Exploring the intangible impacts of cultural events on the creative sector: Experiences from the Cultural Olympiad programmes of Torino 2006 and London 2012

This paper engages with the debates around the Olympic legacy by exploring the qualitative, intangible impacts of the Cultural Olympiad programme on local small creative firms in Torino, Italy and London, UK. The research objectives are achieved through a qualitative study of local small creative firms’ perceptions of the impacts of the Olympic Games’ cultural programme on their activities. To achieve this, Torino 2006 and London 2012 are used as case studies. The findings of this exploratory study show that cultural events can impact the creative sector. They do this by providing opportunities for mutual learning and access to initiatives that may generate ideas and new skills, as well as contributing to the development of a creative field. The study also explores the weaknesses and missed opportunities linked to the Cultural Olympiad programme, as perceived by creative practitioners. These include the lack of information and failure to engage smaller businesses. Based on qualitative analysis and discussion, recommendations for future organizers and further research are provided.

Market impact of international sporting and cultural events

We study market reaction to the announcements of the selected country hosting the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the World Football Cup, the European Football Cup and World and Specialized Exhibitions. We generalize previous results analyzing a large number and different types of mega-events, evaluate the effects for winning and losing countries, investigate the determinants of the observed market reaction and control for the ex ante probability of a country being a successful bidder. Average abnormal returns measured at the announcement date and around the event are not significantly different from zero. Further, we find no evidence supporting that industries, that a priori were more likely to extract direct benefits from the event, observe positive significant effects. Yet, when we control for anticipation, the stock price reactions around the announcements are significant.

Newspaper coverage impact on cultural events: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012: European Cultural Capitals

Artigo baseado na comunicação proferida no 1st International Symposium on Media Studies, realizado na Akdeniz Universitesi Yayınları, Antalya, Turquia, 21-23 de novembro de 2013

How much cultural events are "worth" for host communities: Case of Faz Música Lisboa

This paper studies the economic and social impact of Faz Música Lisboa on the segment of society that feels from any direct or indirect consequence due to its existence. A qualitative research based on surveys and interviews is made to retract a list of the benefits and costs that each stakeholder perceives. Relying on the quantifiable variables, it is performed a cost-benefit analysis to measure how much the event is “worth” for the community. I conclude this is a viable project, as it brings a positive net benefit to the society, value that could increase with a higher institutional support.

Thesis Eleven festival and cultural sociology public event : a report

From June 7th to 15th the Thesis Eleven Centre for Cultural Sociology at La Trobe University directed by Peter Beilharz put together a programme of public lectures, cultural events and master classes under the theme ‘Word, Image, Action: Popular Print and Visual Cultures’. This article reports on the highlights of the festival, including a forum titled ‘Does WikiLeaks Matter?, a half-day event ‘On Bauman’, and a public lecture by Ron Jacobs on ‘Media Narratives of Economic Crisis’.

A concretização de políticas públicas na área cultural como garantia de efetiva concessão de direitos sociais

O estudo propõe uma reflexão sobre o Direito à Cultura sob a ótica dos Direitos Fundamentais por meio de uma abordagem contextualizada com as formas em que este direito, seja pelo enfoque individual, seja pelo aspecto coletivo, se concretiza e com as atuações estatais que contribuem para tanto em um cenário de prevalência do modo de vida urbano não só nas cidades, mas também em comunidades outrora tidas como rurais, mas que absorvem progressivamente o modo de vida urbano. A Constituição Federal reconhece amplamente os Direitos Culturais, tendo-os como direitos imprescindíveis para a dignidade da pessoa humana em uma vida em sociedade, mas também impondo ao Poder Público que articule as Políticas Públicas proporcionando instrumentos para que as relações sociais desenvolvam-se em um ambiente de respeito à diversidade cultural e de fomento às manifestações culturais, por ver nelas um patrimônio do povo brasileiro e um espaço de exercício da personalidade de cada indivíduo. Para tanto, a dissertação apresenta uma ampla pesquisa sobre a legislação relacionada com o setor e mostra como estas Políticas Públicas podem estimular a Economia da Cultura em prol de um novo modelo de desenvolvimento, mais sustentável do que o paradigma industrial apresenta.

