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Activities News

New series of debates entitled “Museums of art, city, cultural project and funding needs”

Cercle de Cultura and Ateneu Barcelonès are organizing a new series of debates entitled “Museums of art, city, cultural project and funding needs”.

The first session will take place on October 28 at 6.30 pm at the Ateneu Barcelonès, with the interventions of Víctor Magrans, administrator of the MNAC, and Marko Daniel, director of the Fundació Miró, moderated by Fèlix Riera, member of the Cercle board.

The second session will take place on November 24 at 6.30 pm in the Cercle d’Economia, and will be attended by Anna Saurí, manager of the Fundació Antoni Tàpies, and Maria Vilasó, manager of the Museu Picasso, moderated by Jordi Montaña, member of the board of the Circle.

Finally, the third session will take place on December 2 at 6.30 pm at the Ateneu Barcelonès, with the presence of Imma López, manager of MACBA, and Judit Carrera, director of CCCB, moderated by Jordi Pardo, president of the Cercle.

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News Opinion

Two important announcements in culture

bonus cultural 18 anys

The Cercle has considered it appropriate for the entity to regularly express its opinion in the face of significant events that shape or impact the cultural sector. If it is an important issue this opinion will take the form of a statement or manifesto. That is why it has also created a specific commission open to all members who want to participate in its drafting. We encourage you to sign up.

 

As the Commission sets in motion in the coming weeks, two announcements have been made that deserve – at least briefly – comment and the establishment of the Circle’s position.
And, during these first days of October we have witnessed a double positive announcement – one from the state government and the other from the Generalitat – which are two things we have always demanded: greater centrality of the cultural policies and better funding of the cultural sector.

 

The Culture Bonus 18 years

 

A few days ago, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced the introduction of the cultural bonus of 400 euros for boys and girls who will turn 18 in 2022. The media has echoed this, but we will add some additional information and reflection. At the state level, this means a forecast of around 454,000 beneficiaries and an endowment of over 181 million euros; of which in Catalonia it represents more than 81,000 people with an endowment of over 32 million euros. There are still to be detailed both the mechanics of operation we will follow it closely. This measure has three virtualities: indirect financing through the consumption of cultural productions and services; the ritual nature of associating adulthood with culture and an iconic statement about the importance of culture to society. As mentioned, it was Mateo Renzi who first established it in Italy in 2016 with an amount of 500 euros and all subsequent governments have maintained it. France has subsequently done so for less than 300 euros. We know that over the course of 5 years, one in three young people has used it in Italy. Only two final observations: this idea was already conceived in Catalonia around the year 2000, when we led the elaboration and innovation in cultural policies; it is essential to substantially and quickly improve the current situation. The second question: we would have liked this measure to have been agreed between the state and -in our case- the Generalitat to (re) initiate a path of cooperation that is absolutely necessary to maximize the potential of the Catalan cultural sector.

If you want to expand on the information and reflections on this measure, the OECD Public Sector Innovation Observatory has recently published a report. You can check it out here.

 

The increase in the budget of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat

 

On October 5 at the Teatre Romea in the presentation of the new project of the Focus Group, Àfora, President Pere Aragonés, before Minister Natàlia Garriga, made the unequivocal announcement that the next budget of the Generalitat – currently in process of elaboration- would contain a significant increase of the endowment of Department of Culture. We must keep in mind that the maximum level of 350 million euros in 2010 was reduced to about 245 and then increased very moderately. We all have in mind the very commitment of the cultural sector and its associations to reach 2% culture. This goal is currently unlikely, but an endowment close to 400 million euros would be a very significant step in this direction. We look forward to good news.

 

October 18, 2021

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News Opinion

Opportunities do not exist: they are built

It largely depends on us. Know how to take advantage of opportunities and our strengths and overcome the fragility of the cultural sectors. As well as knowing how to make people understand and convince that culture is not a decorative element of public policies and that it is not a set of marginal activities that have to do only with enjoyment, free time and entertainment. Culture can be a key element in building a better future.

 

Culture is a right. Culture is not an expense, it is an investment. Culture makes us worthy. It generates self-esteem and social cohesion. But in addition to this, culture is a key element in attracting talent and developing competitiveness in cities, towns and rural areas, and it is a key element that should be incorporated into the innovation of economic activity models to so as not to repeat mistakes of the past and move towards a sustainable and inclusive economy. Beyond the so-called “creative economy” and “cultural industries”, culture is a key driver for enhancing rural development, incorporating value into primary sector activities, innovating in the industrial sector, and developing the world of services in the digital age. We must know how to communicate all this to society, starting with the institutions and the business world.

