country
activities

Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Needs Assessment
April 2–11, 2009

Consultants: Marc Pachter, Alan Knezevich and Sally Yerkovich

The Fund was pleased to be asked to return to Bulgaria to assist the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) as it determines its priorities for supporting the country’s cultural institutions. Our assignment was to determine how the Bulgarian national museums can better recognize and meet their potential to impact and serve our publics.

The Fund’s consultants included Marc Pachter, a Senior Advisor to The Fund and former Director of the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution; Alan Knezevich, Principal and Creative Director of Alan Knezevich Design Associates, and Sally Yerkovich, President of The Fund. They visited museums and cultural institutions in Bulgaria’s two largest cities, Sofia and Plovdiv, from April 2-11.

Visits to museums and with leaders in cultural posts in Sofia were organized by ABF staff. Many thanks to Stanislava Nikolova of ABF for serving as the team’s companion and translator during the week. The group made thirteen visits to major cultural institutions, met with fourteen representatives of cultural entities, and went on five tours of galleries/museums. The team’s perspective was that of the visitor interested in learning about Bulgaria’s contemporary culture as well as its rich heritage.

The team found that the national museums of Bulgaria hold incomparable treasures, which reveal the intricate history of the region over 7,000 years. Cultural dynamism in Bulgaria, however, is found in the performing arts and in mission-driven NGOs established for cultural purposes, while museums in Bulgaria face considerable challenges in adapting to a free market economy. Funding for building renovations and new exhibitions and programs are lacking, while national, regional, and municipal officials, not to mention other potential supporters among businesses and corporations, have not been cultivated for cultural development involvement. The lack of funding and interest has left museum directors and staff disheartened.

To help museums fully reach their potential, the team recommended a new cultural model for Bulgaria, one that engages local communities, develops partnerships and collaborations with other cultural and educational institutions, creates programs that encourage learning and provoke thought about pressing social issues, and fosters tourism. Increasingly accepted as standard in Europe, Asia, and the United States, this model would enliven Bulgaria’s national museums and make them players in contemporary society. Many of the seeds for the model exist in the creative thinking of Bulgarian arts and cultural professionals; these germs must take root, be nurtured and empowered.

The Fund and ABF are exploring ways to create a partnership to assist Bulgaria’s cultural entrepreneurs in realizing the country’s untapped potential. Seminar and workshop programs may include multi-year series on topics such as Understanding Visitors; Engaging Children; Enlivening Permanent Exhibitions; Diversifying Audiences; Welcoming Visitors, and Developing Fundraising Skills and Capabilities. Another possible program is a series of roundtable discussions for museum and cultural center directors and executive managers, which would be led by senior museum professionals from the United States and Europe.