EU en Moskou werken samen aan nieuwe cultuurprojecten (en)
Eight joint EU i-Russia culture projects covering a wide range of themes have been selected, following an open call for proposals, according to a press release from the EU Delegation in Moscow.
A kick-off conference on the new projects, which will be implemented between 2010 and 2012, will be held on 30 of September in Moscow. The event discussion will focus on different aspects of cultural cooperation between Russia and Europe and partnership between cultural organisations from the EU and the Russian Federation.
The new projects cover various aspects of culture - visual arts and contemporary music, wooden architecture, documentary cinema, modern culture management, innovative museum practices - and are planned to be implemented in different regions of Russia, including Arkhangelsk, Kostroma, Moscow, Nakhodka, Perm, Pskov, and Tula.
All projects include capacity-building components (master-classes, training modules, seminars, art residencies, internships, etc.) and public cultural events (festivals, exhibitions, co-productions).
The total budget of the projects is €2 million and most of them will start at the beginning of 2011 with a maximum duration of 18 months.
The press release said culture was becoming increasingly important in the EU-Russia relationship: the EU and Russia have agreed to promote a structured approach to cultural cooperation between the enlarged EU and Russia, to foster creativity and mobility of artists, public access to culture, the dissemination of art and culture, inter-cultural dialogue and knowledge of the history and cultural heritage of other peoples of Europe.
Since 2007, the Delegation of the European Union to Russia has been launching annual thematic calls for proposals specifically focused on culture with the purpose to support the EU-Russia cultural initiatives implemented through partnerships between non-governmental organizations, local and regional authorities, artistic universities, museums and other cultural institutions from the EU and Russia.
Twenty-five joint cultural projects for a total grant amount of €6 million, involving approximately 100 cultural institutions from Russia and 18 EU member states were supported between 2007 and 2010. (ENPI Info Centre)
EU Delegation - Russia
ENPI Info Centre webpage - Russia