The Cultural Strategy Institute summarizes the activities of 2019. Here we share with a report dedicated to our work in various directions. We hope you will be enthusiastic to see the results of the past year, learn more about the Institute and its plans for 2020.
The results of the work relate to research, educational areas, promoting the development of cultural initiatives of the city and networking, the creation of a cultural fund. As well we implemented self-standing cultural projects such as Congress of Culture.
CSI started its work in 2018 as a municipal institution launched to coordinate the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy for the Development of Culture of Lviv 2025. For the first full year of activity — 2019 — the Institute became an open venue for Lviv cultural events. During this year, we held more than 40 events, were a partners with a number of events, such as the UCF Information Days in Lviv, the development of the Creative Hub on Dudayeva Str., the XIX Jazz Bez and others.
One of the priorities of the CSI is education for the cultural sphere. Several educational projects have been implemented together with partners. These are: seminar «Business for Culture», a program for cultural managers LWOWRO (together with Strefa Kultury Wrocław). And in November more than hundred participants from all over the country studied at the School of Audiovisual Industry Management «Human Resources Management» (in partnership with the NGO «Center for Social Innovation»).
We managed to lay the foundation for the research direction of the Institute. In 2019 data on cultural institutions in Lviv was collected and tools for analyzing this information were proposed. See the details in the report below. The first stage of the study outlined the issues relevant for further study.
Also, we are still in the process of creating of municipal Cultural Fund, which is a new approach to fundings and management in the field of culture in Lviv. Ahead — the development and approval of legal and financial models, the mechanism of the Fund. Regulations on it will be presented in 2020.
Among the major projects of the 2019 is the Culture Congress — a large-scale three-day event held in 11-13 of October. Congress gathered almost 300 participants from different cities and countries, was devoted to the analysis of the cultural process in Ukraine and Europe over the past 30 years and the current situation. At the invitation of the Congress, the famous Croatian author Slavenka Drakulic visited Lviv for the first time. Equally to debatable was the artistic component of the Congress — the triennial of contemporary art «Ukrainian Cross-Section» (Ukrainskyi Zriz). The works of 18 artists were exhibited in the space of the building on Rynok Square, 42 — this was the first such event in Lviv historic townhouse, which is to become an art center. The «Culture code» project has also started. Its purpose is to explore the relationship between the cultural environment and citizens. In particular, we will have sociological research, a series of thematic discussions (the first — about current cultural trends — took place in the fall).
Although CSI is a young institution, other activists and communities are interested in our experience. During the year, representatives of the Institute took part in events in Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Wrocław, and Zaporizhia. Among the foreign partners of CSI: the teams of Wroclaw (Poland), Kaunas (Lithuania). In the first year of the Institute’s activity, we managed to attract 2 million UAH from donors for cultural projects.
«The first year of the Institute’s activity was a real challenge for me as a leader: CSI is developing new practices and mechanisms for the city and testing them. These are, for example, the establishment of a municipal cultural fund, research of the city sphere of culture, expansion of Lviv’s partner networks, in particular, monitoring of the possibility of the city of Lviv to be applied for the European Capital of Culture program. At the same time, 2019 proved that the Institute has a certain level of professional interest and trust — from local and Ukrainian cultural initiatives and activists, international institutions, donors,» — says Yuliia Khomchyn, director of the Cultural Strategy Institute.
Work in all areas will continue in 2020. It is important that culture is a policy priority for the city: the program «Lviv 2020: Focus on Culture» has been approved.
Thank you for your support!