The year 2023 marks the epilogue of the seven-year long project Kaunas — European Capital of Culture, with the ending dot to be placed at the sixth, the last one, European Capital of Culture Forum. You are invited to join us for the final discussion on the Kaunas 2022 project at the Kaunas cinema ROMUVA, on the 7th of September, and for the seminars held by the project team and our partners with a view of presenting the project methodologies, on the 8th of September.
From Contemporary to…
European Capital of Culture Forum 2023
September 7-8, 2023
Was it worth it?
What is the actual value created by Kaunas 2022 with the public investment in the project? In the opinion of external experts, did the Capital of Culture and its partners manage to achieve the declared objectives? The authors of the external impact assessment report on Kaunas — European Capital of Culture 2022 will share their conclusions, also presenting the completed study for the first time.
What comes next?
The guests of the Forum from other capitals of culture, also representatives of the local cultural sector and policy-making will share their views on the ways of acting after the title year in Kaunas, Kaunas District and other European regions and cities.
For the future evaluators…
A series of publications summing-up the project methodologies and the gained experiences, prepared by the organisers of the Kaunas 2022 project, will be introduced at the event for the first time. The publications are meant to be of use for the future analysis of the project and for the developers of similar projects.
PROGRAMME
September 7, Thursday: Main Programme
Romuva Movie Theatre, Laisvės av. 54
Virginija Vitkienė was present at all stages of the “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022” project. She will assess the unique experiences of the project gained in the process of attaining the goals set by the cultural sector ten years ago. Is it possible for a mega-size project like that, which can change the cultural, social and even economic climate of a city, region and a country, to come “bottom-up”? What were the challenges and advantages faced by the team of Kaunas 2022, which expanded from 5 persons in 2014 to a group of 500 professionals who have delivered more that 1500 projects in the title year? How not to waste the collected capital with its most precious part being the acquired competences and connections?
Virginija Vitkienė
CEO, Kaunas 2022
In Kaunas, the title year of the European Capital of Culture brought deep emotions. As memories of the events slowly sink into oblivion, we can also start discussing their long-term effects. How did the project change the life of citizens? What are its impacts on other cities and the state of Lithuania in general? The facts on the cultural behaviours and social attitudes of the citizens collected in the process of impact assessment, as well as the conclusions on their economic and political consequences will serve as grounds for discussion on these questions.
Tadas Šarūnas
Sociologist, visual artist
In 2022, Esch-Alzette, the second largest city in Luxembourg, held the title of European Capital of Culture together with other 10 municipalities from the south of Luxembourg and 8 French municipalities of the “Communauté de Communes Pays Haut Val d’Alzette” (CCPHVA).
How could the region benefit from the label and what are possible impacts for the future… This is up for discussion.
Nancy Braun (LU)
CEO of ‘Esch-sur-Alzette 2022’
How are the results of the Kaunas 2022 project assessed by the public sector? Is the legacy created by Kaunas 2022 really long-lasting? Can we consider the objectives set by the project already achieved? The panel of experts from the Lithuanian culture and communication field will speak about the legacy of Kaunas 2022 and the unfinished works of the Contemporary Capital still left for the future.
Moderator: Artūras Morozovas.
Participants: Ina Žurkuvienė, Julija Reklaitė, Jekaterina Lavrinec.
Artūras Morozovas
Documentary photographer, journalist
Ina Žurkuvienė
Manager of Integrated Communication Science and Culture Projects, Communication Strategist
Jekaterina Lavrinec
City Antropologist, Organiser of Public Space Revitalisation Actions
Julija Reklaitė
Director of the Lithuanian Culture Institute
What kind of situations did other European cities face after completion of the European Capital of Culture year? Which ones of the phenomena that had emerged in the cultural sector, in the communication of the regional image and in the community and public sectors have been successfully maintained and which ones – not, and why? Which of the lessons learned could be of use for the future representatives of the Cultural Capitals in the development of their own legacy plans?
Moderator: Goda Giedraitytė.
Participants: Rossella Tarantino, Sylvain Pasqua, Marilyn Gaughan Reddan.
Goda Giedraitytė
Culture manager, member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
Rossella Tarantino (IT)
Member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
Sylvain Pasqua (BE)
Senior expert, European Commission
Marilyn Gaughan Reddan (IE)
Head of Programme at Galway 2020, Member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
Which of the values created by Kaunas 2022 should be preserved, and in which ways? Which specific experiences of the project have been or could be integrated into the Lithuanian cultural policy guidelines and the respective guidelines for Kaunas? What kind of the future do the representatives of the Lithuanian cultural policy and funding institutions see for the Contemporary Capital?
Moderator: Rytis Zemkauskas.
Participants: Simonas Kairys, Asta Pakarklytė, Tomas Jarusevičius
Simonas Kairys
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania
Rytis Zemkauskas
journalist, writer, curator of the Kaunas 2022 programme “Kaunas Myth”
Asta Pakarklytė
Chair of the Lithuanian Council for Culture
Tomas Jarusevičius
Deputy Mayor at Kaunas City Municipality
September 8, Friday: Workshops and Advisory Sessions
Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaičio 52
PART ONE: Confessions & reflections
[Call for action]
It is an invitation to join a conversation about inclusion and… exclusion. Let’s face it, most of us were or still are guilty of ignorance, ableism (and probably few other “-isms” for that matter).
