VISEGRAD ART MARKET - HAPPY TO SHARE
Our project aims to empower the Visegrad region's cultural and creative industries (CCIs). Through online knowledge sharing and the exchange of study tours, we will organise the Visegrad Art Market in Debrecen in the summer of 2025, which will provide an opportunity for the joint development of the CCI actors of the Visegrad countries and to showcase the importance of the sector.
Focus area/objective:
What is the main issue that our project would like to focus on? What is the current situation that we wish to change?
The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in the Visegrad countries, especially outside of the capitals, are often fragmented, isolated from international cooperation and development opportunities. CCI actors mainly operate as self-employed or micro-enterprises, which makes it difficult to break out of their own small market and they are highly dependent on the development opportunities offered by their inmediate surroundings. CCI actors often lack the entrepreneurial skills that enable them to thrive and face difficulties in finding their place in a society focused on economic development. Ernst & Young Consulting stated in "Rebuilding Europe – The cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis" report that with a loss of 31% of its turnover, the cultural and creative industry (CCI) is one of the most affected by the COVID pandemy in Europe. The problem is similar in all the Visegrad countries, except that the Czech Republic is ahead of the game, perhaps because of its geographical location. We believe that it is in the common interest of the Visegrad region that the other three countries catch up with the Czech CCI sector.
How does our project contribute to the solution?
With the actual problem in mind, we consider particularly important to support the CCI sector in building macroregional contacts and giving them the opportunity to present their activities at a joint event, the Visegrad Art Market. We believe that the key to the sustainable development of the CCI sector is to diversify revenues, increase international visibility and improve cooperation potential. The solution we propose is a complex approach, which is not only the organisation of a large macro-regional event (Visegrad Art Market), but also a complex solution to the complex problem outlined above. By bringing the three partners together, we aim to facilitate an exchange of experiences that will highlight the specific skills and/or resource gaps in the CCI sector. The study tours will provide a mutual understanding of the local specificities of Rzeszów (Poland), Kosice (Slovakia) and Debrecen (Hungary) and the current challenges faced by CCI actors. In response to these, we will organise webinars in English that will enable competence development for actors in the partners' existing network of contacts. Finally, as a travelling event, we would like to organise the Visegrad Art Market in Debrecen for the first time, with a view to hosting it in the other two partner cities.
Partners:
SIXAGON Non-profit LLc - SIXAGON Nonprofit Kft. (Hungary, Debrecen)
The primary objective of the non-profit company is to contribute to the sustainability of culture at both national and regional level. SIXAGON has maintained its previous international relations and cooperation, which it intends to further strengthen with its partners in the Visegrad region. SIXAGON has a wide network of contacts with Debrecen and regional CCI players. One of SIXAGON's significant activities is sustainability consulting and strategy creation for the cultural sector, as part of which it is committed to the development and positioning of the CCI sector.
Creative Laboratory Civic Association - Občianske združenie Kreatívne laboratórium (Slovakia, Kosice)
The Creative Laboratory is one of the most important creative industry players in Kosice, which is in constant contact with the creative creators of the region through the regular organization of the MAME Market creative industry fair. We are in the initial stages of cooperation, but the commitment to a long-term, strategic partnership is very strong. Creative Laboratory primarily adds its own professional network, market experience, and in-depth knowledge of the problems of creative industry players to the project.
Rzeszów Stage, Cultural Laboratory -Estrada Rzeszowska, Rzeszowski Inkubator Kultury (Poland, Rzeszów)
The Rzeszów Cultural Incubator has considerable experience in organising workshops, trainings and professional events. One of the main objectives of the Polish partner is to mentor young creators and to provide a new generation of cultural and creative industries. The Rzeszów Cultural Incubator is committed to promoting the sustainability of culture, and the international exploitation of their know-how is important for our project.
Target groups:
Project coordination: Brigitta Papp, brigitta@sixagon.hu
Project communication: Eszter Miklós, eszter@sixagon.hu
The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund . The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
