The program “Applause Doesn’t Pay the Rent” is intended for the education of young artists and cultural workers, and offers knowledge about the relationship between art and work, the history of workers’ struggles, and organisations, unions and initiatives fighting for better working conditions. The program is organised through lectures, talks, presentations, and workshops and has been implemented on a biennial basis since 2021.

More information about the program is available on the BLOK website.

Photos: Luka Pešun for BLOK.

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CLIMB #1 was developed in response to the increasingly complex conditions in which organisations in the contemporary circus and outdoor arts sectors operate. In the context of growing economic pressures, rising expectations related to equity and sustainability, and the increasing complexity of team management, the programme focused on rethinking and developing new approaches to cultural leadership, with an emphasis on governance, wellbeing, and shared responsibility.

The programme was jointly designed and facilitated by Dr Giuliana Ciancio, Dr Dea Vidović, and Dr Luisella Carnelli, combining research-based and practice-oriented approaches to working with cultural professionals. Over the course of the three-day programme, participants engaged in structured discussion sessions and peer exchange to strengthen their capacities to lead organisations in dynamic and demanding contexts.

As part of the programme, Dr Dea Vidović facilitated a discussion session on soft skills and wellbeing in culture and delivered a lecture titled Rethinking Power and Leadership in International Cultural Relations, addressing questions of power relations, the transformation of leadership, and the role of cultural actors in contemporary social and political contexts.

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The book contributes to current debates on work, cultural policy, and social inequalities in the European context, and it brings together contributions by international authors from the fields of cultural sociology, cultural studies, media studies, and the sociology of work. It presents the results of recent research on creative labour and offers empirical analyses from various European countries and across different sectors of the cultural and creative industries. Particular emphasis is placed on working conditions and professional trajectories of cultural and creative workers, the relationship between cultural, tax, and economic policies and creative work, tensions between the discourse of the creative economy and lived working experiences, as well as possibilities for more just and sustainable models of work in the cultural sector.

More information about the book, including the list of chapters and biographies of the contributing authors, is available on the Routledge publisher’s website, where pre-orders for the book can also be placed via the following link.

Featured image: Routledge.

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The lecture introduced the concept of invisible cultural policy, highlighting that cultural policy is shaped not only by formal legislation and strategies, but also by broader public values, administrative practices and organisational processes. Special attention was given to cultural federalism in the United States, characterised by strong decentralisation and the key role of state, local and non-profit actors.

Drawing on examples from programmes implemented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), Dr Redaelli demonstrated how values such as diversity, accessibility and inclusion are translated into concrete policy measures. Emphasis was placed on the role of pluralistic public culture in fostering dialogue and participation.

The lecture concluded with an interactive discussion, focusing on differences between American and European, particularly Croatian, cultural policy models, the role of public funding, the complexity of institutional frameworks and challenges related to insufficient funding.

Dr Redaelli’s book “Invisible Cultural Policy: A Public Policy Perspective on Culture in the United States” is available in open access here:
https://www.elgaronline.com/monobook-oa/book/9781035330232/9781035330232.xml

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The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for reflecting on the relationship between contemporary cultural and creative industries and the diverse aspects of cultural heritage. Discussions focused on the application of creative approaches, new models of collaboration, and innovative solutions emerging at the intersection of culture, art, and heritage on the one hand, and gastronomy, agriculture, ecology, biology, tourism, and local development on the other.

Through ongoing dialogue at annual conferences, the event creates a space for exchange among experts and scholars from different disciplines, while also encouraging international interdisciplinary cooperation and the development of new connections that contribute to the sustainable and healthy development of communities within an environmentally conscious and responsible context.

More information about the conference’s rich and diverse five-day program is available on the event website: https://kkib.me/

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During their stay, they conducted a study visit to Forum Groningen as part of their research into European examples of hybrid cultural institutions that integrate diverse cultural, social, and educational functions into their operations. In addition, Dr Vidović and Dr Žuvela delivered a guest lecture and led a discussion at the University of Groningen, as part of the Master’s programme in Cultural Leadership at the Department of Arts, Culture and Media Studies. Their session focused on participatory governance in culture, collaborative governance practices, and the development of innovative organisational and institutional models.

This research visit contributes to IRMO’s broader inquiry into the intersections of cultural policy, institutional change, and participatory paradigms in contemporary cultural ecosystems.