 

Despite the complexity of the situation at the end of this pandemic summer of 2021, we are facing two exciting news stories. The announcement by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat headed by Minister Natàlia Garriga that it plans to gradually increase the budget for culture by 2%, which would shorten the distance from other nearby countries. The other good news is the priorities expressed by the Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta to have the Artist’s Statute, a Law of Sponsorship and Patronage and to advance in the decentralization of the Ministry, balancing its support in territorial terms.

 

On behalf of the board of the Cercle de Cultura and all the people of the organization, we want to welcome all the people who have become members. The more we are, the more we can do to place culture in a more central position on the institutional, social and economic agenda. The more we are, the better we will build opportunities for the future.

 

Jordi Pardo
President of the Circle of Culture

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News Press release

Jordi Pardo takes over Segimon Borràs as president of Cercle de Cultura

Jordi Pardo is the new president of the Cercle de Cultura, replacing the hitherto president Segimon Borràs, who ends his term at the head of the entity. Pardo, who served as vice president in the previous Board, headed the only candidacy that had been presented.

Jordi Pardo has a degree in Geography and History, UB; FGAP and EMPA by ESADE, and cultural manager. Since September 2013 he has been the general director of the Pau Casals Foundation. He has directed and advised projects of culture, development and urban regeneration in different countries of Europe, America and Asia. He has been director of the Barcelona Design Museum Project, manager of the CCCB, and director of the Empúries Archaeological Park. He has been a member of the UNESCO expert group (2011-2015), and of the European Commission’s Cultural Capitals of Europe jury (2011-2016).

The new board is made up of the vice-presidents Eva Faustino, Jordi González Moltó and Segimon Borràs, Agustín Fructuoso who continues as Treasurer / Secretary, and the members who were already part of the previous Board, Laura Bertran, Montserrat Bou, Belén Latorre, Esteve León , Alfons Martinell, Marta Puigderrajols, Fèlix Riera, M. Ángeles Torras and Ferran Audí. And Jordi Montaña, Miguel Ángel Barrabés, Mireia Mayolas, Pau Carrió and Carmen Fenoll join.

The outgoing president has highly valued his four years at the helm of the Cercle de Cultura, which he has defined as “a place for reflection and cross-sectional exchange of ideas, both from an ideological and sectoral point of view, especially in the relationship between economy and culture. , highlighting everything that culture contributes to the economy “. During his mandate, the Culture 2020 Forum has been promoted, coordinated by Jordi Pardo, the relationship with the Cercle de Economia has been maintained and an Action and Governance Plan has been drawn up, on the organization and participation of the entity’s partners .

The new president has shown his satisfaction and enthusiasm to continue working in a plural, independent and diverse space, which can help improve and raise awareness of the various sectors of culture. Pardo thanked Segimon Borràs and the entire board for their trust and the task of joining forces, and wanted to highlight the fact that during the last year of his mandate he had to face a situation as difficult as the pandemic. Regarding the objectives of the new mandate, Pardo sets himself as a challenge to join forces, connect the Cercle with other initiatives with which they share objectives, and strengthen the role of the Cercle in the debate on governance and public and private management of culture and culture. in relation to the economy.

Objectives of the new board of directors

In this sense, during the Assembly, the new Board has developed these objectives of the mandate, ensuring the will to work to make visible the task and the stable programming of the Cercle de Cultura, thinking of its partners and of all the sectors of the culture, in order to become a plural and independent space that represents artists, creators, mediators, professionals and representatives of the private business sector, professionals from the public sector and community work and the third sector.

It has also been set as a challenge of this new stage to strengthen ties and cooperation with the Cercle de Economía, with various initiatives, and especially with the organization every two years of the Congress of Culture and Economy, and place the Cercle as a meeting point with other similar institutions of the Spanish State and the European Union, open to international initiatives and especially from the Ibero-American sphere.

Likewise, the new Board of the Cercle has announced that the main elements of the new programming, framed in the Strategic Plan drawn up in 2020, should be the launching of the Cultural Barometer, the organization of the “Culture and Economy” conferences, of a nature biannual and in collaboration with the Cercle de Economía and other institutions, as well as promoting conferences and round tables on topics of high interest in the field of governance of large infrastructures and cultural projects, legislation on patronage, sponsorship and social participation, the analysis of culture in its metropolitan dimension, as well as to host specific debates focused on cultural policies during the electoral period, and all those that are of general interest to the cultural sectors.

