Programme
The programme is addressed at emerging festival managers or those who have ambitions to get involved in festival management. Participants broaden their skills, widen their horizons, and develop new project ideas under the professional guidance of renowned festival managers from all over the world who share their rich experience and guide participants throughout the 7 days. The Atelier focuses on the very essence of festival management – the arts, the artist and the audience.
The Atelier is about the participants!
The programme focuses on topics and issues raised by the selected participants which are further developed during the Atelier. Thus, each edition has a unique configuration of themes and questions that will be developed through multiple activities such as panel discussions, small working groups, thematic lunches, cross-discipline round tables, and plenary sessions. These are all guided by renowned festival leaders and cross-sector experts from across the globe. There is plenty of time and space for official and informal one-to-one talks during the programme as well as during meals and cultural visits. Sharing experiences and networking are an integral part of the Atelier experience.
Here is a brief list of some of the topics that have been explored throughout the previous editions:
- Different models of curating, focusing on building audiences/communities
- The social, environmental, and artistic impact of festivals: how festivals are/can be agents for social change and social cohesion
- Fundraising (beyond subventions)
- How and if festivals can contribute to strengthening global identities and values and tackle rising nationalism
- Fair international collaboration (and trade) including the UNESCO 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
- Festivals, displacement, and migrant/refugee communities
- Sustainable festival-making on all levels, including mobility in the post-COVID era
- Gender balance and inclusion in the context of festivals and organisations
- Freedom of expression and the relevance of artistic boycott
- Arts and Culture for Conflict Transformation: working with communities in contested spaces
All these workshops and conversations developes in close relation with our partners and the context in which the Atelier takes place, serving as a source of inspiration and discussions by meeting local actors.
You can find the full programme of Atelier Elefsina here (dated as of 27/06/2023)