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The paper critically analyses the impact of the Culturelink network over three decades, emphasising its ongoing relevance as a key reference and inspiration for developing transformative cultural policies. Established in 1989 through a joint initiative of UNESCO and the Council of Europe within the scope of the World Decade for Cultural Development, the Culturelink network was created as a “network of networks.” Its goal was to break research isolation and foster cooperation in cultural development, especially in international cultural collaboration. With its central coordination hub at IRMO in Croatia, Culturelink has developed a unique research profile, grounded in a commitment to global cultural development and a decentralised epistemological perspective. It offers a platform for the fair participation of diverse voices from all continents in debates about the main challenges facing contemporary cultural policy. By systematically analysing the network’s growth, research activities, publications, cooperations and events, the paper highlights Culturelink’s role in shaping international cultural policy discourse. The article identifies structural imbalances influencing contemporary international cultural relations and policy processes, emphasising the need to incorporate social justice and decolonisation principles as foundational elements of cultural policy. In this context, the paper raises broader questions about the role of such research networks in promoting future research and transforming cultural policies.

The paper is available via this link, and the first 50 readers may access a free e-print.

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The chapter examines the relationship between democratic traits and the normative promises of cultural policy versus its actual practice, viewing this relationship through the lens of participatory governance in culture as one of the key contemporary directions in cultural policy development. The authors analyse how participatory models can contribute to democratizing cultural policy by redirecting decision-making from centralized and bureaucratic structures toward shared, context-responsive, and collaborative governance arrangements. Using the concepts of embeddedness, institutionalization, and Participatory Institutional Design, the chapter offers an analysis of Croatian cultural policy with particular emphasis on civil society initiatives and the civil-public institution Pogon (Zagreb) as a fifteen-year case study of participatory governance in practice.

The edited volume Cultural Democracy contains 11 chapters in which authors consider the ramifications of the term ‘cultural democracy’ from a variety of perspectives. In recent years, the concept of cultural democracy has gained traction in cultural policy and academic discourse, while manifesting itself on a practical level in cultural practice, but has not been uniformly defined. This book proposes that it is a system of production, participation, support and policy of the arts acknowledging the right for all citizens to produce, access, and experience culture. Starting from this premise, the book goes on to elaborate on how the fields of cultural policy and cultural production could be aware of and relate to the cultural life-world of people. This is in opposition to the traditional top-down approach of cultural policy, distribution and cultural education systems, which depart from the canonical value of artworks and the institutional power of producers and venues. Cultural Democracy advocates a fundamentally bottom-up approach towards organising, supporting and educating arts and culture.

The chapter by Dr Vidović and Dr Žuvela is available here, while information about the book, as well as other scholarly papers published in the edited volume, are also available on the publisher’s website.

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The workshop took place on Friday, 10 October 2025, at the Arsen House of Art in Šibenik, organized by the Fortress of Culture Šibenik. More than twenty citizens participated, responding to the public call for participation launched by the institution.

The Fortress of Culture Šibenik commissioned IRMO’s Department of Culture and Communication to prepare two interrelated documents: the Study/Analysis of the Socio-Economic Impact of the Fortress of Culture Šibenik 2014–2024 and the Integrated Strategic Management Plan of the Institution until 2030. As a public cultural institution, the Fortress of Culture plays a key role in the cultural development of Šibenik and the Šibenik-Knin County and is recognized as a model of sustainable cultural heritage management in Croatia and beyond. To this end, a methodological research framework was developed that both reflects the institution’s socio-economic impact so far and, through a participatory process, sets out guidelines for its long-term positioning within the cultural, social, and economic context of local and regional development. In this way, the Study and the Strategic Plan will contribute to further strengthening sustainable management approaches at the Fortress of Culture Šibenik and enhancing the institution’s visibility and recognition at both national and international levels.

The preparation of these documents is being carried out within the FORTIC project (Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027), implemented by the Fortress of Culture Šibenik.

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On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, this presentation will reflect on the journey of the Convention from its negotiation to its implementation as a global cultural policy instrument. It will examine how the Convention has shaped debates at the intersection of culture and trade, fostered new policy frameworks and international cooperation, and supported capacity-building initiatives around the world.

Beyond its achievements, the presentation will highlight emerging challenges – particularly those linked to the digital environment and to inequalities in cultural exchange – and discuss how the Convention adapts to shifting global trends. In this perspective, the renewed multilateral momentum around culture, epitomized by the UNESCO Mondiacult process, offers a timely opportunity to assess the Convention’s continuing relevance as a cornerstone of international cultural governance.

The lecture will be held in English. Please sign up to attend the lecture by October 10, 2025, to kultura@irmo.hr

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