It is very unlikely that it is intentional, nevertheless it is factual.
Accessibility in XXI century, is not a norm, it is still rather an exception, a cause for celebration, a proudly presented case of so-called good practice. And the way things are progressing in the culture sector, it seems that sooner self-driving car will take us to work than each and every person with no exception (!) will have an option to attend (any) culture event of his or her choosing.
Therefore, we will look into programme construction, events production and communication practices to try to decode the inner workings of culture sector and reasonings behind the lack of full accessibility to all people (and no, we can not blame everything on the lack of money).
Not to judge. Not to justify. To understand.
It might not to be an easy conversation (nor a specially pleasant one), but it seems necessary. Hopefully it will be an honest one. So we can all do better and be better in the future.
PART TWO: Navigating the change
The future starts NOW!
No matter if you are an individual artis or creator, city official, part of culture organisation or represent one of the European Capitals of Cultures there is plenty you can do!
We will dive into every day practices of culture professionals – from interacting with audiences (in person and online), organisation of spaces to thinking about form and content of artistic and educational projects. It will be an opportunity to both self-evaluate and to plan on WHAT and HOW can be done to be more inclusive and welcoming to ALL audiences.
So… Be better. Do better. Do not look for excuses. Do not stall, just do it. Baby steps.
You can start by showing up. We do hope that this conversation and workshop will give you a push in the right direction.
Agata Etmanowicz (PL)
President of “Impact Foundation”
Agnė Medėkšaitė
Coordinator of the Kaunas 2022 Volunteering programme
Vitalija Lyska
Coordinator of the Kaunas 2022 Volunteering programme
Mindaugas Reinikis
Head of Marketing and Communication, 'Kaunas 2022'
Aurelija Prašmuntaitė
Curator of the Kaunas 2022 youth programme “Emerging Kaunas”
Sandra Karnilavičiūtė
Co-creator and mentor of the Kaunas 2022 educational youth project “Kaunas Challenge”
Daiva Price
Art curator, researcher, curator of Kaunas 2022 programme “Memory Office”
Greta Klimavičiūtė-Minkštimienė
Curator of the Kaunas 2022 Communities programme “We, the People”
Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė
Architecture historian, curator of the Kaunas 2022 programme “Modernism for the Future”
Virginija Vitkienė
CEO, Kaunas 2022
Through stories, one can establish oneself in the world, find friends, make enemies. Stories can lead to formation or destruction of states. We are stories ourselves.
Rytis Zemkauskas
journalist, writer, curator of the Kaunas 2022 programme “Kaunas Myth”
The seminar is dedicated to professionals working in the field of monitoring and assessment of the European Capital of Culture programmes. We will hear about the advantages and disadvantages of the Kaunas 2022 assessment methodology and assessment process. We will also be sharing experiences and looking for solutions to methodological challenges, in a collaborative way.
Tadas Šarūnas
Sociologist, visual artist
Speakers
Asta Pakarklytė
Chair of the Lithuanian Council for Culture
Simonas Kairys
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania
Sylvain Pasqua (BE)
Senior expert, European Commission
Tomas Jarusevičius
Deputy Mayor at Kaunas City Municipality
Agata Etmanowicz (PL)
President of “Impact Foundation”
Marilyn Gaughan Reddan (IE)
Head of Programme at Galway 2020, Member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
Nancy Braun (LU)
CEO of ‘Esch-sur-Alzette 2022’
Rossella Tarantino (IT)
Member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
Ana Kočegarova-Maj
Head of Kaunas 2022 programme, curator of the European Capital of Culture Forum
Rytis Zemkauskas
journalist, writer, curator of the Kaunas 2022 programme “Kaunas Myth”
Viltė Migonytė-Petrulienė
Architecture historian, curator of the Kaunas 2022 programme “Modernism for the Future”
Virginija Vitkienė
CEO, Kaunas 2022
Daiva Price
Art curator, researcher, curator of Kaunas 2022 programme “Memory Office”
Greta Klimavičiūtė-Minkštimienė
Curator of the Kaunas 2022 Communities programme “We, the People”
Mindaugas Reinikis
Head of Marketing and Communication, 'Kaunas 2022'
Sandra Karnilavičiūtė
Co-creator and mentor of the Kaunas 2022 educational youth project “Kaunas Challenge”
Agnė Medėkšaitė
Coordinator of the Kaunas 2022 Volunteering programme
Aurelija Prašmuntaitė
Curator of the Kaunas 2022 youth programme “Emerging Kaunas”
Tadas Šarūnas
Sociologist, visual artist
Vitalija Lyska
Coordinator of the Kaunas 2022 Volunteering programme
Artūras Morozovas
Documentary photographer, journalist
Ina Žurkuvienė
Manager of Integrated Communication Science and Culture Projects, Communication Strategist
Jekaterina Lavrinec
City Antropologist, Organiser of Public Space Revitalisation Actions
Julija Reklaitė
Director of the Lithuanian Culture Institute
Goda Giedraitytė
Culture manager, member of the European Capital of Culture Expert Panel
European Capital
of Culture
Forum
The European Capital of Culture Forum is an annual event initiated by the team of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022, where leaders representing various creative fields from all around Europe come together for gaining and sharing knowledge, getting inspiration, networking and discussing the opportunities for cooperation. One of the main objectives of this initiative is to encourage the culture of collaboration with other sectors, such as business, science or politics.
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