milena DRAGICEVIC-SESIC
Written for the ECF "Crossing Perspectives: Cultural Cooperation with South Eastern Europe" seminar, which took place in Amsterdam, 16-18 June 2003, in the framework of 'Enlargement of Minds' action line. Text re-edited and published in Culturelink issue on "The Emerging Cultural Industries in Southeastern Europe", Institute for International Relations, Zagreb, 2005.
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 165 kb

The State of Cultural Cooperation in Europe
Authors: INTERARTS and EFAH, at the request of the European Commission. ECUMEST Association as correspondent for Romania
Commissioned by the European Commission, the aims of the study 'The State of Cultural Cooperation in Europe' were to picture existing trends in the field of intergovernmental cultural cooperation in 31 European countries. ECUMEST Association represented the national correspondent for Romania of this evaluation process, under the coordination of Corina SUTEU, President.
DOWNLOAD: EN version; consult it on the European Commision website
DOWNLOAD: FR version; consult it on the European Commision website

CULTURAL POLICIES

 Papers & studies

Overview on cultural policy in Central and Eastern Europe between 1990/2003
Author: Corina SUTEU
Policy paper written for UNESCO in 2003. The text was also available in printed version, being released by ECUMEST and SAR - Romanian Academic Society in 2005. Details in printed editions page...
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 441 Kb

Cultural institutions after 12 years of "New Democracy" in Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Corina SUTEU
Paper written for the Salzburg seminar 'Cultural Institutions in Transition', April 13-15 2002.
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 46 Kb

 Policies for Culture publications

A series of articles, studies, reports realised in the framework of Policies for Culture are available on the programme's website in the publications and e-library sections.

Two electronic periodicals are also published in the frame of PfC:
e-bulletin (monthly information publication) and InSIGHT (analysis and opinion publication). These are distributed by email, being also available online in the e-periodicals page. To subscribe the distribution list send an email with the respective subject line at info@policiesforculture.org or use the online subcription tool at www.policiesforculture.org.

 Articles

ROMANIA: Artists in/on/for Context
Authors: Oana RADU & Stefania FERCHEDAU
This text is the result of a series of interviews with four Romanian young artists coming from four different areas (cinema, dance, theatre and visual arts) and active in what could be called the independent sector. Article written for the PfC Journal, Winter 2003.
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 117 kb

Lobbying the Legislature: Romanian MP's and Culture. A View from Inside
Author: Oana RADU
How do MPs perceive lobbying and being lobbied? What do they expect from those that lobby them? Article written for the PfC Journal, November 2002.
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 101 kb

CULTURAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMS IN EUROPE

Academic Training in Cultural Management in Europe: making it work
Author: Corina SUTEU
Background paper for the expert meeting "Higher Education in Cultural Policy and Management: an European Perspective" organised by the Boekman Foundation, Amsterdam (28-29 March 2003), part of a wider research commissioned by Boekman Foundation to be published in spring 2006.
DOWNLOAD: English version; pdf document, 129 Kb