Welcome
Cultural Information and Research Centres Liaison in Europe is an independent think-tank dedicated to developing cultural policy models for Europe.
CIRCLE is a network of people concerned with cultural policy including
researchers from many disciplines, scholars, documentalists, cultural
practitioners, policy-makers and politicians. CIRCLE is also a forum for institutions
such as university departments, arts institutions, research organisations,
national ministries, arts councils, documentation centres and networks.
In bringing together these different entities CIRCLE acts as an intermediary,
putting particular emphasis on ensuring that conclusions from its debates
are disseminated to those in a position to benefit from them. CIRCLE identifies
new issues and maps out what currently exists in terms of research and
information and, is able to make this information available through on-line
resources and databases.
CIRCLE's work crosses the whole of Europe (more than 35 countries),
a variety of disciplines and a myriad of interested parties. For more
than two decades, CIRCLE has maintained its reputation for being at the
forefront of cultural policy debate and influencing current and future
policy actions.
CIRCLE is a European network, established formally in 1984 and, registered as a Dutch association since 1997. The network has a board that directs the activities of the network.
CIRCLE evolved with help provided principally by the Culture Committee of the Council of Europe and this agency presently continues to be a prime mover in the work of CIRCLE. Recently, CIRCLE has been in receipt of a number of grants from the European Commission for specific areas of its research work. Additional co-operation and/or co-funding for CIRCLE's activities has been provided by numerous institutions, for example:
Arts Council (Dublin), Arts Council of Finland, Arts Council of England, Associazionne per l'Economia della Cultura, Boekmanstichting, the Budapest Observatory, Cini Foundation, Culturelink, Department of Canadian Heritage, EFAH (European Forum for Arts and Heritage), EricArts, European Cultural Foundation, Fundació Interarts, German Federal Ministry of Education, Information and Publications Office of the Italian Government, International Intelligence on Culture, Ministčre de la culture et de la communication (France), Norwegian Council of Cultural Affairs, Österreichische Kulturdokumentation, Polish Ministry of Culture and Art, Pro Cultura Foundation, Zentrum für Kulturforschung.....
Current events and news
CIRCLE
future events and core funding
CIRCLE, with the support of the Boekmanstichting and CUPORE, made an
application at the end of last year to the European Commission for core
funding.
The application entitled "EUROPEAN
CULTURAL NETWORK BUILDING A BRIDGE BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE" is
intended to both ensure that the network has a regular secretariat (core
funding) and support the organisation of this year's CIRCLE Round
Table (2006).
Unfortunately, the decision for funding by the Commission is still pending
and the current plan suggests that CIRCLE will not be sure of success
until May 2006.
CIRCLE's 2006
round table - "EUROPEAN ART
AND CULTURE BETWEEN FREE TRADE AND PUBLIC SUPPORT. A DELICATE DIALOGUE?
The round table will
be held in Helsinki
and will bring
together experts and practitioners in international cultural cooperation
and world trade to investigate, analyse and assess the responses and
stands taken by governmental, trans-governmental and corporate actors in
relation to international conventions and treaties defining the status of
the arts and culture in the evolving global economy. The purpose is to
re-define the "cultural exception" in the processes of trade
liberalisation in a manner that will provide common ground for achieving:
- a better balanced cultural exchange of ideas,
- improved protection of intellectual property rights, and
- a stronger guarantee for maintaining and increasing cultural diversity both at national and international level.
The perspective of the conference will be global, but the special focus will be on the reactions and stands of the EU both in respect to its own internal free markets, and its responses to the world free trade agreements and conventions.
The event is being organised on CIRCLE's behalf
by CUPORE and the Boekmanstichting. If you have an interest in this
subject and/or you would like to submit an abstract for consideration
please contact
CUPORE.
CIRCLE president at EU
meeting
On 12th January 2006,
CIRCLE President, Dorota Ilczuk, along with 17 other leading figures from
the cultural field met with leading officials from the European Commission
to discuss ways to promote European culture and identity. For more
information
click here.
Metropolis of Europe
:
Diversity in urban cultural life
The book entitled Metropolises of Europe –
Diversity in Urban Cultural Life published by Pro Cultura Publishing,
Warsaw is the outcome of CIRCLE’s most recent endeavour, and emerged
from the need to map the rapidly changing landscape of cultural diversity
in Europe’s cities. Contemporary migratory flows and diasporas are
generating challenging new variants and mixes of cultural difference.
