concept for more efficient support of the arts in 2007–2013 - Divadlo.cz

Weaknesses
vities of the Czech Film Chamber o. p. s., under which the office of the EU’s MEDIA
Desk CR programme is run and the Czech Film Centre; ProCulture, a centre of Open
Society o. p. s., which collects and disseminates information on opportunities for artists
and on Czech and European cultural policy.
– A lack of funds at all levels of public administration and their poor integration, and
an inadequate amount of budget funding for the MC in relation to the state budget.
– inadequate and ineffective tools for obtaining extra-budgetary resources.
– Inadequate regulatory and motivational tools to facilitate reinvestment within the
system of the arts.
– An underdeveloped philanthropic environment and poor access to donors for notfor-profit
minority genres, which are unable to provide sponsors and patrons with a
large amount of publicity and visibililty.
– A long-term lack of understanding about the role of arts in society, especially their
role as an essential part of education and as a developmental factor; the quality of
culture is erroneously not conceived as a general indicator of the level of learning
and education in society 16
– The persistent absence of a social dialogue about contemporary arts and the absence
of a public reflection of the arts leading to an increase in interest in the arts.
– An underappreciation of the significant role of artistic actitivities in preventing
the occurrence of socio-pathological phenomena and contributing to overcoming
such phenomena. 17
– No multi-year financing of artistic organisations and projects has been put into
practice and there is no supportive cooperation between entities or effective pooling
of sources. 17
– The lack of any targeted support to promote Czech arts abroad, the absence of a
quality showcasing of Czech arts at international meetings, the absence of cooperation
with bodies outside the country, and the lack of a clear pro-export policy.
– Limited possibilities for purchasing quality and financially demanding art
projects and works from abroad, and problems covering the fees for copyright and
honoraria connected with the work of top foreign artists.
– The absence of a subsidy programme to support the presentation of contemporary
art in museums, galleries and exhibition halls.
– Inadequate support and promotion of young Czech authors, and for the creation
and presentation of works by contemporary authors in the Czech Republic and abroad.
– Some weaknesses in the area of artistic management, the demotion of some positions
essential for ensuring that the presentation of artistic works is executed with
high quality – for example, curators, dramaturgs.
– The inadequate coordination of activities and the poorly targeted promotion
and distribution of art, which is accompanied by the absence of quality information
on contemporary art and trends and developments at the European level.
– Losses in relation to the exercise of copyright owing to the abuse of new technologies
(especially new ways of saving data and new reproduction technology).
– The strong influence of consumer society, which in the interest of short-term returns
on investment and ensuring a profit affects the nature of art production to the detriment
of freedom of expression.
– The lack of interest and persistent resistance on the part of society to contemporary
innovative art forms, with the prioritising of easily comprehensible and traditional art forms.
– The underestimation of film as a distinct artistic discipline.
– The heavy concentration of the arts and art projects in main urban centres.
– The limited attention devoted to the accessibility of public cultural services in the
sphere of the arts 18 so that they reach various strata of the population.
– The absence of information and documentation centres focusing on the arts, inadequate
mediation of information, especially in the field of the visual arts and architecture,
literature and film.
– With the exception of theatre, classical music, and non-professional arts, the absence
of strong and active umbrella organisations.
– A lack of modern and technically well-equipped buildings for the creation and
presentation of contemporary artwork; there is a notable absence of multi-disciplinary
small-capacity halls, large-capacity concert halls, exhibition spaces designed to accommodate
the presentation of contemporary visual arts, including new media, a centre of
literature, and other institutions capable of engaging in international cooperation at the
highest levels and with the capacity to join the cultural infrastructure of Europe.
– The limited capacity of non-governmental not-for-profit organisations to flexibly
and with high professional standards complement the work of governmental organisations
and commercial organisations.
Opportunities
– Make the arts accessible to all people given that culture is a fundamental part of the
society based on knowledge and is an important developmental factor 19 for enhancing
the cultural potential of humankind.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
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