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Cultural Mobility Information Services in Spain: analysis and proposals

With the aim of analysing the existing informational infrastructure on the international mobility of artists and cultural professionals in Spain and exploring the possible opportunities for better and sustainable information services in this field, in April 2011 Interarts (PRACTICS partner and Infopoint)carried out the first mapping of more than 30 institutions, organisations and information centres that provide specialised information for cultural professionals and organisations, including information regarding cultural mobility and cooperation, among other issues.

As in the broader context of the PRACTICS project, the analysis of existing information services has taken into account primarily the following areas: funding sources for mobility and cooperation projects, employment in the cultural sector, training opportunities, legal aspects related to mobility, fiscal and social security in mobility and information about the cultural sector in Spain and/or other countries to strengthen international cultural cooperation (country profiles).

Download the full report in Spanish

Download the executive summary in English

Let the arts cross borders! Press conference & seminar in Budapest

“A coherent cultural policy framework supporting the mobility of artists and cultural professionals across the EU and beyond; better, higher and more effective public funding for cultural mobility; easier visa procedures for extra-EU artists and cultural operators; overarching, a general acknowoledgment of the importance of cross-border mobility for the professionals of the cultural field, and of the still existing obstacles” - these were the key messages addressed to the EU and Member States policy makers by On the Move (OTM)and PRACTICS during a press conference hosted by Trafò, in Budapest, on May 19^th: the same day when the EU Ministers of Culture met in Brussels to adopt an EU recommendation on supporting information to mobile artists, asking EU Member States and the Commission to facilitate the provision of complete and accurate information to artists and culture professionals seeking to be mobile within the EU.

Obstacles to artists' mobility mainly relate to ill-adapted rules for public funding, heavy and unclear adminsitrative regulations, lack of information, and problems in obtaining visas for non-EU citizens, and eventually hinder one of the pillars of the EU, the freedom of movement across-borders. Recommendations on how to overcome such obstacles were stressed during the press conference organised by the network On-the-Move, supporting artists' mobility in Europe and beyond through a central website, lobby and advocacy activities, andPRACTICS,a EU-funded project providing free, reliable and tailor-made information about administrative issues to ease artists' mobility. Beside them, the Roberto Cimetta Fund, supporting artists' mobility within the Euro-Med space. All together they reminded the message of the advocacy campaign We Are More, launched by Culture Action Europe and asking for a continuing and more effective EU Culture Programme.

A two-days seminar followed, gathering over 10 EU-funded projects supporting artists mobility to exchange experiences and promote coordination and future synergies.

Read the press text

Joint statement of European sectoral social partners "Live performance"

Following a working group meeting of the sectoral social dialogue committee ‘live performance’, which included a presentation of Practics and of the functioning of a mobility info point, on April 28th 2011 the social partners of the European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee ‘live performance’ agreed to endorse a joint statement ahead of the Culture Council on 19-20 May in relation to the topic ‘mobility information services for artists and culture professionals’.

The European sectoral social partners represented by Pearle* - the Performing Arts Employers Associations League Europe representing over 4,500 performing arts organisations - and EAEA - the European Arts and Entertainment Alliance (EAEA) representing over 600,000 workers through the trade unions of actors, musicians and technicians affiliated to FIA, FIM and UNI-MEI -, have for many years discussed various aspects of obstacles to mobility for cultural workers and productions within and outside the EU.

Observing that the regulatory framework is ill-adapted for “mobile” artists and other cultural workers, the social partners are convinced that a network of information points across Europe would adequately answer the need for basic information, as well as for tailored advice and guidance when working in another Member State. In this regard, the sectoral social partners welcome the attention given by the Culture Council to the need for access to information in the context of mobility in the cultural sector.

Read the joint statement - and feel free to further circulate the text to your contacts and through your websites.

PRACTICS at the Culture in Motion Conference

PRACTICS will be presented at the Culture in Motion conference 2011, in the session "Helping artists with their career" on Tuesday, Feb. 15th afternoon.

What is the added value of transnational cultural cooperation projects supported by the EU and what does European financing enable the cultural sector to achieve that would not have been possible otherwise? The European Commission is organising its third Culture in Motion Conference 15-16 February 2011 in Brussels in order to help answer these and other questions. A sample of projects funded by the Culture Programme 2007-2013, by the Pilot Project for Artist Mobility and by other EU programmes (like the Lifelong Learning Programme, Citizenship Programme, Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme and European Regional Development Programme) will help show concretely how funding is making a difference on a European level, as well as, underline the significant role of culture in enhancing smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and supporting other EU policies.

Find out more on the conference website

Infopoint Mapping in Italy published

Fondazione Fitzcarraldo has finalised the mapping of the provision of relevant information for cultural mobility from and to Italy. The study was presented in Torino during the ArtLab10 conference on October, 1st and 2nd and was discussed by the varied audience of the workshop "Encouraging cross-border cultural mobility - II Edition", where artists, cultural operators, researchers and policy makers at different levels and from different countries discussed about possible improvements and solutions to existing obstacles.

Read the full report and the executive summary in the "Useful documents" section of this Website

TEH releases the Open Source code for the CHANGING ROOM MatchMaker

Does your organisation need a tool for online communication and matchmaking? Are many of your members on Facebook? Then we have good news for you! Following requests from several cultural associations, TEH has decided to release the open-source code with which the CHANGING ROOM MatchMaker was created: the Facebook4org application code. This means that any developer can customize and install the application for any organisation, for free.

Find out how the application works by entering the demo version
Read more and download the Facebook4org code for developers

Seminar on incoming and outgoing mobility in the live performance sector: Visa and work permits

Pearle*, the European trade federation representing the live performance sector, organized a seminar on the application of regulations concerning incoming and outgoing artists and cultural professionals on October 5th 2010 in Brussels. The scope of the seminar focussed on the issues at stake for mobile performing arts organizations and individuals and will discussed ways in which impediments to mobility can be dealt with.

The seminar was addressed to anyone dealing with the subject matter in daily practice and having knowledge of the applicable legislative rules: lawyers, HR managers, managers of live performance companies, artists and culture workers. Policy makers, civil  servants, researchers and academics interested in the application of EU legislation in the sector and interested in promoting mobility could receive a better understanding on the implications of the EU regulatory environment on the sector.

This seminar was organized by Pearle*, the European trade federation representing the live performance sector. It was initiated in the context of PRACTICS.

The presentations and an updated participation list (including the speakers) are online.

IETM at freeDimensional

In July IETM participated alongside 16 international networks on arts and/or human rights, at the annual retreat of freeDimensional on Wasan Island Canada, supported by the Breuninger Foundation of Germany.  The group founded an informal 'International Coalition for Arts, Human Rights and Social Justice".  One of the main issues is assuring freedom of movement internationally for artists and cultural workers.  We are currently working to define our next steps.

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