The initiative consists of several segments centered on environmental education, knowledge, and skills, with a focus on raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection within the cultural sector. It strives for internal change in working methods in culture through cognitive and behavioral learning dimensions, as well as a significant change in the external activities of the field - redefining the social role of cultural organizations as agents of environmental change.
National
Serbia
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
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As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Radna Organizacija Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Jovana Last name of representative: Karaulić Gender: Female Nationality: Serbia Function: President of the organization Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Višnjički venac 23 Town: Beograd Postal code: 11080 Country: Serbia Direct Tel:+381 65 3444200 E-mail:info@greenartincubator.org Website:https://greenartincubator.org/
Climate change, as a long-term challenge, raises the question of the necessary transformation in culture concerning the new circumstances, which is why our project is focused on: advocating organizations' contribution to achieving the global goals of stopping this problem from further escalation and securing support for preparedness in the context of facing and responding to the consequences of the anticipated effects of cultural production on nature and society. The main idea is based on the green transformation of modern systems of local art production, with a special focus on performing, visual, and cinematic arts. In this sense, the project has a threefold goal that pertains to 1) networking of stakeholders in a culture interested in the green transformation processes, 2) providing education and empowering organizations in environmentally sustainable operations, 3) reinforcing the importance of adapting to climate change and its mitigation in the general public. The project is situated in the environmental education field and it aims to raise the level of knowledge about environmental protection within the cultural sector and clearly points to the current fails in the communication of artistic organizations on this topic. This is achievable through 6 discourses of action:
1) Research and mapping of institutions and stakeholders,
2) Establishing a digital platform,
3) Training and courses for representatives of institutions and organizations,
4) Developing a unique green e-handbook for art and culture,
5) Preparing and implementing the Green Book of Recommendations to be distributed to decision-makers in the context of public policies,
6) Promoting and disseminating project results.
By strengthening the capacity of such a target group, the outcome becomes the model of support for the adoption of environmentally sustainable work procedures for organizations in the peripheral context, that are already burdened by the difficulties of their own sustainability.
Culture
Sustainability
Climate Change
Education
Research
The key objectives of the project refer to the two main courses of action commenced by its activities. Two main goals are: 1) to initiate an internal change of the actors from culture and arts which refers to the adoption of more ecologically sustainable management philosophies and work procedures, 2) and to reflect and redefine the social role of the culture as an agent of change in this context. This is achieved through the education and capacity-building of actors in the field of culture and arts towards the green transformation processes and the adoption of green principles. The education is based on the toolkits and training curricula highlighting the sustainable practices and creative, innovative, and place-based methods to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Toolkits and curricula are grounded in the adopted national and EU strategic documents and successful experiences in this context but are shaped by and entrenched in the local socioeconomic conditions and domestic legislation. It is important to emphasize that they are applicable in other countries, as well, especially in the region and in social contexts that share a peripheral position to the EU in which the green transformation of the cultural sector is already in its advanced stages. The second goal concerns the external activity of the field and pleads to redefine the social role of culture as an agent of change and a "powerful place for reflection on the climate crisis". This is achieved through raising awareness among the audience and general public on the ecological crises and encouraging their more active involvement in the content dealing with this topic.
The project strives for internal change in working practices in culture and art through cognitive and behavioral learning dimensions, as well as a significant change in the external activities of the field. The culture and arts possess the capacity to elicit an emotional reaction and, as such, can have a transformational role on an individual and society. By deepening this emotional connection, art forms can lead to a better understanding of presented topics and evoke a stronger motivation for action-taking. By capacity building of cultural and artistic actors towards the green transformation processes, the project places culture as a vital member of social dialogue on the ecological crisis and a future that we as a society aspire for, thus redefining the role of culture in this context. Involving the audience and general public in the content related to the topics concerning the climate crisis, culture and arts can raise their awareness and encourage them to take action towards the necessary changes enabling a more sustainable and just society. Achieving a strong emotional, aesthetic and educational impact on the professional, as well as wider community is planned and implemented through the creation and promotion of the network of various stakeholders, through which it enabled greater visibility of various green initiatives and actions in the field of culture and art. The results pertain to promoting green policy issues in public cultural discourse and creating a green initiative as an agent of change in the sector; initiating greater participation of the professional community in the environmental dialogue and encouraging the participation of the general public in content addressing this issue.
Climate change and environmental degradation raise а set of other sensitive questions related to a potential increase in the problem of intergenerational justice, gender inequality, and the rights of minorities and indigenous people. In this context, the key objectives of the initiative in terms of inclusion refer to planning the processes of green transformation and adaptation to climate change guided in the direction of reducing existing inequalities and avoiding maintaining the existing situation or adopting measures that can worsen it.
In this sense the activities taken by the initiative are:
-Research and mapping of practices and potentials of green transformation in the field while analyzing the wider socio-political and economic context
-Research of existing policies, analysis of Serbian legislation in comparison with current EU policies and practices
-Establishing communication with decision-makers and policy-makers and advocating green principles in different agendas
-Reviewing the green operation in the contexts of gender equality, the covid epidemic, digital reorientation of cultural practices, transitional positions of Serbian society, etc.
