A Developement Model for Cultural Institutions in Rural Areas in Romania

Phoenix ’05: A Pilot-Project They where 21 to present a new vision for the cultural house of their village or small town, 21 cultural referents from all over Romania. They had come to Timisoara together with their collaborators, with the mayor or the vice-mayor of their municipality. During the two days of Selection Forum organized by the Phoenix ’05-Project in April 2004, the Expovest Hall was full with market stalls showing photos, plans and objects, but also full with people, with pride, hope and emotions. The task of the jury was not easy: to select the five most promising models for a new Cultural House, which would get a grant for the realization of their plans. What impressed me most as a member of the jury was the creativity developed by the cultural referents in developing and concretizing a vision about the future of their cultural house. They had all participated in intensive training sessions and „Power days“ organized by the NGO CAR from Timisoara, with the support from the Swiss organization Café 3 (or „Changers“ by their new and quite well matching name). They were trained in cultural animation and in project design, they analyzed the specific needs and […]