“Culture with priority” is the call for the Sectoral Strategy for Culture 2023 – 2030

On November 17th, 2022, the National Conference of Cultural Managers (9th edition), an event organized by the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training, began at the National Library of Romania.

The event was officially opened by Lucian Romașcanu – Minister of Culture, followed by PhD Prof. Mircea Vasilescu – University of Bucharest, member of the Culturadata Scientific Council and PhD Assoc. Prof. Carmen Croitoru – General Director of Culturadata.

“We are at an extremely important stage – to design and approve a cultural strategy for the next seven, eight or even more years. In general, the management at any kind in Romania, and I assume, especially in the cultural sphere, is the management of extinguishing fires, lack of continuity, at least at the top of the institutions, creating the premise of permanent emergency. In these circumstances, I want to sincerely congratulate you for being in a position to lead cultural institutions that, fortunately, this year, have been better funded than in other years, but with people not very well paid but who make efforts out of a dedication not always related to their own income. We tried to raise the salaries, we managed it, we had a law, but some justice lovers, do not say the party initials, because nobody knows about them anymore, they challenged it at CCR. We hope to adjust the situation when the law returns to Parliament and to see that, beyond the discourse, culture is valued at the level it deserves. But we were lucky to have a reasonable budget this year, we have 100% more money allocated to large cultural projects, but also to small, independent ones. We have secured significant sums for contemporary art purchases and book purchases, so it has been a year of plenty, but it is never as much as it should be. What is very important now is that, following these discussions, the cultural strategy we are preparing starts from a very clear principle – increasing cultural consumption – to result in strategic objectives that we all pursue in our work. It is a checklist to be used every time we make decisions. I thank my colleagues for all their dedication and for the efforts made for Romania, through culture, to be a nation and not a population.” said Minister of Culture, Lucian Romașcanu.

“Over time, the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training has changed our perception of how we relate to culture, that is, in addition to creativity, creation and talent, we need someone to create a map and guide! Culturadata has assumed this role through the research and publications available to the general public: The Cultural Consumption Barometer, Trends of Cultural Consumption in the Pandemic and others”, said PhD Prof. Mircea Vasilescu, of the University of Bucharest, member of the Culturadata Scientific Council.

“The ninth edition of the National Conference of Cultural Managers is under the sign of the Sectoral Strategy for Culture 2023-2030, which benefited of the infrastructure of the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training, that had all the necessary data prepared. It is a project that I dare to call extraordinary because we’ve been waiting for about 30 years, and maybe we would have waited for another 30 years if we did not have the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Project Management Unit that initiated a financing application for the realization of this programmatic document”, said PhD Assoc. Prof. Carmen Croitoru, General Director of Culturadata.

Among the participants were over 150 managers from public cultural institutions, specialists in management and cultural entrepreneurship and representatives of central and local authorities in Romania.

The National Conference of Cultural Managers continues on November 18^th, 2022, and more details about the event and programme can be found here: https://www.culturadata.ro/national-conference-of-cultural-managers-2022/.

The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (Culturadata), subordinated to the Ministry of Culture, is the only national institute that aims to study, research and provide statistical data for the field of culture, as well as the continuous training of those who choose a career in the cultural sector.

The National Conference of Cultural Managers is the most important national conference organized annually since 2014 by Culturadata as a platform for consultation and dialogue, which has become an opportunity for meeting and exchanging good practices for cultural professionals.