ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010
We are looking for project ideas from individuals and organizations wishing to join the non-governmental, non-profit initiation ‘ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010’
With our first call for proposals we are addressing programme organizers, artists, and other actors of the cultural scene. We will address in subsequent calls those who wish to add their support, offer venues or volunteer work.
ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010
Call for proposalsWe are looking for proposals with project or programme plans that correspond to the principles outlined in the founding ducument of ECC OFF. Our programme aims to include projects which are currently in different stages of development. We are expecting high quality projects which have gone past the initial idea-only stage and progressed through the first steps toward completion, or ones that are quite ready to be executed. At he same time we are expecting projects that are still no more than well-developed ideas, but the project owners take bringing the idea to completion seriously.
In order to ensure high standards of the programme, we have asked the following curators to carry out the selection process:
Bettina Lehmann, art historian, Robert Bosch Cultural Manager (Osijek)
Csizek Petra, art historian, (Pécs-Budapest)
Márton Gergő, cultural manager, director, A38 (Budapest)
Muhi András Pires, film directror, Inforg Studio, (Budapest)
Szabó Eszter Ágnes, artist, Hints Institute, (Budapest)
Tillman József A., aesthete, Moholy-Nagy University (Budapest)
Urbán András, director, Kosztolányi Dezső theatre (Subotica)Organizations whose project proposals are selected for the EKF-OFF programme, are offered the following types of support (the type and amount of support will be determined by the EKF OFF office):
1) Joint fundraising (from European foundations, EU sources, and sponsors)
2) Joint marketing, representing the individual programmes in a unified framework, but with distinctive image.
3) Infrastructural background for the programmes (negotiationg or providing venues, rental of appliances at cost price with the help of sponsors).
4) Operating a network of contact persons for the purpose of making execution of the different ECC OFF programme parts seamless, and to integrate them into an interconnected system.
5) Trainings, if needed, with the participation of members from the following international organizations: Robert Bosch Kulturmanager, A Soul for Europe, MitOst e.V
Since we are trying to organize a series of interconnected programmes, we expect participating projects to display the necessary openness and willingness to cooperate.
We are looking for project ideas which are well developed, but so far could not be carried out for various reasons (lack of partners, funding or other resources).
We are also looking for project ideas that are not fully developed but the applicants can at least answer the questions of the data sheet, and they are able to draw up a detailed budget.
We are looking for projects which are already in the phase of realization but for some reason did not become part of the European Cultural Capital – Pécs2010 programme, and would like to be presented together with the OFF programme. We are also looking for ideas whose owners would like to realize their projects in Pécs, in the year of the Pécs ECC programme, and as part of the ECC OFF programme series.
We are also looking for projects planned to span multiple years and extend beyond 2010.
ECC OFF projects will be carried out in the April 2010 – October 2010 interval. We ask project owners to concentrate on this time bracket within the framework of this initiative, and plan their projects to take place in this interval (with the exception of multi-year projects). In the case of projects extending beyond the year 2010, a separate budget sheet should be submitted for each year.Timeline of EKF OFF programme development:3 July 31 July Arrival of proposed project ideas
1-7 August 2009 Administration and forwarding applications to the curators
1-7 August 2009 First meeting of the curators in Pécs
10 September 2009 Curators submit their opéinions
11-13 September 2009 Meeting of the curators in Pécs
From the middle of September 2009 Developing the programme series of ECC OFF from the selected projects; notifying project owners; starting project developments
End of September 2009 Organizing trainings and workshops for the participants
End of September 2009 Next meeting of curators, finalization of the artistic concept of the programme series
Middle of October 2009 Publication of results
Deadline for submitting applications for the ECC OFF programme series has been extended!
The new deadline is 14 August 2009. We kindly request everyone to circulate this information among partners who may be concerned.
Because our fundraising activities have been ongoing and structurally planned since April 2009, it is necessary that the attached data sheet and budget sheet should be developed in full detail by the project owners.
It is generally advised to concentrate on effective use of resources and environmental consciolusness when planning budgets.
