Invitation to the International Conference “Cultural Renovation”

To inspire representatives of the cultural sector in Latvia and the region, broaden the artistic ambitions of creative individuals, and expand the network of international relations, the “Foundation Liepāja 2027” (Liepāja 2027), within the framework of the European Capital of Culture program (un)rest, is organizing a two-day international conference “Cultural Renovation” on November 6-7 this year at the concert hall “Lielais dzintars.”

The conference will focus on three aspects of cultural renovation: “Content Renovation” — how to create and develop content that reflects current social processes; “Relationship Renovation” with the audience — how to engage with different society groups, respond to current needs, develop public understanding, and educate about contemporary cultural events, as well as better involve people in cultural processes; and “Funding Renovation” — how to diversify funding models to ensure independence and sustainability of each event.

To highlight the need for cultural renovation, the conference will feature lectures, discussions, and conversations in various formats by several international and local cultural sector experts.

The conference will be opened by Michael De Cock, Artistic Director of the Royal Flemish Theatre, who will provide insights into methods for creating and developing content aimed at capturing and reflecting on current challenges and moods. De Cock is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, and director, as well as the author of more than 20 children's books.

Ellen Loots, Associate Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will share her knowledge on the business opportunities and remuneration of representatives in the creative field in the Netherlands, seeking solutions at the intersection of creative entrepreneurship and creativity.

Vlad Yaremchuk, program organizer of Ukraine's largest music festival, "Atlas Festival," will share his experience on how Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has necessitated finding new cultural meanings in society and establishing new relationships with the audience. He is also actively involved in the "Music Saves UA" initiative, which aims to provide humanitarian support to civilians, including evacuation assistance and essential supplies.

The conference will also feature speeches and masterclasses by other recognized experts from Latvia and abroad. The moderator of "Cultural Renovation" will be media expert, editor, and translator Rita Ruduša. More detailed information about the full conference program will follow.

Participation in the conference is free of charge. Translation will be provided in Latvian and English.

The registration for the conference is closed.

The conference is organized as part of the “CreArt” project, co-financed under the European Union Creative Europe programme.

The project’s lead partner is the municipality of Valladolid, Spain, with other partners including the Municipality of Aveiro, Portugal, the Municipality of Lublin, Poland, the Croatian Association of Fine Artists “HDLU-Zagreb”, the Municipality of Skopje, Northern Macedonia, the Lithuanian Gallery “Artkomas-Kaunas”,  the French municipalities of Rouen and Clermont-Ferrand, the Italian municipality of Venice, the Czech public foundation “Češke Budejovice”, the Finnish municipality of Oulu, the German municipality of Regensburg and the “Foundation Liepāja 2027”.

The conference is organized by Liepāja 2027 and co-financed by the Liepāja City Municipality, South Kurzeme Municipality, Kuldīga Municipality, the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, and the “CreArt” project.

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