Open Call - Tandem Cultural Capitals 2019

European Cultural Foundation – Amsterdam

Leeuwarden – Fryslân 2028 (legacy organisation of Leeuwarden 2018) and Rijeka 2020 in cooperation with

Galway 2020, Eleusis 2021, Novi Sad 2021, Kaunas 2022 and Veszprém 2023

European collaboration programme for creative professionals, cultural managers and their organisations working in previous & future European Capitals of Culture.

The Tandem Cultural Collaboration Programmes were created by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF – Amsterdam) and the NGO MitOst (Berlin). Since 2011, Tandem has brought together almost 500 independent cultural organisations in wider Europe, supported internationalisation and professional development of more than 500 cultural workers, and connected a large variety of local players, audiences and artists from more than 200 cities and 40 countries.

Tandem uses cultural work and artistic action to strengthen cross-border collaboration, organisational structures and the values of autonomous work, wider strategic horizons and lasting professional empowerment. In Tandem, ‘art is a route to development for individuals and communities’ (F. Matarasso, Tandem review 2016).

The Tandem approach consists of a specific cross-border collaboration method and learning process that assists cultural organisations and their managers in developing long-term and equitable working relationships with new partners from other cities and regions. During a tailor-made Partner Forum participants first identify a new international partner of their own strategic choice. In ‘tandem’ they realise a brief working visit/placement at their new partner’s premises abroad and start working on joint pilot projects for the future. Each programme edition includes a cohort of up to 30 peers (15 Tandems) who reconvene for facilitated reflection and learning meetings that assist them with consolidating professional insights and new knowledge acquired abroad.

The Tandem programmes have created an international network of emerging cultural workers and their organisations. Participants share experiences, professionals insights and common values and continue to invest themselves creatively in the social, structural and cultural development of their own city or region. More information on method and success stories available at here.

Building on the experience of 20 successful Tandem rounds so far (including a tailor-made edition for the most recently concluded ECOC Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018) we now start a leaner (cost-effective) version of our programme for kick-starting new transnational partnerships among cultural organisations and art professionals working in ECOC cities. The overall goal of this specific Tandem edition is to incubate new European cooperation projects, support knowledge and international practice exchange and to provide meaningful networking between past, present and future European Capitals of Culture. In short, we aim to support professionals working in ECOC contexts with exploring and/or consolidating a European dimension of their local initiatives.

Responding to some of the most central and recurring pan-European collaboration needs of many organisations working in/with ECOC locations, this new Tandem format requires fewer resources than a ‘classical’ Tandem round. This slimmed-downed working approach saves financial resources, but also reduces intensity, workload and time involvement required from the programme participants. It therefore releases pressure from already stressed out ECOC project makers during a demanding working period, while it still delivers the collaborative benefits and strategic European essence of the established Tandem collaboration/experience-based learning method.

As most ECOCs already offer their own specific capacity building programmes and project funding opportunities for local initiatives, a specific goal of this Tandem is to initiate and further underpin the European dimension of ECOC projects with a long-term perspective. It facilitates networking for cultural organisations and arts professional across a relevant number of cities from the ECOC family (min. 3 – max. 10 participants/ organisations from up to 7 ECOCs). This substantially enhances knowledge and practice exchange on the level of up to 30 project initiators working in past or future ECOCs. It also brings participants into the already existing Tandem programme community of more than 500 professionals and their organisational hubs all over Europe.

Implementation Period: March – December 2019 (10 months = +/- 8 months for participants)

Please find here the link to the online call.

Useful links:

FAQ

Further informaton: [email protected]

consulting hours: Friderika Mike, Program Development and Foreign Relations

We wish you a successful application!

– Team of Veszprém 2023