Follow up Arts Symposium

USA (New York City, Ashville-North Carolina, Traverse City-Michigan)

4-14 November 2018

Follow up Art Symposium is continuation of the project Art Symposium, organized in June, 2018 by the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of R. Macedonia and NGO Lokomotiva – Centre for New Initiatives in Arts and Culture, which gathered as participants 76 cultural professionals – Macedonian arts managers from public and private (NGO) sector.

Aiming to further extend the knowledge and working practices in arts management as well as to create ground for development of partnerships with USA cultural institutions the Follow up Art Symposium was created as project and continuation of the work started in Skopje.  The program of “Follow up Art Symposium” offered a study visit of different cultural institutions in USA for 10 arts managers from Macedonia, selected by the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia. The study visits in USA offered in-depth information and knowledge about the exiting models, management and programs of different art and culture institutions in USA placed in three different cities/states: New York City, Ashville-North Carolina and Traverse City-Michigan. Having possibility to be part of the context in which the institutions are working, seeing their capacities, being introduced with their current program, having direct communication with the managerial and programing staff etc. – was valuable professional experience for the Macedonian arts managers that furthermore enabled platform for direct exchange among experts and managers from USA and Macedonia. Additionally, by mapping different practices already developed in the USA and the lacks and needs present in the work of the arts managers in Macedonia, this exchange created ground for possible developing future educational programs that will address these specific needs in the Macedonian cultural context.