Creative Europe: On Governance and Management of Artistic Creativity in Europe

Edited by An ERICarts Report. Prepared by Danielle Cliché, Ritva Mitchell and Andreas Wiesand 2002 ISBN 3 930395 59 2 £17.50 [£21.60 inc p&p]

This is a weighty volume, but well worth the investment in time required to explore its substantial consideration and analysis of the prevailing conditions for creativity in Europe. It is likely to be required reading for policy makers, researchers, government agencies, funding bodies and professional arts organisations to help them get a better overview of the emerging creativity governance trends in Europe.

In recognising the changing climate for creativity in Europe this report by the European Research Institute for Comparative Cultural Policy and the Arts (ERICArts), emerges with new identities for ‘creators’, leaving behind the ‘myths of the lone creative genius’ and proclaiming independent artists as ‘knowledge workers, entrepreneurs or culture industry units’’. It considers the new working practices artists and cultural workers are creating to transcend traditional boundaries between sector disciplines and functions, and the challenges these produce for decision makers when developing appropriate programmes, funding schemes and legal frameworks. A variety of systems employed by different countries to govern and manage artistic creativity and cultural innovation are explored and how these are reflected in their policies, programmes and partnership structures.
Key issues include consideration of new modes of partnerships between public, private and non-profit agencies to support creative initiatives; how the management of artistic creativity is organised and what is being done by contemporary European governments to support artistic work.

Part 1 quite appropriately sets the context through putting the artist first, beginning with a recording of voices from artists explaining the challenges they are facing today. It gradually expands to a presentation of existing measures which support artistic creativity and markets in Europe.

Part 2 deals with issues in the management of creativity, analysing the role of managers in the promotion of artistic ideas and secondly on the different types of cultural milieus that generate ideas and support their implementation.

You get well over 300 pages for your money, but it is refreshing to discover that much of the book is dedicated to exploring the issues through a consideration of a wide range of case studies from different countries which help to illustrate emerging theoretical analysis. It’s findings are worth imbibing, although be warned this is not a light-weight week-end read. I found myself reading each page twice in order to extract full benefit from its considerable wealth of knowledge, insight and conclusions. For those working in the cultural sector as policy makers, seeking funding or simply looking for fresh approaches to creative partnerships it is definitely a recommended read.

Review by Rick Bond
Director of The Complete Works UK Ltd, a cultural consultancy and training provider www.thecompleteworks.org.uk
Arts Professional Issue No. 67 9th February, 2004

SAM's Books compiles the Bookshop section of Arts Professional magazine, and used to compile Bookshop in its predecessor, Arts Business. This review has appeared in Arts Professional or Arts Business. It gives a longer and more personal description of the book than appears in the booklists.