‘‘Capital of Culture - you must be having a laugh!” Challenging the official rhetoric of Liverpool as the 2008 European cultural capital’

Major cultural events are increasingly seen by local stakeholders as important opportunities to stimulate urban regeneration, city branding and economic development. The European Capital of Culture programme is a prominent example. Since 1985 over thirty cities have hosted the title and today it remains a highly sought-after prize. This paper analyses competing interpretations of the success of Liverpool's hosting of the European Capital of Culture in 2008. It unpacks contrasting views of Liverpool08, from the official triumphant message of urban regeneration and economic renaissance to more critical analyses that problematise important elements of the event and its social and spatial impacts. In so doing, it challenges the hyperbole of culture-led transformation to reveal different geographies of culture, different cultural experiences and different socio-economic realities; it also offers an additional cultural reading of Liverpool in 2008. Through the example of Liverpool this paper shows how local culture is politicised, manipulated and sanitised in order to stimulate urban regeneration and construct a spatial re-branding of the city.

De grands événements culturels sont de plus en plus perçus par les rentiers locaux comme des opportunités importantes pour stimuler la régénération urbaine, produire la devise des villes et le développement économique. L'initiative La Capitale Européenne de la Culture est un exemple proéminent. Depuis 1985, plus de trente villes ont accueilli le titre et maintenant il reste un prix largement recherché. Cet article analyse des interprétations en concurrence du succès de l'accueil de Liverpool de la Capitale Européenne de la Culture en 2008. Il déballe des vues contrastées de Liverpool08, du message officiel et triomphal de la régénération urbaine et de la renaissance économique à des analyses plus critiques qui problématisent des éléments importants de l'événement et ses impacts sociaux et spatiaux. De cette façon, il conteste l'hyperbole de la transformation menée par la culture pour révéler des géographies différentes de la culture, des expériences différentes de la culture et des réalités socioéconomiques différentes; il offre aussi une interprétation culturelle différente de Liverpool en 2008. Au travers de l'exemple de Liverpool cet article montre comment la culture locale est politisée, manipulée et aseptisée pour stimuler la régénération urbaine et construire un relookage spatial de la ville.

Cada vez más, los inversores locales vean a los eventos culturales como oportunidades importantes para estimular regeneración urbana, el desarollo económico y la branding a una ciudad. El Capital Europeo de Cultura es un ejemplo prominente. Desde 1985, más que treinta ciudades han presentado el título y hoy sigue siendo un premio deseable. Este papel se analiza interpretaciones competitivos del éxito del Capital Europea de Cultura 2008 en Liverpool. Se deshace las perspectivas opuestas del Liverpool08, del mensaje triunfante de regeneración urbana y renacimiento económico, a analices críticos que problematizan elementos importantes del evento y sus impactos sociales y espaciales. Al hacer esto, se cuestiona el hipérbole de la transformación cultural para revelar geografías diferentes de cultura, experiencias culturales diferentes y realidades diferentes socio-económicas; también ofrece un entendimiento cultural adicional de Liverpool en el 2008. Através el ejemplo de Liverpool, este papel demuestra como la cultura local está politizada, manipulada, y desinfectado para estimular regeneración urbana y construir una nueva branding de la ciudad.

Reflections Upon the Experience of Longitudinal Research into Cultural Event Production in a Developing Destination

Longitudinal studies have the capacity to provide more nuanced explanations of tourism and event phenomena, taking account of complexity, change and context. This paper is a self-reflexive, methodological study of research practice. It investigates my experience of engaging with cultural event producers in an emerging destination over a seven-year period. Focussing on my research journey, it considers the social and relational dynamics associated with longitudinal research. Reciprocal relations and co-production of cultural events reveal nuanced information and expose fluid relationships and networks. Long-term engagement uncovers evolving practices and develops understanding of event processes embedded within their wider context.

Portuguese newspapers’ front-page and the coverage of European Cultural Capital: Porto 2001 and Guimarães 2012

Portugal hosted in the last thirteen years, two editions of the event European Cultural Capital; this paper intends to illustrate the coverage that Portuguese newspapers (daily newspapers Público, Diário de Notícias, Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias, a weekly newsmagazine Visão and a weekly newspaper Expresso) made, through referrals in front-page and respective developments within the editions, to each of the events and that allows us to define the main moments that marked each of them, patterns of action, the major players, planning and programming types. The European Cultural Capital project elects, from year to year, cities of different EU member states with the main goal of “contributing to bring together the Europe´s people" (words of Mélina Mercouri, Greek Minister of Culture who, in 1985, proposed the launch of this initiative) and encouraging the elected urban space to present new cultural paradigms. In the genesis of this model is the cultural decentralization’s vector, a possibility to medium-sized cities of funding public works, restoring heritage and promoting themselves in touristic terms, of giving visibility to cities away from cultural and creative industries’ major distribution centers. A crucial factor to achieve this goal is media coverage. This paper outline the information that the Portuguese press ran over the two years that elapsed the latest editions of the European Cultural Capital in Portugal, namely that media coverage have deviated from the disclosure of the events’ schedule to suggest itineraries of visit and little or not even question the role that cities, promoting such initiatives, have as places of innovation in terms of cultural policies, artistic production and innovation, in urban and environmental regeneration, in economic revitalization, in training and creating new artists and new audiences and in boosting the confidence of local communities. The content analysis performed to articles shows how press is essential to the promotion of cities as cultural/touristic destinations as it stimulates consumption among residents and attracts visitors, with the possible dire consequence of turning the cultural journalist into an agent of touristic instead of cultural promotion.

