”Alternative culture” invites artists and cultural operators to participate in the specialized work-shops for the definition of a Status of the Artist in Romania
Article published on 04-10-2018
During the period October 1 - 21, the project "Alternative Culture" invites artists and cultural operators in a series of expert working meetings in the main regions of the country.
The meetings will take place in groups devoted to specific cultural areas, according to the following schedule:
- October 1, Timișoara, Embassy-Plai, str. Anton Seiller, Nr. 2, time: 12:00 PM. Areas: Theatre, Dance, Music
- October 4, Târgu Mureș, 3 g, Avram Iancu str., nr. 2. Areas: Theatre, Dance, Music
- October 8, Cluj, Creation and Reactor experiment, Petöfi Sándor str., Nr. 4. Areas: Theatre, Dance, Music
- October 11, Iași, National University of Arts "George Enescu" in Iași, str. Cuza-Voda, Nr. 29. Domain: Heritage
- October 21, Bucharest, House-Museum of Filipescu Cesianu, attic, Calea Victoriei, Nr. 151. Domain: Visual Arts
"Because the only way that you can impose on changing the rules is the direct participation in the writing of it, and because we did not want to mime the dialogue, I invite you to talk about what is vital today to change the paradigm." says Adriana Zaharia, who will lead the discussions within this phase of the project, as a Facilitator of Social Dialogue. "The themes we wish to explore are: the official Status of the artist. Is it necessary? Is it possible? How is seen here the Slovak model to define the artist? Is there a definition that covers all situations in which one can find themselves as an artist? Copyright/related rights. How is positioned at this time the artist in this financial mechanism? Freedom of expression in art is a custom, or needs to be ensured by law? The right to health. Are there specific medical needs (occupational diseases) to be taken into account by a professional Charter? Tax deductions (or not) depending on the subdomain (the starting point of the German model). "
ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE ARTIST
Adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in 1980, the Recommendation concerning the Status of the artist is calling on all Member States to improve the professional status of the artists, through the implementation of measures and policies in the fields of education, social insurance, labour market conditions, revenue and taxation, mobility and freedom of expression. The Recommendation resulted in the recognition of the right of artists to organize into unions and professional organizations to represent and defend their interests.
In all countries, some of the artists are employed for their work, enjoying the same rights as employees in other professions. If they are self-employed, the specifics of their work does not allow them to obtain benefits during periods in which there are not employees, even though they had already acquired a qualification or work for their creations. The number of artists employed is, in all countries, much smaller than the independents.
In a 2015 Report made for UNESCO on the basis of a survey conducted in 2014, we find reports on the Status of the Artist in various Member States. In the field of social protection, in Germany, for example, there is the Sozialkasse Kunstler (KSK), the social security trust fund intended for artists. To be eligible for contributions, they have to record works within the last five years. Over 150 000 artists benefit from medical insurance and pension, some even receiving unemployment insurance. The Fund is fed at a rate of 50% by the artists, the other half coming from the Federal Government and from those using the artistic creations of the artists (book publishers, television and radio stations, art galleries and companies).
In Austria, some categories of artists are supported by the Insurance Fund for Artists (Künstlersozialversicherungsfondsgesetz). These are visual artists, theatrical performers, musicians, writers, film makers and contemporary artists. The programme is fed only from the contributions of the artists. Subsidies from the State enter into account if artists earn between 4743 and 23718 EUR/year. Subsidies are provided by contributions from companies, cable and broadcast companies that sells satellite receivers and decoders.
In Slovakia, the artists contribute a percentage of 2% of their own revenue to social programs other than those provided by the public health system. Funds are used to provide support, upon request, for the artists, in the form of monthly amounts or grants for specific situations, in cases of illness, old age or death. Artists can benefit from this Fund to settle their medical treatments, either partially or completely, depending on the situation. In the United States, professional unions of artists, including the Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Writers Guild of America, the American Federation of Musicians, the Equity Association of Actors and the Directors Guild of America, realize broad and successful programs to provide medical insurance and pensions to members who had worked consistently along their career path.
ABOUT ALTERNATIVE CULTURE PROJECT
The project "Alternative Culture" was selected for funding under the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014-2020 and is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund. This program aims at the creation of a modern public administration, able to facilitate socio-economic development, by means of public competitive services, investment and quality regulations, thus contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
The project ”Alternative Culture” aims to strengthen the capacity of NGOs and relevant actors in the cultural field to initiate, promote, implement and monitor public policies adapted to the current cultural context in Romania, in order to improve and synchronize it with the European and international cultural environment, and to formulate an alternative proposal on the Status of the Artist in Romania.
The project "Alternative Culture" is being carried out by the cultural Association “Flower Power”, whose mission is to create projects and programmes to support the activities of young artists, the real communication between them and the other institutions and bodies that may support or contribute to the development and progress of their projects, and to support the involvement of artists in various fields: education, vocational training, cultural events, formulation of cultural policies adapted to the international cultural context.
"Alternative culture” is a project supported by TVR, RFI, Radio Romania Cultural, Observator Cultural, România Liberă, Modernism.ro, Docuart.ro, and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO. Expert working meetings are carried out in partnership with Embassy - Timișoara, 3G Theatre - Târgu Mureș, Creation and Reactor Experiment - Cluj, National University of Arts "George Enescu" in Iași and Cesianu House - Municipality Museum Bucharest.
Contacts for ”Alternative Culture”