The project provides an opportunity to initiate a dialogue in an overall community in which the green transformation becomes marked as an agent of positive change, rather than an imposed obligation. The very fact that the green agenda will be promoted through art will increase the visibility of the topic but it will also affect the capacity building of the local artistic community as a whole. Relying on the theoretical viewpoints according to which art and culture can make their decisive contribution in increasing the visibility of the current crisis from the perspective of the eco-turn of institutions and organizations in the field, the project contributes to the claim "that artistic practice is a uniquely powerful place for thinking about the climate crisis". The activities of the project are aimed at establishing an initial framework in the field of culture and represent a platform for the promotion of positive practices that will unequivocally indicate that transformation is not only deeply necessary but also realistically possible. In the context of civil society involvement, it is also important to emphasize that after the first project phase, which involved primarily actors from the public and private sectors in culture, the next phase, planned for 2023 and 2024, will refocus on civil society organizations in culture and supporting the process of their green transformation.
The project team consists of experts from various disciplines who specialize in the green transformation and - as members of the academic community - participate in numerous scientific conferences and summits. In this way, the project is present in the academic community, which was encouraged to join the conversation.
Local partners through segments of the project are the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, the Faculty of Physics in Belgrade, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Italian Institue for culture in Belgrade, the Seecult platform, SCEN - stage design studies, Technical Faculty, Novi Sad, Smart collective, and others. The initiative was financially supported by the Open Society Foundation (Serbia) and the Ministry of Culture of Serbia in the past year.
Over 80 representatives from more than 40 different institutions and organizations (theatres, production companies, museums, etc) from Serbia have participated in the training part of the project, and more than 200 individuals from the culture field were present at other events such as conferences, panel discussions, and workshops.
During the project, strong connections with different international experts and practitioners, that already have experience in this field, were established. The lecturers and training moderators were experts from the field of sustainable management of art and culture representing more than 20 different European organizations or initiatives (PCIA, Ki Culture, Julie’s Bicycle, Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, Assitej, Produced By, etc).
Climate change, as a complex problem that modern society is facing today, simply requires an intersectoral approach to cooperation, from which only effective measures for mitigating and adapting to them can emerge and deeply multidisciplinary goals of the project can be achieved. On one side, the engagement of the research staff from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts contributes to the relevant overview of all aspects of art included in the project, and to the understanding of their objective strengths and weaknesses in the direction of green transformation production and narrative levels. On the other hand, the Faculty of Physics, as a partner in the project, brings the necessary knowledge about the physical aspects of climate change that are necessary for a clear understanding and perception of this problem. Also the knowledge necessary for the formal assessment of the negative impact of existing practices in the field of culture and art, in terms of the use of energy and materials and other resources, as well as defining alternative ways of functioning, especially considering the local context. Finally, many practices (such as access to renewable energy sources) are already recognized as relevant to this problem (in the first place in the countries of the Western world) and should be reshaped and adapted to local conditions and technical capacities, but also in terms of currently existing formal-legal possibilities and limitations. In this regard, the cooperation among these disciplines, and the partnership of these two organizations is the only way for local barriers to be identified and overcome as efficiently as possible.
Serbia hasn’t seen many reactions from the citizens or institutions when it comes to the climate crises and different environmental questions. The rare and only examples of activities were public debates or gatherings directed at raising awareness of air pollution or the excavation of certain mineral resources. However, organizations that promote activities responding to climate change almost don’t exist, which is why Green Art Incubator’s approach is unique. Additionally being unique in the region illustrates unassuming results in this field, especially regarding the construction and implementation of green policies and their visibility among the general audience. When speaking of culture and its cross-cutting relations to environmental issues, there are tremendously infrequent examples of practices of green transformation and these problems addressing.
Based on the cooperation of different disciplines (management in culture, ecology, architecture, etc.), as well as the cooperation of the civil and public sectors, the project provides an example and gives an incentive to intersectoral and interdepartmental cooperation as desirable models for solving complex issues of sustainable development of society.
The project has different stages of action, but two were especially important. The first one was an analysis and mapping of the current green practices in the theatre, audio-visual arts (mainly movie and video production), and museums and galleries, which were based on, for this occasion, specially designed and conducted surveys. Secondly, The Green Art Incubator developed three green e-toolkits for theatre, film, and visual arts which are available to download from our web page free of charge for interested local actors from the field. It represents support in the context of coping with the consequences of climate change and responding to them, as well as possible solutions in terms of minimizing the contribution of cultural production to further overall degradation of the environment. Toolkits are foremost introducing green philosophy in organizational culture, greening in the context of promotion, press, and advertising; guest performance planning, production design (reusing materials); rationalization of energy consumption and increasing energy efficiency; possible diversification of energy sources and turning to renewable sources to the extent currently possible; waste management, etc.
