Atelier for Young Festival Managers in Gwangju: deadline approaching, apply now!

Are you part of the next generation of artistic festival directors? Do you want to broaden your programming skills and be inspired by experienced leaders in the field? Do you want to join a new network of future festival leaders worldwide? The Atelier for Young Festival Managers, initiated by the European Festivals Association (EFA), will take place for the second time in Asia from 31 August to 6 September 2015 in Gwangju, South Korea, in collaboration with the Chonnam National University and the Asian Arts Theatre (Asian Culture Complex). 10 renowned festival directors will guide 45 participants through the 7-day training programme in this special context of a very ambitious and momentous art project in Korea. Young festival managers from all over the world are invited to apply until 12 January 2015. Mission of the Atelier The Atelier for Young Festival Managers is an intense and rigorous 7-day training platform addressed at emerging artistic festival directors or those who have ambitions to become involved in programming or in programming-related departments within a festival. It is all about sharing experiences and passing on knowledge to a next generation of festival makers: knowledge about programming a festival, while focusing on the very essence of art festivals: the arts and the artist. It is guided by the motto “The true role of a festival is to help artists to dare, to engage in new projects,” borrowed from Bernard Faivre d’Arcier, longstanding Director of the Avignon Festival and President of the Lyon Biennial (France). Format The Atelier will select 45 young festival managers from all over the world. Around 10 distinguished festival directors, renowned festival pioneers, will each attend for at least two full days and guide participants throughout the week. In lectures, one-on-one talks, group discussions as well as intense workshops on case studies, issues such as artistic vision, political and social responsibility, internationalisation, networking, renewal and sustainability will be explored. First presenters will be announced soon. Have a look at the list of presenters of the previous Ateliers. Join a unique new network 264 Alumni from 60 countries emerged from seven Ateliers for Young Festival Managers since 2006 in Goerlitz, Varna, Singapore, Izmir, Ljubljana, Edinburgh and Poznan. Participants of the Gwangju edition will become part of this unique global network of young festival makers which will further increase after the next Atelier in Beirut, Lebanon (21-27 March 2015). How to apply The application form must be submitted by 12 January 2015. All information on the Atelier, selection criteria, application procedure and application form can be found on the Atelier website. Get to know Gwangju, Chonnam National University, Asian Culture Complex and Asian Arts Theatre Gwangju Metropolitan City is one of the six largest cities in Korea, with a population of 1.4 million. Gwangju is rich in culture and art, as shown by its cultural initiatives such as Hub City of Asian Culture project and Gwangju Biennale which make the city one of the most vibrant and colourful places in the country. Chonnam National University (CNU), located in Gwangju Metropolitan City, is one of the most prestigious national universities in Korea. CNU has been playing a pivotal role in strengthening justice and human rights in Korean history, since its establishment in 1952. Consisting of 59 academic departments in 19 colleges and 11 graduate programs, CNU maintains international ties with 300 universities in 42 countries. The Graduate School of Culture (GSC), which was opened in March 2006, is Korea’s first and only graduate school specializing in culture. GSC currently provides three master’s programs including “Culture and Arts Planning,” “Culture Management and Tourism” and “Media Art and Technology”. Having been selected for the Korean government’s Brain Korea 21 plus project (2013-2020), GSC pursues its vision of a “world-class graduate school specializing in education and research in the field of cultural convergence and training creative and glocal culture professionals.” Asian Culture Complex, a government-funded establishment housed in the heart of Gwangju, is doubtless the most ambitious and momentous art project in Korean history in terms of budget, artistic vision and spatial scale. Based in this newly constructed complex, Asian Arts Theatre questions, supports, and creates contemporary performing arts in Asia. The theatre will produce, co-produce, invite and promote art works from Asia as well as the rest of the world. It aspires to become a hub for the production, presentation, discussion and international distribution of the most cutting-edge works in the context of the international performing arts scene. In September 2015, the theatre opens with a three week opening festival which will present almost 30 commissioned, co-produced and invited works, with main emphasis on Asian artists. Find out more Upcoming Ateliers: BEIRUT 2015; GWANGJU 2015 Previous Ateliers: POZNAN 2014; EDINBURGH 2014; LJUBLJANA 2012; IZMIR 2011; SINGAPORE 2011; VARNA 2009; GOERLITZ 2006 Follow us online Atelier on facebook EFA on twitter www.TheFestivalAcademy.eu In case of questions please contact: [email protected] or call +32 2 644 48 00.