Workshop for the research in cultural management for artists

During the past years the art scene of our country changed dramatically thanks to the hard work of both individuals and institutions who contributed to the formation of an interesting new generation of artists in several cities. A new artistic production engaged with contemporary thinking and language rose up in our cultural scene. The absence of spaces dedicated to art which could contain the production and the interests of these artists made many of them take the initiative to create new public spaces devoted to art. In a very short time a new cultural map was drawn, which obliges the community to redefine the art system in order to give visbility and impulse to a horizontal production of culture and the search for new links within its parts.

To avoid the failure of the concretion of these initiatives’ aims, and taking into account the extraordinary amount of energy that independent managements require in a country like Argentina, Trama proposes an intensive workshop of research on the meaning of independent artist’s initiatives in the current crisis, offering theoretical and practical support in order to provide these artists with tools to afford their aims in a more professional way.

As a first step for a future possible exchange of international resources, we also invite guest artists from other countries who are running initiatives in their contexts as well, with difficulties and aims similar to ours. We hope the confrontation of strategies learnt under different circumstances will enrich the exchange of information and will start building a possible net of collaboration for future common discussions on cultural politics.

Thinking of the multiplying capacity that these initiatives can have as original and autonomous models in cultural management, we established the following aims.



Objectives of the workshop

• Define types of organisation initiated, their motivations, aims, and structure in an attempt to optimize their results.
• Work on each initiative’s particular case, common points and differences.
• Visualize a maximum and minimum aim for each initiative and the community’s external view on them.
• Work on the internal organisation of each initiative, define available human resources, and the way of capitalising the full potential of each member for the good of the project.
• Confront artists’ initiatives working in other countries of the region and in diverse contexts linked to post -colonialist globalising problematics.
• Generate common strategies to get funds to support the organisations. Co-operation and impulse of common aims for cultural development in the "south".



Methodology of work

The workshop will last 8 full days. It will be held in a natural area, where we expect to achieve maximum concentration. Trama will be in charge of the organisation concerning accomodation, trips, activities and documentation, but will also be present as a participant in the workshop.
Before the workshop takes place, a dossier will be distributed containing detailed information on each participant and initiative as an introduction to the group. It will also contain important information for the development of practical activities during the workshop. The dossier will work as a main guideline throughout the workshop.

The exercises proposed are aimed to focuse on the exchange of ideas through brainstorming conducted through very practical activities. The tutors and lecturers taking part are all experienced professionals in this area. We will ask each participant to bring a project (actual or fictional) to be discussed with the group.
Each tutor will represent an institution (whose aims and cultural politics will be created by them, in order to expose paradigmatic problems which artists’ initiatives usually must confront), to which the participants will "apply". In order to succeed, participants are invited to look for common strategies and analyse the limitations and appeals of their proposals.

Please find attached the detailed schedule for the activities of the workshop.


Participants

Tutors and lecturers

Ricardo Basbaum, artist, theorist and organiser of Agora, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fernando Frydman, Argentina: professor in Fundraising at Universidad de San Martín, Buenos Aires; member of Fundación Compromiso, which represents in Argentina Drucker Foundation's self evaluation programme for NGO's in USA; consultant in Management for Cultural Institutions.

María José Herrera: Art Historian, reserchear and curator of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

María José Figuerero

Sue Williamson (South Africa)- Artist, founder member of Public Eye, founding editor of ArtThrob.


Initiators

1. Leo Battistelli: artist, organiser and curator of independent initiatives in Rosario, Santa Fe Province.

2. Carlota Beltrame: artist, curator and organiser of exhibitions, workshops and lectures in San Miguel de Tucumán. Organized Trama's activities in North-west region of Argentina.

3. Daniel Besoytaorube and Mario Gemin: artists and founders of the Fondo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo in Mar del Plata. Organize Trama's activities in Mar del Plata.

4. Marcelo de la Fuente, artist, curator and organizer at Centro Cultural Casona de los Olivera, Buenos Aires.

5. Ana Gallardo, artist, initiator and curator of "Lelé de Troya", independent art space, Buenos Aires.

6. Santiago García Aramburu, artist, designer, founder and curator of Duplus, alternative art space, Buenos Aires.

7. Goddy Leye, artist and organizer of several events in Cameroon. Current participant at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. About starting his own artist's initiative, The Art Bakery (El nombre AGREGALO EN CASTELLANO) in Camerún in January 2003.
http://goddyleye.lecktronix.net y http://gorayproject.freeservers.com

8. Gustavo López, artist, editor and founder of Vox, art space and cultural magazine in Bahía Blanca, Province of Buenos Aires.

9. Francisco Alí Brouchour, artist and organiser in Misiones of the Museum of Contemporary Art at the UNAM. Universidad Nacional de Misiones

10. Sandro Pereira, artist and founder of El Ingenio, in San Miguel de Tucumán. Trama's participant in 2000.

11. Greg Streak, artist, curator and founder of Pulse project in Durban, South Africa.

12. Carina Cagnolo, artist and co-founder of Cielo Teórico, space for theoretical and art related discussions in Córdoba city.

This activity took place thanks to the support of the
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Development Cooperation through RAIN and Fundación Antorchas from Argentina.

Trama is a partner in the RAIN Artists' Initiatives Network.

TEXTS

Américo Castilla
Public Support for Arts

 

INITIATORS

Leo Battistelli

Carlota Beltrame

Daniel Besoytaorube/Mario Gemin

Francisco Ali Brouchoud

Carina Cagnolo

Marcelo de la Fuente

Ana Gallardo

Santiago García Aramburu

Gustavo López

Sandro Pereira

Goddy Leye

Greg Streak