IN SITU partnership between NATFIZ and the University of Turku, Finland on innovation and entrepreneurship in non-urban areas

The collaborative interactive seminar “How can artists and creatives be more entrepreneurial and innovative in non-urban areas?” was held in Finland at the Rauma Maritime Museum (31 October- 2 November 2023) and aimed at improving the entrepreneurial and innovative capacities of artists living and working in non-urban areas in Finland. The expectation is to unlock new possibilities for collaboration, partnership, and income generation. This capacity-building part of the IN SITU project “Place-based innovations in culture and creative industries” seeks to secure a multiplication effect of the conducted series of training, consulting, and mentoring sessions each of the six LAB regions, related to the IN SITU project (Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Iceland, Azores, Croatia) and to correspond to the needs of the CCIs players in these regions.

The seminar sessions covered actual and needed topics related to improving the skills of artists and creative entrepreneurs in applying efficiently to diverse external sources of funding and financing; enhancing artistic abilities by adding complementary skills in using digital technologies and business models online; to advancing skills in applying visual and written storytelling for improving visibility and gain audiences; applying effectively collaborative strategies at the local level. The seminar was conducted by a team from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts “Kr. Sarafov”, Sofia with lead Prof. Dr. Lidia Varbanova, Program Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elena Trencheva, Dean of Screen Arts Faculty, Lyubomira Kostova, Ph.D. candidate and Mila Velcheva, Arts Manager and Legal Advisor.http://www.natfa.bg

An important part of the seminar was the Heritage Futures Workshop, led by Adj. Prof. Katriina Siivonen and Adj. Prof. Pauliina Latvala-Harvilahti from the University of Turku, aiming to create a vision for the future of culture and creative industries, by moving back 50 years in time and then forward to the future.

The training was attended online and offline by local Finish artists and representatives of other small-scale arts organizations, as well as arts managers from other countries.