The form and length of a WAA-event can vary. It doesn’t have to be exactly a week, events like these happen across Europe and vary from one-day showcases to those lasting up to a month. It can be open to everyone or an event that involves selection, presenting the best examples of the participating art forms. As long as it’s aim is to show the pleasure gained from active cultural participation and the strength of participation.
By a “Week of Amateur Arts” we mean an event:
- On a national scale, with the intention that initiatives from all over the country can join-in;
- For all (or several) arts disciplines and a broad target group;
- With the purpose of showing voluntary arts and creative activities in all their many forms.
INSPIRATION BOX
Iktoon – kunst van iedereen (I show – art from everyone) The Netherlands
In June any person, group, organisation or municipality in The Netherlands can show the strength of their amateur arts in “iktoon”. By showing all the local events the value of practicing arts is promoted. In 2018 around 80,000 people took part.
“Iktoon – kunst van iedereen” started in 2013 as the Week of Amateur Arts, out to promote and show the value of amateur arts by stimulating and promoting local events.
Next year the event will get an extra focus on accessibility – it should not matter whether you are disabled or growing- up in poverty: participating in art is for everyone.
Tips & tricks:
Making local coordinators responsible is very rewarding. They know perfectly well what is happening in their community and can respond to those needs and opportunities. As an national linking pin we can combine all those powerful events and make it visible to the rest of the country.
Biggest challenge:
Funding in the last few years. Hopefully the new construction with LKCA and support by the Ministry of Education and Culture will give a more structured base.
Teden ljubiteljske kulture (Week of Amateur Culture) Slovenia
The third week of May in Slovenia is the Week of Amateur Culture. Around 1,000 events take place with approximately 10,000-20,000 participants. Every year a different theme is chosen.
Slovenia’s Week of Amateur Culture is organised by JSKD to raise the profile of amateur arts and celebrate its practitioners. Around 1,000 events take place.
The value of the event is that participants and the public see that many people are involved in amaetur arts and they are not alone. If we all jump at the same time, we make a bigger impact.
Tips & tricks:
Find small but interesting stories about successful individuals and use these for promotion; promote values; be visible; don’t make it too long (a week is enough); don’t make new productions, promote the existing ones.
Challenges to the continuation of your event:
The size of the project and foreign participants/guests
MORE EXAMPLES OF WAA
You must be logged in to post a comment.