Šolta is stepping up its culture game thanks to a helping hand from the Island Movement.
As Morski writes on the 26th of March, 2018, the end of last month saw quite some work take place involving the island of Šolta’s Olinta music choir. Namely, apart from the regular auditions and practicing of members of the association, the initiative of Šolta’s cultural associations alongside the well-known Island Movement (Pokret Otoka) came together and decided to submit a project to the European Social Fund bid entitled “Culture in the Centre”, aimed at encouraging participatory management in culture and the development of social cultural centres.
Šolta is an island of rich cultural and historical heritage whose development is contributed to by a dozen associations on the island, but it is additionally enriched by numerous artists – individuals who modestly conceal their talents, only revealing their excellent work during theme nights or at various exhibitions. In addition to the existing cultural resources, Šolta is also known as the ”refuge” of Marko Marulić, Petar Hektorović, numerous painters and artists, and Šolta’s ”čakavica” is included in the list of intangible cultural heritage, as Pokret Otoka/Maja Jurišić writes.
The future of cultural associations on the island
The existence and the further work of the association once depended upon a long-term investment in the island’s traditions and cultural heritage, however, additional efforts and funding are now needed in order to raise the overall quality and attract younger generations to the field, in order to continue to encourage individuals to properly cooperate. The Project Forum Association, which began with its work just a couple of years ago, regularly gathered organisations and individuals interested in participating in the development of the island’s cultural program together, but unfortunately has not survived to this day. Today, there are no proper structures for the development of cultural-artistic activities on the island in place, and since almost all associations are fully funded from the municipal budget, their activities are unfortunately not sustainable in the long term.
This is why partner organisations, led by the Olinta music choir, the Šolta cultural society, the Sulet amateur theater and the Island Movement, as well as the Šolta Municipality as a local self-government partner, have concluded that it is essential to educate, empower and disseminate associations and their members about cooperation, the long-term sustainability of organisations, and other sources of funding.
The purpose and objectives of the project
Through the implementation of this project, the local population, existing associations and representatives of the local self-government will be educated on the importance of joint management, active stakeholder participation, long-term sustainability and the general quality of cultural program performance(s). By networking within the field of culture, their joint action in the direction of participatory management and the use of public infrastructure will create solid foundations for the further, sustainable development of artistic and cultural creativity on this picturesque Dalmatian island.
By jointly designing and implementing a cultural program, stakeholders will carry out a series of campaigns aimed at raising awareness and educating the general public, as well as attracting targeted cultural program users.
The implementation of project activities will support the development of artistic creativity, participation in culture, and strengthen the activities of civil organisations on the island. By enabling the rights of all stakeholders to jointly manage and develop a cultural program, by placing the space of the House of Culture (Dom Kulture) into a long-term sustainable function and by bringing together the objectives and activities of the participatory management of the general public, local stakeholders are given the provisions needed to participate in the cultural life and development of the community, but also to acheive the aim of making the island’s culture accessible and inclusive.
The results of the project
According to the announcements from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the results of the competition are expected to come in at the beginning of summer, but according to past experiences, it is believed that the final results can be expected only in early September.
Until then, confirmation that all of the necessary administrative conditions after which the project will go into the second stage of project evaluation, meaning the approval of its numerous activities and budgets, is awaited. If the project is approved, the project will obtain around 790,000.00 kuna in funds for the culture of the island of Šolta.
