Bestowing the title of European Capital of Culture 2020 upon Rijeka prompted the formation of a strong production team that will implement a plethora of programmes during the preparation period and in 2020, when Rijeka takes on the title of ECoC. For that purpose, Productions in Culture, another continuous educational programme, was implemented from September 2018 to March 2019 as part of the RIJEKA 2020 Classroom flagship.
Approximately 30 people participated in this free programme. Fifteen of the selected participants were unemployed or long-term unemployed and the programme sought to provide them with additional training so they could acquire additional skills and competencies required for the labour market and entrance into the world of entrepreneurship. The other fifteen participants were producers with at least three years of experience in production, regardless of the artistic discipline and their field of work (music, stage, film…), that improved their knowledge and skills during the programme. The implementation of the Productions in Culture programme was co-funded by the European Social Fund – Project LO.PA.Z PLUS: the Local Partnership for Employment in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County project.
During this months-long programme, that consisted of 6 modules and took place at RiHub, all of the current issues pertaining to production in culture were presented and analysed. After the introduction to production, the topics discussed included the organisation of cultural events, financial and legal aspects of production, inclusive production practices, i.e. the inclusion of people with disabilities in cultural events, as well as communication and art, while at the very end the diligent participants were introduced to the basics of management. They acquired this knowledge through lectures, discussions, practical assignments, examples of good practice etc., while acknowledging the pivotal role of the outstanding lecturers, all world-renowned experts in the field of production in culture, who selflessly shared their knowledge with the delighted participants.
The team of lecturers was comprised of 20 or so leading experts from Croatia and Europe, with each taking a specific educational approach, while taking into account the differences in previously accumulated knowledge between the participants of the programme. Aleksandar Brkić (Goldsmiths, University of London), Hugo de Greef (SECoC), Bernard Faivre d’Arcier (La biennale de Lyon), Rainer Kern (Enjoy Jazz), Alexis Johnson (Walk the Plank), Darko Flego (Sky Corporation), Isabel Lagos (Gothenburg Fringe Festival), Vedran Meniga (Positive Beat), Nicolas Champion (Playtime), Jan Ove Hafstad (Sweden Festivals), Boris Kovaček (Peppermint), Darko Lukić (Academy of Dramatic Art University of Zagreb), Sophie Jump (Seven Sisters Group), Agata Etmanowicz (Impact Foundation) were involved in the implementation of the continuous educational programme.
In early June, the final activities included the participants presenting the projects they had worked on during the programme and the certificate of participation ceremony. The projects provided concrete examples of the Rijeka 2020 European Capital of Culture programme activities, which are already underway or are slated for implementation, such as the opening ceremony of this important year for Rijeka.
It should also be noted that an internal traineeship competition, with regard to the Productions in Culture programme, was conducted with the aim of applying the acquired knowledge and skills and enhancing personal and professional development. A total of 6 participants were selected for the traineeship. Vinko Golembiowski and Nataša Radović will be heading to the EXIT Festival in Novi Sad (Serbia) and will stay there from 3 to 7 July, before and during the event. Voljen Korić will be staying in Manchester (Great Britain) from 20 to 23 June and will participate in the organisation of the spectacular “Manchester Day” parade. While Stjepan Gillich, Nives Batistić and Ratka Višnić have been selected for traineeships at this year’s Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture children’s Tobogan Festival (Slide), which takes place from 26 June to 10 July. Their applications received the best evaluations in accordance with several criteria: the quality of the submitted motivational letter, attendance at the Productions in Culture programme as well as involvement and active participation in the programme.
This marked the end of the Productions in Culture programme, which was implemented as part of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture Classroom flagship, with the total number of participants receiving training thus far exceeding one thousand.
