News

    Cross-border mobility experiences are life-long learning experiences for artists and should thus be promoted. This is the key finding of a European comparative study on the reality of cross-border mobility of artists and its impact on their professional development.

The preliminary results of the study, financed by the European Commission and led by ENCATC, were presented at a policy debate on 9 December in Brussels in the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009.

Entitled “Mobility – a key instrument for Life Long Learning and artists’ careers and a contribution to creativity and innovation”, the event gathered 50 participants from 8 countries, both within and beyond the European Union – policy makers, artists, educators, researchers, as well as representatives from cultural and educational stakeholder networks.

Opening the event, ENCATC’s new President Cristina Ortega Nuere stressed that the study, carried out within the EU-funded project “Artists moving & learning” (October 2008- October 2010), was designed for use in the development of future educational and cultural policies at both European and national level. She recalled that the study, based on a qualitative approach, was conducted by a partnership representing an interesting mix of academic and technical institutions as well as public and private bodies from eight EU member states, all with thorough experience in EU projects and research.

She furthermore explained that the partners had – to analyse artistic mobility in Europe from an educational and Life Long Learning perspective – conducted interviews with artists from the performing and visual arts in ten EU Member States: Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and the UK. In her keynote address Anna Geukens, representing Odile Quintin, Director General at the European Commission’s DG “Education and Culture”, said that artistic mobility was enshrined in the European Agenda for Culture, acknowledging the value of arts education in developing creativity.

She furthermore referred to the EU strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training over the next decade, which emphasizes the importance of transversal key competences, including cultural awareness and creativity. In this context, Mrs. Geukens recalled that as part of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, Eurydice had recently published a study on the state of artistic and cultural education.

The second keynote speaker, Tsveta Andreva, policy officer at the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), with whom ENCATC fosters close work relationships, highlighted ECF’s commitment to supporting mobility of artists and cultural operators throughout Europe at large. She stressed the connecting power of culture as a key element for creating open, inclusive and democratic European societies.

The keynote addresses were followed by presentations of the first results of the European comparative study by the following project partners: .Richard POLACEK, researcher for MEDIANA sprl; Xabier LANDABIDEA from the Universitad de la Iglesia de Deusto in Spain; Paolo BELLUSO from the Fondazione ATER Formazione in Italy; Janos ZOLTÀN SZABÓ from the Budapest Observatory on financing culture in Eastern-Central Europe in Hungary; Adina DRAGU from the Romanian Centre of Professional Training in Culture and Anne Laure AMILHAT from the French Joint Research Unit PACTE. The project partners agreed that their analyses of interviews conducted in ten EU countries had led them to similar conclusions, i.e.:

1) Cross border mobility contributes to the Life Long Learning of artists

2) Reliable information sources are required for artists to help them go abroad and make it a successful experience

3) Existing professional contacts and networks are key elements for artists to help them get tailor-made information about their destination

4) There is a need to integrate mobility into initial education schemes

5) The link between mobility, Life Long Learning and mobility funding schemes should be more evident

6) There is a need for statistics and data to measure better the quantity and quality of cross-border mobility of artists.

The panel debate following the presentations involved Judith Neisse, project coordinator and Director of Mediana sprl; Belgian artist Myriam Fuks; Anne-Marie Croes, Belgian member of the Member States’ working group on improving mobility of artists and other professionals in the cultural field; and Anita Debaere from Pearle. The panellists agreed that non-formal learning resulting from artistic mobility could be formalised by integrating it into initial professional education for artists, and that instruments for life-long learning should therefore target better the needs of mobile artists. “Artists moving & learning” (October 2008- October 2010), is a project financed by the European Commission (Studies and Comparative Research Action of the transversal sub-programme of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme). It reflects Community action on cross-border artistic mobility.

The project is led by ENCATC, the European network of higher educational institutes and training organisations for cultural management, and coordinated by Mediana sprl. Further project partners are: Inteatro, Centro Internazionale per la Promozione e la ricerca teatrale, and Fondazione ATER Formazione from Italy; Universitad de la Iglesia de Deusto in Spain; the Budapest Observatory on financing culture in Eastern-Central Europe Hungary; the Romanian Centre of Professional Training in Culture; and the French Joint Research Unit PACTE.

For more information go to the project website or contact ENCATC General Secretary Giannalia Cogliandro Beyens (g.cogliandro@encatc.org) Concluding the policy debate, ENCATC General Secretary Giannalia Cogliandro said that the event had offered an exciting opportunity to examine the complex relation between mobility, Life Long Learning, artists’ career paths, and creativity and innovation.

She thanked the speakers and panellists for their contribution and announced that the European comparative study resulting from the “Artists moving & learning project” would be published in summer 2010.

<cite>www.encatc.org/</cite>