RESHAPERS participated at the Political Forum organized by Artemrede
On June the 10th Reshapers from different trajectories and backgrounds participated at the Political Forum, a manifestation which has been organized by one of the project’s partners, Artemrede (Portugal) since 2015. The debate and the presentation of the RESHAPE project has been held in the context of this year’s concerns of the Forum: five central challenges of the cities, in which culture can and should play a fundamental role - Territory, Democracy, Sustainability, Cooperation, and Development.
Under the title ‘RESHAPE – A reinvention project underway’, the conversation was focused on the process and results of RESHAPE. Vânia Rodrigues, a Portuguese arts manager and researcher, was the moderator of a talk between Milica Ilic (ONDA, coordinator of RESHAPE)), Maria Vlachou (cultural manager and consultant and Reshaper in Arts and Citizenship), Anikó Racz (arts manager, Reshaper in Solidarity Economies) and Marta Keil (curator and researcher, facilitator in Transnational and Post-National Practices).
The Artemrede’s Political Forum is an initiative created in 2015 in the scope of the Strategic and Operational Plan 2015-2020, as an affirmation of the political dimension of the network and of the will to promote debate and reflection among mayors and other political decision-makers. In its three editions (2016, 2017, 2019), the Forum discussed cultural policy issues and produced public documents with position statements and concrete proposals.
In 2021 the themes, contents and format of the Forum are necessarily influenced by three events, two external and one internal: the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus; the municipal elections that will take place in the autumn of this year; and the process of elaboration of Artemrede's Letter of Commitment and the initiative Compromisso Cultura 2030, which Artemrede has been developing since 2020 with its Associates. These three events raise concerns, proposals and challenges to mayors, territories and communities. The pandemic has accentuated social and economic fissures, redefined public policy priorities and exposed the need for changes in the ways we do things. The municipal elections are an opportunity for debate on city strategy and policy. The Commitment to Culture 2030 has promoted awareness and reflection on the importance of an integrated municipal cultural policy, in articulation with all areas of sustainable development.
It is thus to respond to these concerns that, over five days, the Political Forum collects and organizes contributions from artists and other professionals in culture and the arts, researchers, mayors, and local development actors. These contributions respond to five central challenges of the cities, in which culture can and should play a fundamental role: Territory, Democracy, Sustainability, Cooperation, and Development.
Each of these challenges triggers contents in different formats, such as debates, interviews or testimonials, pre-recorded or live, shared on Artemrede's digital channels.
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