Related documents can be found at offpecs.wordpress.com
The data sheet and the budget plan in MS excel format should arrive between 9 July 2009 and 15 August 2009 at the following e-mail address: offprogramsor@gmail.com
Initiative and statement of purpose
Initiators
The project is the result of a cooperative effort by active members of the cultural scene in Pécs. The Robert Bosch Cultural Manager Pécs, and “ASfE” ( A Soul for Europe – creating forum Pécs) both played a significant role in the realization of the concept.
Point of departure
The initiators of the ECC OFF project feel that the members of civil society in Pécs have not been adequately involved in local political decisions regarding cultural programs, including the official ECC 2010 series.
By creating an independent program series of European dimensions, we hope not only to remedy the exclusion of civil society from the official ECC decision making process, but also to bring about a change in the relationship between those active in culture and their political counterparts.
The fundamental purpose
The fundamental purpose of ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010 is to support the initiatives of civil society and the professional development of the involved organizations, by offering them the opportunity to participate in bringing about a valuable, high-quality program series.
The OFF program is a Pécs-based initiative financially and organizationally independent of the official Pécs ECC 2010 office, but its fundamental goals are in many cases similar, and therefore the official program is implicitly viewed as a potential partner in its efforts.
Support through training and development
The non-profit organizers of cultural events meet with varying degrees of success on the basis of their very different professional backgrounds and organizational structures. The goal of the ECC OFF Pécs, 2010 program is to bring about a program series in which the organizations involved in each individual project will have constant access to professional assistance directly or through workshops and trainings, according to their particular needs.
Therefore, ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010 will open and manage a program office to offer support in the following areas:
1) The refined and detailed structuring of a proposal based on an initial idea. The adaptation of the proposal to specific local circumstances. The involvement of international partners.
2) „Individualized” practical project management advice addressing all aspects of the process from the initiation to the conclusion.
3) Guidance regarding cultural marketing, media relations, publicity.
4) Grant writing, donations, and sponsorship recruitment.
Support through the organization of the OFF program series
A call for program proposals will be made public, and a group a curators will select from the proposals received to create the final artistic concept of the series.
The organizations involved in bringing about the program will organize events in Pécs, across Hungary, and internationally, on the basis of the initial concept put forth in the ECC Grant Proposal of 2005, while keeping in mind those programs and themes which are slated to be part of the official ECC 2010 calendar.
The OFF program is based primarily on cooperation and exchange between regional and international creative arts and cultural projects. Specifically singling out for professional, organizational and financial support those programs which are, in some way, significant influences on the trends of our time. Programs which address directly the goal of contemporary renewal and innovation in culture and the arts, and which will attract the participation of the younger generations.
The guiding principles of the program series
Our goal is the integration of independent initiatives which reveal the art and cultural scenes in parallel, into the ECC year program in Pécs. According to the results of an initial call for ideas, and the opinions of the curators, the following guiding concepts form the basis for the program series and call for proposals.
The Map of Pécs
Pécs is a city where the passion felt by the residents for their city is a palpable part of the „atmosphere of Pécs”. One goal of the program is to reveal the hidden corners of the city, through local initiatives and with the participation of the local community.
The Capital of Culture and the associated programs has the potential to lead to the reinterpretation of public spaces and to their spontaneous expansion, through the vision and efforts of guest organizers as well as locals. This offers the opportunity to give new meaning to the details of everyday life in the community.
We seek those unique expressions of local and regional content which can serve to offer a landscape of the living culture of the region along Hungary’s southern border, and of Europe in a broader sense.
We hope to offer support for programs which cross borders, both political and communicative. We seek projects through which local artists critically and provocatively reflect on the relationships and/or problems which are tied to the locale or to the ECC process as they see it.
Conversation, Reflection:
Creativity and innovation are both the expected result and a potential topic of the 2010 year.
Conversation, exchange of ideas, open forums could come about through the influence of artistic and cultural programs on one another, through their planned or unexpected connections, but also through theoretical and philosophical reflection in the form of conferences or workshops. We anticipate and favor the creation of situations where conversation, directness, and immediacy truly occur.
