Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Beirut, 21-27 March 2015: deadline approaching!
The Festival Academy’s 2015 Atelier for Young Festival Managers, initiated by the European Festivals Association (EFA), will take place from 21 to 27 March 2015 in Beirut, Lebanon, in collaboration with the Beiteddine Art Festival. Young festival managers from all over the world are invited to apply until 12 September 2014. In the vibrant Lebanese cultural city, some 10 renowned festival directors will guide 45 participants through the 7-day training programme.
"After the Atelier for Young Festival Managers planned for 2013 had to be postponed, I am happy to reiterate my invitation to host the first Atelier in the Arab world in Beirut, Lebanon in March 2015. I am looking forward to welcoming all the young festival managers in this artistically vibrant city that is Beirut," said Nora Joumblatt, President of the Beiteddine Art Festival.
Share your experiences on the essence of art festivals
The Atelier for Young Festival Managers is an intense and rigorous 7-day training platform addressed at emerging artistic festival directors or those who have ambitions to become involved in programming or in programming-related departments within a festival. It is all about sharing experiences and passing on knowledge to a next generation of festival makers: knowledge about programming a festival, while focusing on the very essence of art festivals – the arts and the artist.
It is guided by the motto “The true role of a festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects,” borrowed from Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, longstanding Director of the Avignon Festival and President of the Lyon Biennial (France).
Explore festival issues in various formats
45 young festival managers from all over the world will be selected to participate in the Atelier. Around 10 distinguished festival directors, renowned festival pioneers, will each attend for at least two full days and guide participants throughout the 7 days. In lectures, one-on-one talks, group discussions as well as intense workshops on case studies, issues such as artistic vision, public responsibility, creation and coproduction, internationalisation, networking, renewal and sustainability will be explored. First presenters will be announced soon. Have a look at the list of presenters of the previous Ateliers.
Join a unique new network
223 Alumni from 56 countries emerged from six Ateliers for Young Festival Managers since 2006 in Goerlitz, Varna, Singapore, Izmir, Ljubljana and Edinburgh. Participants of the Beirut edition will become part of this unique global network of young festival makers which will further increase after the upcoming Atelier in Poznan (October 2014).
How to apply
The application form must be submitted by 12 September 2014. All information on the Atelier, selection criteria, application procedure and application form can be found on the Atelier website.
Get to know our host: the Beiteddine Art Festival
Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, strikes with its cultural dynamism. An overwhelming number of cultural events, such as artistic workshops, theatre plays, concerts and exhibitions of all kinds are presented to the public on a regular basis. In Beirut, art can be found everywhere, as more than 5000 artists are active in the city.
"The Beiteddine Art Festival has been founded during the Lebanese Civil War in 1985. The festival, which started locally, has managed to raise international interest and has become the most attended festival in the region. For 29 years now, it has attracted more than tens of thousands of spectators every year in its beautiful location, the palace’s courtyards. The Beiteddine Art Festival is regarded as a great space of encounters for all those who believe that culture and art have a fundamental role to play in the development of society," said Nora Joumblatt, President, Beiteddine Art Festival.
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In case of questions please contact atelier@efa.aef.eu or call +32 2 644 48 00.
The Atelier BEIRUT 2015 is supported by with British Council Lebanon. EFA receives support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. EFA thanks the Flemish Community and the City of Ghent for their support.