Curricula for museums, theatre, and audio-visual production are applicable in other countries, especially with a peripheral position in relation to the EU from the economic and political aspects. Whereas the methodology of the project’s research and education is suitable to specific social surroundings such as transition, long-term isolation, lack of legislation, small budgets for culture, faint international collaborations, etc. Those cases differ from the mainstream countries, which already progressed on the path of green transformation of the culture sector. In that sense, one of the major project lines is the peripheral planning of processes that incorporate environmental and sustainable cultural and artistic practices.
1. Research and mapping institutions and stakeholders in culture and arts covered by the project, identifying their existing practices, weak spots, and strengths in the analyzed context (mapping institutions and organizations from different disciplines; analysis of positive (EU) examples of practice; development of the research methodology; conceptualizing the survey form; establishing cooperation with institutions; creating an informal members network)
2. Establishing a digital platform whose role is aimed at strengthening institutions and organizations that carry out activities in this area
3. Training and courses for representatives of institutions and organizations led by local and international experts from different disciplines who specialize in the green transition
4. Development of a unique green e-handbook for art and culture, focused on creative, innovative, and place-based methods to contribute to climate change adaptation while encouraging opportunities in the cultural sector through specific examples and guidelines
5. Preparing and implementing the Green Book of Recommendations to be distributed to decision-makers in the context of public policies.
6. Promoting and disseminating the results that will contribute to the visibility of the project results through conferences. The promotion involves the distribution of materials through the website and social media, as well as through traditional and online communication channels; dissemination of the handbook (cultural institutions, schools, universities, relevant civil associations, etc.)
In the year following, we are redirecting our activities to gathering actors in civil society and to the initiation, support, and strengthening of the green transformation of European performance production systems through international partnerships working with organizations from North Macedonia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
The initiative addresses and focuses on one of the greatest challenges facing today's society- climate change and environmental crisis, providing solutions for its mitigation on a local level.
The implementation of the project in the initial phase is planned at the level of the city of Belgrade, its further implementation will be possible in other cities and regions. Also, the planned direction of long-term development refers to the development of the Incubator's regional activities, as well as connecting with regional actors and initiating new joint projects that would contribute to solving common green issues (through calls for international cooperation projects for example). The extant position makes the approach applicable to countries at the geographical and political periphery of Europe. Likewise, the green transformation that our guidelines nurture is accessible in the peripheral domain of specific art forms or in social contexts - civil versus institutional sectors. By strengthening the capacity of such a target group the project outcome becomes the model of support for the adoption of environmentally sustainable work procedures for organizations in the peripheral context, that are already burdened by the difficulties of their own sustainability.
Bearing in mind the described development of the project, from the aspect of diversification of cultural domains, but also of expansion from local to the national and regional level. It would greatly contribute to an important goal of the project and result in the networking of cultural actors from the region that will stand a chance to discuss further projects and potential cooperation. When it comes to a wider professional and general audience the expected impact of the project is to raise awareness about the importance of issues in the context of the climate crisis and provide strategic direction to the culture department in the direction of more active involvement in the processes of green transformation.
So far, the initiative has achieved many substantial milestones. Through its activities, numerous actors from the field of art and culture have been acquainted with green transformation concepts and policies. As previously mentioned, as many as 80 cultural professionals from over 40 organizations and institutions have participated in educational workshops and seminars where they had the opportunity to get insights into the importance of the involvement of all social actors in the climate change mitigation processes and reduction of carbon footprint. They also gained knowledge and skills to practically implement green concepts into their work procedures and production processes. Many of these organizations have already started applying the first steps of green transformation in their everyday business procedures.
The Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, the Ministry of Culture, The Secretariat of Culture of the City of Belgrade, and the Serbian Film Commission have found a way to support Green Art Incubators' initiation for wider advocacy for the implementation and integration of green practices in national strategies and policies. For now, these activities are at the early stage, but we hope that in the future, wider activity on these issues will lead to positive developments, which will enable easier implementation of green practices in many cases.
The further application of the course and e-toolkits is planned as instruments for initiating "green changes" in other domains of the cultural department - musical arts, applied arts, the field of cultural heritage, etc Even though the initiative places its focus on the internal change of the contemporary artistic production systems, it has also achieved significant results in the external activity of the field and initiated the dialogue among the general audience on the role of arts and culture as an agent of change and powerful place for reflecting on the climate change and ecological crisis.
First of all, solidarity, responsibility, awareness, and care - as some of the core European values are at the heart of this project. These values will be promoted on all levels of management and creative production. The project itself through various segments and formats of action is concentrated on the idea of embedding environmental sustainability in the business operations of cultural and artistic organizations which adds to the global goal of preventing the climate crisis from further escalating. This is achieved through capacity building and improving and developing knowledge and skills of cultural professionals that will enable them to plan, work and act taking into account the responsibility towards sustainable development. As stated in The European sustainability competence framework, enabling learning for environmental sustainability is crucial for the present and future of our planet. Therefore the project is conceived as a series of activities that together make up an entire knowledge-skill set for cultural and artistic professionals to operate in this manner. Professions that are directly affected by all of the project's activities are theatre producers, event managers, technical personnel in the theatre (light, sound, etc), film producers, film directors, marketing managers, visual artists, curators, museum employees, and other actors in the field of culture and creative industries.
