NATFA representatives presented at the EMPACT seminar of Espacio Rojo, Madrid

Capacity building for cultural professionals in diverse areas, related to nature, environment, sustainability, empathy and the arts is an important dimension of the innovative project EMPACT – Empathy and Sustainability: The Art of Thinking like a Mountain, co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme (Grant Agreement No: 101055903 – EMPACT – CREA-CULT-2021-COOP-2). Espacio Rojo, one of the EMPACT consortium partners, organised a seminar “Defense of Climate Crisis Through Artistic Cooperation and Project Creation Resilience” in Madrid 24-26 May 2023.

Prof. Dr. Lidia Varbanova and Prof. Dr. Velimir Velev from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr.Sarafov” (NATFA) had a presentation on “Environmental Sustainability in Arts Management Practice” and received warm applause by an audience of over 50 participants. They discussed key terminologies and shared international examples and trends in environmental and green management in the arts and creative industries.

A focus of the presentation was the role of artists and arts managers in addressing global environmental issues such as plastic pollution, food waste, global warming, the threat to biodiversity, air and water pollution, and electronic waste, through initiating and implementing innovative projects and creative initiatives.

The seminar opened diverse reflections and discussions on our role as managers, artists, mediators, or generators of initiatives to collaborate with cultural, social and environmental entities. The presentations and workshops focused on methods for caring about nature through the arts; eco-social movements and eco-art for improvement of the cultural environment; the role of culture and art for giving a meaning to the individual and collective identity; using diverse tools to be more resilient and empathetic toward each other, our audiences and the world as a whole.