Europe has a long tradition of cultural plurality, to be sure, but today’s
developments are novel, and our societies have no alternative but to
address unprecedented patterns of interaction with newcomers and their
offspring that did not have to be faced by any earlier society.
Cultural diversity, whether it is new or of the traditional variety, is
now lived in contexts and situations that call for new concepts or radical
redefinitions of old ones – not least of which is the place of cultural
belonging and cultural difference in human, social and political life in
general. While many of the issues can be posed at nation-state
level, they are lived out most acutely in our metropolitan cities, which
have become veritable ‘laboratories’ for new multi- and inter-cultural
processes; it is here that the challenges are the greatest to
policy-makers, individuals and communities alike.
The book emerged from a year long research project. Both the book and the research project were supported financially by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission. For more information about this project and the round table in Warsaw please click here.
For more information about the book click here
CIRCLE Annual general Meeting
The 2005 CIRCLE annual general meeting took place in Warsaw on the 25th
September. CIRCLE welcomed three new institutional members,
CETAC.COM represented by Helena Maria Santos,
Hellenic Culture Organisation S.A. represented by Georgia Iliopoulou and
the Pro Cultura Foundation represented by Dorota Ilczuk. Circle also
welcomed three new individual members including
Nina Obuljen,
Mónica Parera and
Jorge
Cerveira Pinto. The CIRCLE board was re-elected and
Jordi Balta was welcomed (as the new representative for Interarts on the
board) and Simona Bodo was welcomed as a new member.
To read the minutes of the meeting
click here.
Whose Culture is it?
Trans-generational approaches to Culture
On Friday 17th and Saturday 18th December 2004 CIRCLE held a
round table meeting of expert's on the subject of trans-generational
approaches to Culture. For more information
click here .
A
selection of papers from the round table and conclusions have been
collated in a publication which is now available from the CIRCLE
secretariat.
Dynamics of Communication: New Ways and New Actors
SECOND WORLD CULTURELINK CONFERENCE
The second World Culturelink conference is set
to take place in Zagreb, Croatia on the 9th - 12th June 2005.
CIRCLE is an official supporter of the event and many of our members
have been invited to give presentations. A programme will be made
available shortly. For more information contact
Culturelink
OTHER NEWS!
Publication:
We are pleased announce the publication of the
post conference
report
from CIRCLE's
Zagreb round table on the subject of eCulture.
The editing committee includes
Biserka
Cvjetičanin, Diane Dodd, Sanjin Dragojević
and Cas Smithuijsen.
A number of CIRCLE members and experts have submitted papers for the book.
For more information contact
Culturelink
Gambling on Culture :
State lotteries as a source of funding for Culture – the Arts and Heritage
Edited by Carla Bodo, Christopher Gordon and Dorota Ilczuk, in co-operation
with Diane Dodd and Cristina da Milano
We are pleased to announce the publication of
Gambling on Culture: State lotteries as a
source of funding for Culture – the Arts and Heritage which was
published by the Associazione per l'Economia della Cultura, the
Boekmanstichting and CIRCLE. This is a culmination of papers and work
carried out by CIRCLE and its members over the past two years. We would
like to take this opportunity to thank all authors and contributors to the
book.
The book is a first attempt at comparative research into how State
lotteries exert their influence on the national funding of Culture in
Europe. It compares the purposes, organisational structures and
distribution systems of State lotteries in 10 European countries and in
Canada.
Fully paid up members of CIRCLE will receive a free copy of this book through the post! Additional copies of the book can be bought from the Boekmanstichting at a retail price of €21,50 (excl. postage & handling)
MEMBER'S NOTICE BOARD
Membership renewal
If you haven’t done so already, members please, this is a gentle reminder,
to renew your membership fee for this year. Remember that you need to
make a bank transfer to:
Name of the Bank:
Budapest Bank
Address of the Bank:
Bathori 1, H-1054 Budapest,
Hungary Account holder: Budapest Cultural Observatory
Account number: 10103173-36068300-01000304
IBAN CODE: HU-15
SWIFT CODE: BUDAHUHB
Individual 100 € (C&E 20€) Institutional 250€ (C&E 50€)
CIRCLE is more and more dependent on receiving membership fees for its continued work. Any additional donations would not be refused!