Programme

Due to Covid-19, the training has been postponed.

Introductory Session - | 24-28 February 2021 - 5 days, Elefsina/Greece (ONLINE)

This first part of the training focused on the exchange between expert and emerging art and production managers on different ways of programming and producing artistic work and arts organisations. This was a great occasion to meet peer colleagues, working in different contexts and disciplines, to explore the cultural scene the city and region where the training takes place, but most importantly was an opportunity to spend 5 intense days together, guided by experienced professionals, learning from and exchanging with each other during in depth presentations and discussions about the topics that concerned you in your development and work as an arts organizer, curator, or production manager. 

You can find the final Programme here. 

Placement | Ongoing between February 2021 - November 2021 (Minimum 1 week) 

Now that participants have completed the introductory session, they can move on to a placement at a high-level arts organization or festival worldwide of a minimum of one week. Placements are extremely variable in terms of timing and content, given the diversity of both the host organisations and the participants.  The Festival Academy can count on partnerships with an extremely wide variety of arts organizations who offer to host emerging art organisers, curators and production managers and invests each year and addressing new organisations to take on the experience. The Festival Academy works carefully to match participants' preferences and profiles with those of the host organisations. 

Concluding session | 28-30 November 2022, Beirut/Lebanon 

A 3-day concluding session brings together all experiences about the development of the festival and production managers’ work since the start of the training in February 2021. Participating in the training is only a beginning, as participants become part of a network of arts organisers, curators and production managers worldwide, a new regional network of managers from the region and of the global Alumni Network. The concluding session will take place in Beirut/Lebanon on 28-30 November 2022.

You can find the final programme here. 

Questions and topics that are raised during the programme are:

• Different models of curating
  
• Leadership
• Vision and mission statements
• Building and sustaining audiences/ communities
• Innovation
• The impact of art, and art organisations/ festivals
• The role of arts managers and arts organization in a changing world
• Sustainable business plan and fundraising (beyond subventions)
• Working with new technologies
• Sustainable production management
• Space and people management
• Different planning tools, tools for measurement, tools for analysis of challenges and opportunities
• The relation between the artistic director and the production manager, with attention to realizing and implementing the vision of the artistic director looking at the practical implementation side with a special focus to working with artists
• Other topics according to the needs of the participants and the local context of the Atelier

• Capacity, skills and knowledge building within a specific region. Digital toolkits collecting the knowledge shared to distribute to a larger arts/festival community in the region. 

• A platform for exchange in between arts and cultural colleagues taking up different roles and coming from different regions that share similar challenges and opportunities and which are linked historically. 

• Generating a better understanding and knowledge of the region and the possibilities for festivals and cultural organisations. 

• Becoming part of a regional network of upskilled cultural and production managers and of the global alumni network of The Festival Academy counting today 699 people from 80+ countries and all continents.  

Moreover, The Atelier offers time and space for imagining new collaborations with people coming from very different backgrounds, based on solidarity and incorporating fundamental universal values.