Professores que atuam concomitantemente no setor público e privado de ensino no Estado de São Paulo: angariação de capital cultural

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Planificação de uma plataforma web de calendarização e divulgação da oferta cultural do município de Angra do Heroísmo

Com o intuito de melhorar a eficiência na gestão e execução de responsabilidades junto dos munícipes, a Câmara Municipal de Angra do Heroísmo (CMAH), localizada na ilha Terceira (Região Autónoma dos Açores), distribui as suas valências por vários departamentos e colaboradores especializados. Apesar desta segmentação existem circunstâncias em que os mesmos trabalham em conjunto e cruzam informações, por exemplo, nos processos de licenciamento. Contudo, esta necessária troca de dados é deficiente quando se calendarizam eventos organizados ou não pela instituição em causa. Consequentemente, esta falha resulta muitas vezes na sobreposição de eventos, algo considerado insustentável numa comunidade relativamente pequena, como é o caso de Angra do Heroísmo (em 2013, contava com 35.109 habitantes). A autarquia pretende solucionar o problema tendo em conta as capacidades proporcionadas pelas plataformas da Web 2.0 que, entre outras, permitem a participação dos utilizadores e a fácil inserção e gestão da informação por pessoas sem conhecimentos técnicos aprofundados. Esta dissertação determina as especificações que devem estar presentes numa plataforma Web de calendarização e divulgação da oferta cultural, ao serviço do Município de Angra do Heroísmo; conceptualiza um protótipo funcional que valida as especificações identificadas e serve de apoio à construção da plataforma final a desenvolver no futuro. Esta investigação tem como fim melhorar o processo de calendarização e divulgação de eventos da oferta cultural do concelho angrense. Esta finalidade implicou a necessidade de conhecer aprofundadamente o funcionamento da instituição, identificando e distinguindo o papel dos vários intervenientes e processos, pelo que parte da investigação decorreu na Câmara Municipal de Angra do Heroísmo. Entre os vários desafios desta pesquisa destacam-se a recolha e compreensão de informação sobre o processo em estudo e o planeamento de um sistema digital intuitivo, que respeite as estruturas de decisão e o sistema hierárquico da autarquia e que detenha o grau de rigor exigido nas organizações governativas.

Building partnerships as a key strategy in developing an event management model for an international dance event : a case study of the 2008 WDA (World Dance Alliance) Global Summit, Brisbane, Australia

With the increasing growth of cultural events both in Australia and internationally, there has also been an increase in event management studies; in theory and in practice. Although a series of related knowledge and skills required specifically by event managers has already been identified by many researchers (Perry et al., 1996; Getz, 2002 & Silvers et al., 2006) and generic event management models proposed, including ‘project management’ strategies in an event context (Getz, 2007), knowledge gaps still exist in relation to identifying specific types of events, especially for not-for-profit arts events. For events of a largely voluntary nature, insufficient resources are recognised as the most challenging; including finance, human resources and infrastructure. Therefore, the concepts and principles which are adopted by large scale commercial events may not be suitable for not-for-profit arts events aiming at providing professional network opportunities for artists. Building partnerships are identified as a key strategy in developing an effective event management model for this type of event. Using the 2008 World Dance Alliance Global Summit (WDAGS) in Brisbane 13-18 July, as a case study, the level, nature and relationship of key partners are investigated. Data is triangulated from interviews with organisers of the 2008 WDAGS, on-line and email surveys of delegates, participant observation and analysis of formal and informal documents, to produce a management model suited to this kind of event.

Adapting, renewing, subverting : what place the performing arts in the creative industries?

