Over 450 people gathered at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg for the Assises culturelles (Cultural Forum) held on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 July 2016.
Delivering the opening speech, Secretary of State for Culture, Guy Arendt, spoke of the participatory approach adopted in the preparation of the conference. Upstream of the Assises, eight sectoral focus groups identified challenges in their respective sectors and four cross-cutting issues were identified.
On the first day, two subjects were addressed: "The School, a Place of Cultural Transmission?" and "Artist - A Profession Like Any Other". The themed sessions were introduced by Jean Marc-Lauret of the Ministry of Culture and of Communication in France and Dr. Christiane Schnell of the Goether Universität Frankfurt, respectively. The subjects were then discussed through a round table, followed by a discussion with the audience.
In the second part of the Forum, two other subjects formed the order of the day: "Promoting Artistic Creation. What Strategy?" and "Is Culture Recognised for its Fair Value in Society?". The discussions were framed by presentations from Toni Attard of the Arts Council Malta and Kathrin Merkle, the Council of Europe.
Luxembourg Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, Xavier Bettel, attended the closing of the conference. After the summary of sessions by the four rapporteurs, Xavier Bettel presented the follow-up to the Assises. He announced that Jo Kox, former executive director of the Casino - Contemporary Art Forum and President of the National Cultural Fund, have been charged with the task of monitoring the Assises and enhancing discussions.
The prime minister stated that the Forum is not the end but the beginning of a constructive dialogue with the cultural sector.
Photo by SIP/Charles Caratini