The will to review the objectives and priorities collected throughout the participatory process of the Culture Forum 2020 has also been announced, as well as the establishment of a priority agenda to establish a dialogue and follow-up with those responsible for the competent public institutions with matters of culture. , and with organizations and companies related to culture, creative economy and associated sectors such as tourism, education, and the audiovisual industry or territorial development.

In the news presented at the Extraordinary Assembly held today, the Cercle has presented the new head of Communication, the journalist Joan Safont, who from today will be in charge, among other functions, of putting into practice the lines of communication established in the Communication Plan of the entity.

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Manifest News Press release

Press release from Cercle de Cultura on the culture sectors and the European Recovery Funds

Strategic value of culture in post-Covidien-19 economic transition and recovery

From the perspective of the management of European recovery funds, the Cercle de Cultura raises the need for these funds to reach the cultural sectors, to guarantee their capacity to create value and competitiveness, reconversion and diversification of traditional economic activities , and promoting innovation in other sectors. Public spending on culture in Spain is around 1.2%, generates an impact on GDP of more than 3.4%, and employs close to one million people directly. ” Impact of culture and cultural industries on European GDP is 4.7%, and employs more than 7.4 million people. But beyond the direct impact on GDP and employment, they are an engine of change and transition towards sustainable models of economic activities, in very diverse areas ranging from tourism, the agri-food sector, the world of services, design and activity. industrial, or digital development. The European Commission has considered culture and cultural industries as one of the 14 priority ecosystems for the post-Covidien-19 economic recovery. It is essential that the State and Catalan public administrations also prioritize the cultural sectors due to their strategic and transformation value.

With the pain of the loss of many lives and the impact of the health and social effects, the economic effects of the pandemic crisis have been felt in all sectors of activity. But without a doubt in the cultural sectors the effect has been catastrophic. Never in the history of the last two hundred years, nor in the context of the warlike conflicts of the First and Second World War, nor the Spanish Civil War, nor at any other time is there evidence of the total stoppage of cultural activity, such as the that occurred when the confinement measures were declared. The subsequent and current restrictions have lengthened the agony of many companies, institutions, entities, artists and creators and professionals of culture, making the effects of the Covidien-19 crisis devastating for the arts and culture.

Culture is a right and a key element for quality of life, but it is also an investment. Public spending generates a much higher impact on GDP, which is also transferred in terms of employment and three other positive effects that have to do with general economic activity. The construction of the tourist offer would not be possible without culture. On the other hand, culture is essential for attracting talent and is a key factor in the development of the creative economy and related cultural industries. And thirdly, culture has a very important capacity to generate innovation and competitiveness, improving the positioning of cities and territories.

Neither the tourism industry, nor the major events and economic manifestations such as the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​or the concentration of companies with great capacity to create added value, would not have been possible without the ability to create attractiveness and competitiveness of culture . In this close and global context, we must reclaim the role of culture in the recovery process that we must urgently undertake in Catalonia within the framework of the European consensus.

We will consider that the cultural sector in all its breadth and complexity is a value to take into account due to its contribution to economic growth, the generation of an important sector that contributes to GDP and the maintenance of employment with a lot of tradition and resistance. Take advantage of this crisis for a transformation of cultural public policies to adapt to the new present realities and in anticipation of the future. Propose profound reforms in the cultural institutionality that we have endowed ourselves to place them in the scenarios of the needs of the recovery and resilience plans.

In this framework, we consider it essential to deepen culture as a fundamental right and maintain a tension to promote equal access to culture and compensate for structural imbalances to promote true cultural citizenship.

In accordance with these considerations, we consider it essential to incorporate culture into the Recovery Plan agenda as an active agent with many potentialities:

• So that culture and diversity of cultural expressions are a fundamental element of the project of the European Union. We must promote the cultural development of all EU Member States and ensure that none is left behind due to lack of resources and investment in culture.

• So that the relationship between creativity and social and economic innovation processes is an alliance demonstrated by its effectiveness.

• So that culture, cultural and creative industries contribute so added values ​​to other sectors related to digital transformation that it has an unquestionable cultural dimension.

