Aiming to get closer to other cities that are preparing to host the title of ECOC, to learn from their experiences and to explore opportunities for new collaborations, we visited Leeuwarden and the province of Friesland in the Netherlands that will host the title of the European Capital of Culture in 2018.
The visit was part of the parallel events of the International Network for contemporary Performing Arts IETM held in Amsterdam and served as a chance to meet and network with other cities holding or claiming the title of ECOC. So we had the opportunity to meet with Aarhus 2017 from Denmark, Galway 2020 from Ireland, Cluj – Napoca 2021 and Bucharest 2021 from Romania.
Leeuwarden 2018 is a proposal that focuses on the culture of rural communities and is based on the collaboration between artistic, cultural institutions and the citizens of rural areas. During our journey in Friesland we visited three different towns of the region, while the responsibles of Leeuwarden 2018 cultural program explained to us the particular characteristics of the specific projects implemented in the context of their program. Finally, in Leeuwarden, the artistic director has briefly presented the entire program and the visit closed with discussions between the candidate cities for possible collaborations.
