Funding of culture and the arts ______________________________________ Quality care for tradition Spaces and open structures Strengthening independent scene Special areas of funding Riske capital for artists Long-termfunding agreements Internationalixation Prizes for culture and the arts Transparency Promotion funds Evaluation Within the general funding of the arts (cultural societies, fostering of customs, cultivation of the home region, and so on) the top priority is the highest possible quality of cultivation, interpretation and further development of traditional cultural assets. Strictly speaking subsidies for the arts are concentrated on the stimulation and expansion of innovatively challenging structures, the variety and quality of artistic work and the emphasis on special areas. Quality care for tradition The City of Linz sees the creation of space and effective open structures in the art and culture scene as an important target of its funding policy. The improvement of infrastructure for the independent scene has special status. Spaces and open structures Strengthening these infrastructure facilities occurs primarily through upgrading the "hardware", which requires close connections with cultural work in the suburbs. Furthermore the integration of the art and creative scene and the improvement of medial means of expression for the independent scene will be promoted. Structural integration of the artistic and creative scene is an important prerequisite for a lively cultural life in the city, and requires particular financial and organizational support. Strengthening independent scene Development and funding is therefore to be focussed on: Funding shared production sites and interfaces with special areas of activity (new media, video interface, public access workplace, workshops/laboratories and so on) Funding of communication and administration offices for general use Provision of "hardware" for events and productions (e.g. an equipment pool) Provision of "risk capital" for innovative art and culture projects (making experimentation and creative development possible) Funding of process-oriented projects Expansion of network access Subsidies for an autonomous city newspaper Subsidies for independent radio. The province of Upper Austria and the Federal Government will be invited to make appropriate funding available, to ensure the long-term realization of projects in these special areas. Special areas of funding The investment of risk capital is of special importance in the promotion of individuals and projects. This applies in particular to process-oriented cultural and artistic projects which may become more important in the future. Both require long-term funding agreements. Riske capital for artists To facilitate the long-term work of artists and creators of culture, culture initiatives and associations, the City of Linz is willing to grant subsidies and enter into funding agreements lasting several years. Furthermore the City of Linz will support the quality of cultural work and cultural management by the funding of internationalisation. Long-termfunding agreements Furthermore the City of Linz will support the quality of cultural work and cultural management by the funding of internationalisation. Measures to be implemented are: Scholarships and contributions towards travel costs in foreign countries for visits to important international festivals, exhibitions, workshops, courses, and so on. Subsidies for media networks. Investment in long-term regional relationships with especially creative and competent "disseminators" (from the arts, cultural science, culture management, theory, trustees, critics...) As part of the drive to become international the training and further education of staff from the city's cultural institutions will have special status in future cultural and educational work. Expansion of the Artist- and Scientist-in-Residence Programmes. Initiating national study groups, discussions and so on. Internationalixation Federal and provincial authorities are invited to participate in the funding of all types of artistic projects, particularly in the field of New Media, the independent scene, international exchanges and interlinking. The system of awards and prizes should be co-ordinated with the Province of Upper Austria in order to avoid duplication. Prizes for culture and the arts Subsidy departments should process applications quickly and unbureaucratically, and the administration must operate transparently and consistently. The criteria for the awarding of grants should be examined at regular intervals, and the system of panels of experts and boards of trustees should be expanded. Transparency To complement existing funding authorities the City of Linz proposes that it should set up a fund jointly with the province of U.A. to promote artistic projects of specially innovative or experimental value. The fund should be administrated by an independent committee on which the independent scene, artists and ethnic minorities should all be represented, with parity between men and women. Promotion funds The criteria for the awarding of grants by the City of Linz will be evaluated and adjusted at regular intervals and documented in subsidy reports. Overall the system of panels of experts and boards of trustees will continue to be expanded in the city of Linz. Evaluation Cultural Development Plan CONTACT Culture Director Mag. Siegbert Janko Cultural Office of the City of Linz A-4041 Linz, Hauptstraße 1 - 5 Phone: +43 (0)70/7070-2930 Fax: +43 (0)70/7070-2955 mail: info@mag.linz.at