Archivo de la categoría: English / Inglés

Posts originally written in English

SITUATION OF THE CULTURAL SECTOR AND THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SPAIN

 

This article was originally published by IETM – INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR CONTEMPORARY PERFORMING ARTS

Things started going really bad in Spain between 2008 and 2011, with the beginning of cuts dictated by the European Commission, the Central European Bank and the International Monetary Fund – the dreaded Troika. Before that, the cultural sector and the performing arts had gone through almost 30 years of cultural policy developments aiming to create structures and to support creation and production of artistic works. With varying success, such policies organised   and strengthened an unprecedented artistic fabric. Austerity policies provoked a setback that will take several years to be overcome, if at all.

Read the complete article in IETM.ORG

THE SITUATION OF THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR IN SPAIN AFTER THE CRISIS

Young innovative artists like Patricia Pardo from Valencia struggles for surviving in spite of the cuttings and political corruption in her region
Young innovative artists like Patricia Pardo from Valencia struggles for surviving in spite of the cuttings and political corruption in her region (Photo: “Cul Kombat”, her last Patricia Pardo production)

I wouldn’t say that the performing arts sector in Spain was strong and highly creative, but in 30 years it developed substantially. Regular framework funds for artists and companies were implemented and new venues and creation centres were opened. All of this at a local, regional and national level. A broad array of public institutions covered different aspects of the development of the performing arts. However, the modernization process was not finished yet, there were still reforms to do: the high political dependence, lack of democracy in cultural institutions and some new expensive buildings without artistic projects, only built to feed the real state bubble and increase the public debt. Besides, the presence and support to contemporary innovative performing arts was not guaranteed in local public venues, in fact the vast majority of the performing spaces. Seguir leyendo THE SITUATION OF THE PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR IN SPAIN AFTER THE CRISIS

Supporting Instruments and Policy for Transnational Mobility in Spain

Forum International Mobility Milan - ItalyThe days 11 and 12 of November 2014 I was invited to the forum “International Mobility of Young Artists”. It took place in Milan (Italy) in la Fabrica de Vapore. Its objective was to reflect on the current meaning of artistic mobility and on its future in Italy and in the international arena. The debate analyzed the definition of mobility, its history and how it is performed and supported in Italy and abroad.

I was asked to present the different frameworks of the public support to artistic mobility in Spain and its current situation. I used the following slide presentation and I post it in the blog for whoever interested:

 

 

News from de Spanish Cultural Sector: Budget Cuts and Protests

Agrupación Sr. Serrano
Creative Artists Have it Harder Now in Spain (Agrupación Sr. Serrano - Katastrophe)

I copy in my blog this text initially published in IETM website 

Spanish government budget cuts began in 2009, but the most important arts cuts have been in Autonomous Communities (regions)’s budgets, as they have the most responsibility and funding for culture. Autonomous communities share this with local governments, now mostly bankrupt or with huge debts. The total reductions for the arts are thus more than 25% in global figures, comprising regions and local authorities.

The reaction of artists and arts organisations is muted – everyone is in a state of shock (reinforced by governments and media). There is a universal reaction against cuts in public services, including education and health as well as culture, but culture is the last in the line. Other issues in the protests are corruption, lack of transparency …… There is widespread criticism of the European Council’s policy to control public debt by “austerity” budgets, when everybody in Spain knows that the problem is private, not public, debt : the banks. Seguir leyendo News from de Spanish Cultural Sector: Budget Cuts and Protests

The Catalan Arts Council Reduced to an “Advisory Agency”

IETM - International European Theatre MeetingI was asked to write this article for “IETM Engage!”, newsletter of International European Theatre Meeting. The newsletter main goal is to highlight activist operations and present initiatives outside the network to reduce the impact of public cultural budgets cuttings in Europe and other restrictive laws for the cultural and artistic development.

What was a major change in Catalonian cultural policy when the first executive Arts Council in Southern Europe was born in 2008, has lost its executive responsibilities. On December 21, 2011 the Catalan Parliament approved a new law that drives cultural policies back to the periods of greater political interference. Seguir leyendo The Catalan Arts Council Reduced to an “Advisory Agency”

Bons Nadals – Merry Christmas – Felices Fiestas


 

 

Artistas brasileños cantando la Navidad. Me lo envió mi querida amiga Tela Leao de Portugal y en seguida me lo hice mio para compartir.

Brazilian artists in a Christmas song. My friend Tela Leao from Portugal sent it to me and I loved it.

Artistes brasilers cantant els Nadals. M’ho va enviar la meva bona amiga Tela Leao de Portugal i em va agrada a l’instant.

 

Challenging the Crisis in Performing Arts Sector

The summaries and conclusions of “Open Forum Feria Huesca 2011” have been published. The debates, under the name “Reinvent Yourself to Challenge the Crises” of the Spanish performing arts sector, took place during three months in a “Facebook Group” finishing in an on-site session, the 30th of September of this year in Huesca during “Feria Internacional de Teatro y Danza”. Seguir leyendo Challenging the Crisis in Performing Arts Sector

Theatres in London and UK

I wrote this report four years ago as a result of the training trip I curated for the “Spanish Network of Public Theatres” to London and Oxford. In this trip, around 30 Spanish directors of public theatres traveled to London to meet English colleagues, exchanges information with them, being familiar with their projects and visits the spaces.

The report is written both in Spanish and in English and cover main aspects of cultural policies in England, description of the English model of management of theatres and a complete review of the theatres visited.

The performing arts spaces are divided into three geographical areas that cover three different theatre models. These spheres can be visualised as three concentric circles whose central point is in the centre of London. Seguir leyendo Theatres in London and UK

In Defense of the Catalonian Arts Council – CoNCA

The Councillors of the Catalonian Arts Council have resigned in block to protest by the threaten of the new Catalan government to eliminate their executives competences.

This is their letter: Seguir leyendo In Defense of the Catalonian Arts Council – CoNCA

Toni Gonzalez Moves to London his Base of Operations

I am pleased to inform that in the coming days I’ll move to London and from there I will continue my professional career as a consultant for the performing arts and international management culture. I foresee a stay in London for about two months. Seguir leyendo Toni Gonzalez Moves to London his Base of Operations