Act for Global Change: A Global conversation from the arts to the world (ACT)

ICORN and The Festival Academy join forces in the project Act for Global Change: A Global conversation from the arts to the world (ACT), thanks to the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. During the period of 2019 – 2021 writers and artists related to ICORN have to opportunity to be selected to take part one of the training programmes in the context organised by The Festival Academy.

The Festival Academy is an initiative of the European Festivals Association. This activity is part of the ACT project implemented with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Photo.

Training and capacity building for Festival Makers, producers and artists

The Festival Academy offers training formats on festival management to young, dynamic and passionate festival makers worldwide starting from the arts and the artist. The Festival Academy shares, exchanges and disseminates know-how on artistic programming and festival management. Through empowering a new generation of leaders and generating transnational professional opportunities for festival makers, it develops and sustains a network of festival leaders worldwide wherein capacity building and internationalisation are key.

All training formats bring together an enormous diversity of creative minds and offer the opportunity to passionate (both young and experienced) festival makers, producers, activists and artists of all kinds of artistic disciplines, coming from all over the world to have a global conversation about today’s challenges and the role art and culture can play in these.

Act for Global Change, introduction and partners

The Festival Academy (an initiative of the European Festivals Association), together with its partners deSingel International Arts Campus, Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture, the German Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) and the International Arts Festival NEXT (with associated project partners Bayimba Foundation Uganda, Edinburgh International Culture Summit UK, Fundacion Teatro a Mil Chile, Holland Festival The Netherlands) are delighted to receive support from the Creative Europe programme of the European Union to further implement its goals.

Khaled Harara, Hip-Hop Artist, ICORN artist in residence in Gothenburg 2015-2017. Participated in The Festival Academy August 2018 in Gothenburg. Photo. The project entitled Act for Global Change: a global conversation between the arts and the world (ACT) has the ambitious goal to build bridges between different fields of actions, being the artistic, social, political and business world. To this, it aims in a first phase to enable and facilitate a global inclusive conversation and critical reflection between festival managers from different art disciplines, origins, generations and social backgrounds on the role that arts, culture and more particularly festivals, can play in a fast changing world. The strategy towards reaching positive change consists of a series of new training modules, digital toolkits and a fund system for refugees. In a world increasingly polarized by inequality and lack of intercultural dialogue, ACT contributes towards more cultural diplomacy and informed, skilled leaders and activists with global perspectives, acting in solidarity to effect change on the local, regional, national, and international level.

Opportunities for ICORN residents

ACT gives the opportunity to artists related to ICORN to be selected to take part in the training programme in the arts festivals’ context organized by The Festival Academy. Participants will be selected by the selection committee of The Festival Academy in partnership with ICORN. The Creative Europe programme enables ICORN and the Atelier to support the participation for two ICORN artists in residency in Europe per training. ICORN will also be represented in the Ateliers to share knowledge about the work and world of ICORN.

Ashraf Atrachi, Iraqi artist and art critic, ICORN artist in residence in Stockholm 2014-2016, and Parvin Ardalan, ICORN writer in residence in Malmö 202010-2012. Speakers and participants at the The Festival Academy August 2018 in Gothenburg. Photo.

Facing challenges together

In August 2018, The Festival Academy brought together a group of young and experienced festival leaders, cultural activists and artists in ICORN residencies together in Gothenburg, Sweden, for a global conversation about today’s challenges and the role art and culture can play in these. The programme focused on topics raised by the young festival managers and tackled issues as artistic vision, accessibility, sustainability and fundraising, technology, and the role of festivals in a society in transition, guided by outstanding festival and cultural leaders and activists from across the globe. Among the speakers and participators where Abduljabbar Alsuhili, Actor, Cultural Manager, Parvin Ardalan, Activist & Journalist, Ashraf Atraqchi, Artist, Arts Critic, Curator and Khaled Harara, Hip-Hop Artist.

Upcoming Ateliers 

For 2020 the upcoming Ateliers with possibility to host ICORN-artists are:

Atelier Digital (R)evolution, 22-25 January, 2020, Antwerp – Belgium. Organized in partnership with deSingel International Arts Campus.

Atelier Düsseldorf 23-29 May 2020, Germany. Organised in partnership with the International Theatre Institute (ITI) and Theater der Welt. 

ACT received the financial support of the European Commission as part of the Creative Europe Programme 

Abduljabbar Alsuhili (AJ), Actor, Cultural Manager, ICORN artist in residence in Helsingborg 2017-2018. Participated in The Festival Academy August 2018 in Gothenburg.Photo.
Abduljabbar Alsuhili (AJ), Actor, Cultural Manager, ICORN artist in residence in Helsingborg 2017-2018. Participated in The Festival Academy August 2018 in Gothenburg.Photo.