Supposedly, artists and funding bodies should be working towards the same goal: development, enrichment and accessibility of culture and art. However, in practice, there seems to be a never-ending friction between the two. The artists feel unappreciated, disregarded and at times restricted by the funding bodies, whilst the later feel pressured and restricted by the imbalance between artists’ needs and the limited resources allocated to the arts and culture by governments. It often creates a disagreement regarding who should be taking decisions on how arts and culture funding is spent. Should it be the artists themselves? Should it be some middle body like the arts councils? Or perhaps it should be citizens?  

At the IETM meeting in Hull, the session “If funders really wanted to support artists – what could they do?” started a dialogue between artists and funding bodies. In this interactive session in Rijeka, we will dive deeper into trying to understand the undercurrents of this ongoing dysfunction. Together we will try to find the reasons that make artists and funding bodies feel that they are on opposite sides. We will also take on the challenge of inspiring a deeper and clearer understanding of what is necessary for a healthy, dynamic and prosperous art practice and cultural life in a community.

Using an interactive online application, we will draw statistics from the people present in the room.  The most common contradictions between artists and funders identified through the poll will be brought to group discussions.

Please check the accessibility of the venue here.