Dr. Sacha Kagan, sacha.kagan (at) cultura21.org, Lueneburg

About the organizers

The organizational strength of the first International Summer School of Arts and Sciences for Sustainability in Social Transformation, benefits from the convergence of the expertise of the two international, non-governmental organizations initiating and implementing this event:

• The International Network Cultura21 (‘Cultural Fieldworks for Sustainability’ ; with organizational bases in Germany, Mexico, Italy and Denmark) brings to the project its expertise in art & science based action & research for “cultures of sustainability”, as well as its network of scientists, academics, artists and other cultural practitioners (with its national Cultura21 organizations in Germany, Italy, Mexico and Nordic-European countries). The German organization “Cultura21 Institut e.V.” and the Denmark-based “Cultura21 Nordic” organization act as partners of the I3C in the preparation and organization of the Summer School and in the follow-up evaluation of the event (evaluation team).
• The International Council for Cultural Centers (I3C ; based in Bulgaria) brings to the project its expertise and commitment in the establishment and coordination of the global network of national networks of community cultural centers (with e.g. the European Network of Cultural Centers), thus I3C contributes a vision and practical experience in network dynamics, trans-continental cooperation, and yet the grassroots realities of small spaces dedicated to community development through the arts. Thematically, I3C has been developing expertise in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and cultural diversity synchronized with UNESCO’s Conventions. I3C further acts as the host and organizer of the first edition of the Summer School, in August 2010. 

Two further organizations are partners on the organization of the first International Summer School of Arts and Sciences for Sustainability in Social Transformation:

• The Latin American Network of Art for Social Transformation (with its coordination based in Argentina) brings to the project its expertise in transformative artistic practices in communities as well as its extensive network of community arts organizations across South and Central America. The AFST net will contribute with information and connections with outstanding art for social transformation practitioners within arts and sciences.
• The Center for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), based in Bangalore (India), a research center working to "understand culture in its most inclusive sense - as encompassing the diverse attempts of people to produce meaning of various kinds".

About the organizers

Besides the supporters of the summer school as a whole, i.e. the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) as a follow-up project of the Dialogue on Arts, Culture & Climate Change (Beijing, 2008), and the Municipality of Gabrovo...

...a number of further organizations are supporting specific workshop organizers at the summer school:

The workshop by Laurent Malone (OsservatorioNomade, Marseille, France) is supported by Culturesfrance, Ville de Marseille and Roberto Cimetta Fund

The workshop by David Haley is supported by MIRIAD (Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design), Manchester Metropolitan University

The workshop by Barbara Lounder is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage

The involvement of Sacha Kagan as director of the summer school is supported by the Institute of Cultural Theory, Research and the Arts, Leuphana University Lüneburg

About Sacha and ASSiST

Founding Coordinator of Cultura21 International (www.cultura21.net), Sacha Kagan launched the concept of this Summer School in mid-2009, through conversations with Ines Sanguinetti (Red LATS), Nadezhda Savova (I3C), Oleg Koefoed (Cultura21 Nordic), Hans Dieleman (Cultura21 Mexico), Francesca Cozzolino (Cultura21 International) , and with hindsight on his direct experience of previous activities by Cultura21 and other organizations engaged for arts and sustainability, such as: Cultura21's workshop during the Venice Biennale in 2007, 'Tipping Point' at the PIK (Potsdam) , 'Burning Ice' at Kaai Theater (Brussels), the 'Asia-Europe Dialogue on Arts, Culture and Climate Change' initiated by ASEF (Beijing) with Cultura21's collaboration, and the Europe-Latin-American Symposium “Focus on Art for Social Transformation" (Dresden)...

What I felt was missing in all those inspiring and stimulating encounters, conferences, workshops, etc. (and am still missing in more recent events such as "Culture|Futures" alongside COP15), was the possibility to work deeper, with more focus, and with more time available, on each other's work, and to really learn from each other. The goal of ASSiST is to offer such a framework, allowing to build transdisciplinary action-research, beyond the stimuli of already existing frameworks for interdisciplinary encounters.

Sacha Kagan is Research Associate at the Leuphana University, Lüneburg (Germany).

Personal website: sachakagan.wordpress.com

The second ASSIST will takes place in Mexico.