• Because interaction between innovation and digital transformation and culture, cultural and creative industries is strategic for strengthening the preservation, dissemination and global development of the European cultural offer.

• So that the challenges we have as a society cannot be faced without considering the importance of the cultural ecosystem as an essential factor to define new sustainable social and economic models.

• So that the economic development and quality of life of Catalonia is related to the attractiveness and cultural offer of cities and territories. Because culture is a factor of social cohesion and inclusion. Because culture has been key to the international positioning of Catalonia and to attracting talent.

• For Europe to be a shared idea, and culture is essential to build it together. For all these reasons, we ask the State and Catalan public administrations that culture and cultural industries form part of the real priorities with which the European recovery, resilience and transformation funds are managed.

Barcelona, ​​January 13, 2021

Categories
Activities News

“If culture touches you, now it’s your turn.” Citizen mobilization campaign to save culture

Through the website laculturaemtoca.cat, the campaign encourages citizens who love culture to buy, disseminate and / or give back to culture everything that has contributed to us in the extremely difficult times of the pandemic. The health and economic crisis unleashed by the coronavirus endangers the survival of the cultural sector and that of thousands of its workers, now that culture has proven to be more necessary than ever.

The culture sector is experiencing an extremely complicated time in this time of pandemic following the covid-19. With the closure during confinement, subsequent capacity restrictions and other measures that condition the usual programming, the sector suffers from a serious economic crisis that endangers both its viability and the promotion of new projects and the survival of thousands of workers in the sector.

For this reason, the Cercle de Cultura and a group of fundraising professionals in the cultural field of Catalonia, members of the fundraising.cat network, have decided to promote and launch a campaign to support the Catalan cultural sector. The Auditori, the Temporada Alta Festival, the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, the TNC, the Teatre Lliure, the TR3SC club and other cultural projects and organizations from all over the country have already joined the campaign. The campaign has the support of the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Damm Foundation, the Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation, Coca-Cola and REDI. The start of the campaign was this Tuesday, October 27, with a performance by Mireia Portes and David Olivares at the Terrassa del Teatre Lliure in Montjuïc.

The vice-president of the Cercle de Cultura, Jordi Pardo, emphasized in his speech that this campaign “is part of the collaboration agreement with the fundraising.cat network and in one of the points of the manifesto ‘More Culture, more Europe’ which is promoting the Cercle de Cultura on a European scale ”.

The president of the Cercle de Cultura, Segimon Borràs, also present at the presentation of the campaign, recalled how it connects with others that have historically supported culture from the direct action of the citizens: “the ‘accounts in participation’ that made possible the newspaper Avui, or the Arc de Berà or Edigsa. Or the creation of Òmnium Cultural which made it possible to maintain the IEC, the promotion of Catalan teaching and teacher training through the DEC, the promotion of the book and the album in Catalan with ‘Cultura en Ruta’ , the shelter for organizations such as the Obra del Ballet Popular. And so many others. Like the subscriptions that made it possible to publish works of cultural infrastructure such as the Bernat Metge Library, Els Nostres Clàssics or the Enciclopèdia Catalana ”. Borràs emphasized that “these and many other examples of initiatives that, although they have originated in a person or a group, have been successful thanks to popular financial support”, and made a final appeal: “For a cultured country now is the time to put everyone’s neck in it ”.

Oriol Alsina, spokesman for the campaign, stated that “we want the public to get involved, react and act in favor of culture. We encourage and ask citizens who love culture and understand the importance of everything it gives us in crisis situations to take a step forward. Public administrations have opened up helplines, but they are not enough. It is the people who will save the culture ”.

How does the campaign work? Through the laculturaemtoca.cat website, the campaign encourages citizens to lose their fear and buy culture again, to give in to culture and to spread their love for culture on social media.

BUYING: The easiest way to help culture is to pay for everything it has to offer. Through the laculturaemtoca.cat website, citizens are encouraged to buy tickets for a theater show, an exhibition, a book, a concert …

SPREAD: The campaign also encourages the public to spread the initiative through the recording of a short video where each citizen explains “why he / she touches the culture” and what he / she will do to help it . Under the hashtag #laculturaemtoca, it is encouraged to spread it through social media.

WOMAN: One of the most direct and useful ways to help culture is by making a financial donation to organizations or projects that are struggling to survive. Through a repository hosted on the web, each citizen can select the entity or project they want to support, and make a financial donation. This is a very common practice in other countries but little known in our country.