We feel it is important to involve as many international projects, creative initiatives, and artists as possible. The ECC year is a singular opportunity for Hungarian and international artists and their audience to meet, interact, and cooperate in spontaneous and planned events.
Renewal – Revival
Sustainability is also important in Pécs where culture is concerned. The ECC program in Pécs is tasked with finding ways to support sustainable forms of culture. We feel that this cannot be accomplished without a responsible, ecologically conscious approach to culture and the arts. This is important not only in the practical planning of projects and events, but also in the selection of proposals which address or incorporate such themes and topics as reuse or recycling.
We feel it is important that projects incorporating the performance arts do not simply “introduce the already known to those who have not encountered it yet”, but instead create a unique reality formed with the participation of the audience in the context of event as it takes place in space and time.
The internet makes it possible to connect events occurring at the same time in different locations, offering a potentially new conception of simultaneity. The ECC OFF program series sets as its goal the demonstration, exposure, and emphasis of these new possibilities, practically and thematically.
The call for programs
The ECC OFF will not offer complete financial support for the programs involved. We will work to provide the necessary support and access to funds, advice, outside sponsorship, or expertise throughout the planning and execution of the projects to help ensure their realization.
The ECC OFF – Pécs, 2010 program will therefore open a central office with the following functions in mind:
1) The organization (selection and planning) of the OFF program series, with the participation of the curators.
2) Acquisition of funding (from European endowments, organizations, sponsors, and EU sources)
3) Joint marketing- the publication and presentation of individual programs as part of a unified whole, while retaining and accentuating their unique features.
4) Guaranteeing the needed infrastructure (locations, tools, equipment at cost through partnerships with sponsors).
5) Maintenance of a communications network, in order to ensure that each project can proceed as smoothly as possible in concert with the others.
6) Internal and external (open) training opportunities as necessary (With the cooperation of the following organizations: Robert Bosch Culture Manager, A Soul for Europe, MitOst e. V.)
The origin of the ECC OFF and its development:
As the official ECC process went forward, it became apparent that more doors were being closed than opened for those civil society organizations which desired to get involved. This led us to recognize the need for an independent program series. We feel that, in creating such an opportunity, we are putting into action the desire of the independent cultural scene in Pécs to take part in the ECC program.
In April of 2009, the initiators of the ECC OFF held a roundtable discussion of ideas. Out of this discussion came the idea for almost 40 programs, which formed the outline for the goals of the OFF series.
The organizations taking part in the preparation of the program, each influenced its final form. The ECC OFF is an opportunity for open community development, we are prepared to accept variations and changes as they become available and/or necessary, and wish to share the positive results with as many people as are interested in taking part.
The timeline of the programs supporting the initiatives of civil society
July 3-August 15, 2009: Period during which proposals can be submitted.
August 1-7, 2009: The selection of project proposals and their submission to the respective curators.
August 8-9, 2009: The first meeting of the curators, in Pécs.
September 10, 2009: The deadline for critical evaluations by the curators.
September 11-13, 2009: Second meeting of the curators, in Pécs.
Beginning in mid-September, 2009: Decision on the ECC OFF program series. Initiation of individual project development efforts.
End of September, 2009:
- Training opportunities for the projects selected to be included in the program series.
- Meeting of the curators and finalization of the artistic concept of the series.
Mid-october, 2009: Publication of the details of the program series.
Curators:
Bettina Lehmann, Art Historian, Robert Bosch Culture Mananger (Osjek – Eszék)
Petra Csizek, Art Historian (Pécs-Budapest)
Gergő Márton, A38 (Budapest)
András Pires Muhi, Director, Inforg Stúdió (Budapest)
Eszter Ágnes Szabó, Artist, Hints Institute (Budapest)
Jozsef A. Tillmann, Aesthete, Moholy Art University (Budapest)
András Urbán, Director, Dezső Kosztolányi Theater (Subotica – Szabadka)
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