Creative Industries was adopted as a platform in the 90s by the Blair government in the UK to describe the convergence of the arts, media, communication and information technologies as a newly formed cluster, providing economic and cultural capital for the knowledge economy. The philosophy and rhetoric which has grown around this concept (Leadbeater 2000, Castells 2000, Florida 2000, Caves 2000, Hartley 2000) has been influential in re-contextualising culture and the arts in the 21st century. Where governments and educational institutions have embraced the context of the creative industries, it is having a profound effect on the way arts are being positioned, originally as ‘creative content’ for the new economy. Countries and regions which have actively targeted the Creative Industries as an important economic growth factor in a post-industrial environment are numerous, but it is interesting to note that North and South East Asia and Australia have been at the forefront of developing the Creative Industries in its various guises. It could be argued that the initial phase of Creative Industries concentrated on media and communication technologies to provide commercial outcomes in small incubator business models; developing, for example, products for the games industry. Creative Industries is now entering a second phase of development; one in which the broader palette of the arts, though still not at the forefront of debate, is being re-examined. Both phases of Creative Industries have emphasised creativity and innovation as key drivers in the success and effectiveness of this sector, and although the arts by no means has a monopoly on these drivers, it is where they have an important part to play in the creative industries context. Arguably, the second wave of the creative industries acknowledges to a greater extent that commercialisation works in tandem with government and other support in a complex mixed economic model. In relation to the performing arts, the global market has seen an increase in large-scale cultural events such as festivals which are providing employment for the arts industry and multiplier effects in other parts of the economy. Differentiated product is important in this competitive arena and the use of mediated and digitised environments has been able to increase the amount of arts product available to an international market. This changed environment requires the development of new skills for our artists and producers and has given rise to a reappraisal of approaches to arts training and research in the Higher Degree Education sector (Brown 2007, Cunningham 2006). This paper examines pedagogical changes which took place in the first Creative Industries Faculty in the world at Queensland University of Technology as well as the increased opportunities for leading research initiatives. It concludes with the example of an interdisciplinary artwork produced in a creative industries precinct, exemplifying the convergence of arts and communication technologies and that of artistic practice and research.

Practices of alternative schools in Queensland in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to remain engaged in education

Alternative schools are an emerging model of education offered to young people who have been disenfranchised from conventional schooling opportunities. The body of literature on alternative schools in Australia has not identified how many Indigenous young people are engaged with alternative schools and how alternative schools are supporting Indigenous young people to remain engaged in education. It is well documented that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience significant disadvantage including poorer educational outcomes than their non-Indigenous peers. This study seeks to contribute to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people through exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interactions with alternative schools in Queensland and investigating the practices of alternative school leaders in terms of how they are supporting Indigenous young people to remain engaged in education. Critical race theory informed the development of this study. An Aboriginal researcher sought to shift the focus of this study away from Indigenous young people to Principals; to explore their perspective of their own knowledge and practices in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people at their school. Using survey methodology, a web-based questionnaire was developed to survey Principals’ providing data on alternative schools in Queensland including the demographics of the alternative school; self-reported knowledge of Indigenous cultures and communities and practices that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people at their alternative school. There are nine key findings that emerged through the analysis of this study: key finding one is the high percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people enrolled in schools surveyed; key finding two is there is a high percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff employed in the schools; key finding three is the majority of the schools are located in low socio-economic areas; key finding four is the strong willingness of Principals’ in this study to engage in self-directed learning in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; key finding five is the limited demonstration of understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and communities; key finding six is the most prevalent practice of Principals’ in this study is the celebration of cultural events and cultural activities; key finding seven is the limited Principal engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, their families and the local community; key finding eight is the practice of alternative schools provides limited support and nurturing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young person’s cultural identity and key finding nine is that Principals’ are relying heavily on informal discussions with staff to know what their staff’s knowledge and skills are in relation to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. There are multiple implications that have arisen from this study. The data demonstrated high numbers of Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander students and staff. The data also revealed that Principal’s demonstration of knowledge in relation to Indigenous cultures and communities was limited, as well as limited Principal engagement with Indigenous young peoples, families and communities. Therefore a major practical implication of this study is the urgent need for quality cultural learning opportunities for leaders of alternative schools to improve practices. Additionally, the implications of this study support an urgent need for further research on the role alternative schools are playing in supporting Indigenous young people to remain engaged in education.

Immigrants Mutual Aid Society, Inc. records, undated, 1938-1980.

Contains the papers of the Society founded in 1938 by recent German speaking Jewish immigrants to Boston to assist their initial adjustment to the economic, cultural, spiritual, and social life of the American community and subsequently, to provide mutual assistance to its membership and aid to other immigrants.