IETM Rijeka Talk of the Day: For democratic cultural policies with Dea Vidović

Cultural development is inherently linked with the qualification of so-called artistic excellence and artistic autonomy. At the same time, cultural participation is an inseparable part of cultural democracy. Thus, enhanced cultural participation without compromising the arts represents one of the most important challenges for democratic cultural policy. The recognition of cultural participation as a democratic form worthy of public attention and support in some cases has already provoked marginalisation and negligence of the issues related to the aesthetic and artistic values. At the same time, the requirement of inclusion of different social groups in arts has often been instrumentalised and resulted in the absence of change in power relations.  To what degree are democratic forms maintained in cultural development? What kind of participation legitimises cultural democracy? At what point does cultural participation become entertainment and consumerism? How should the cultural policy utilitarian paradigm be changed, so that the implementation of cultural participation doesn’t slip into populism? How the 21st century cultural democracy should look like? This Talk of the Day at IETM Rijeka Plenary Meeting 2019 addressed these issues from the perspective of new and emerging initiatives for the redefinitions of democratic vitality, quality and accountability in cultural policy.