CULTUROPOLIS is a meeting space for reflecting on and discussing cultural rights, for thinking about how they are defined and for imagining and finding mechanisms that promote and guarantee that they are respected.
In 2021, Barcelona City Council presented “Fem Cultura. Plan For Cultural Rights in Barcelona”: a pioneering plan that includes nine government measures for implementing new public policies that seek to recognise and expand cultural rights in the city. From a municipal viewpoint, this initiative is Barcelona’s contribution to the international debate on cultural rights, and provides a framework for ambitious political reflection which paves the way for a formal recognition of cultural rights at an international level through local practices.
On 16, 17, 18 and 19 November 2022 Barcelona City Council promoted the first International Days on Cultural Rights – CULTUROPOLIS, which was being co-organised with Culture Action Europe, the largest European network of cultural networks, organisations, artists, activists, academics and policy makers. Foundation ARTeria is an active member of CAE from 2010 and Anna Ochmann, president of ARTeria, was invited to take part in the conference.
The CULTUROPOLIS programme included discussion panels, the presentation of good practices, an academic congress and an artistic programme.
Throughout the conference, CULTUROPOLIS showcased a selection of public, private or community projects and good practices, in order to highlight various ways of exercising cultural rights. The conference aimed to foster knowledge transfer and relations between practice and research. Happenings such as the Culturopolis Marketplace created places of dialogue, knowledge and interaction among the projects, research and people attending CULTUROPOLIS.
The speakers represented a broad range of backgrounds and practices, bringing perspectives from across European, local and grassroots levels. In addition, multidisciplinary research was shared, ranging from topics focused on cultural space and disability to gender justice to cultural mediation for public policies.
The conference also presented an artistic programme which was filled with shows, concerts, interventions, radio shows, performances and artistic workshops, all related to exercising cultural rights, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting the involvement of cultural agents and the general public.
More about the conference: https://www.barcelona.cat/aqui-es-fa-cultura/en/culturopolis
More about Culture Action Europe: https://cultureactioneurope.org/
