GEORGIA     2004

Confederation of Arts and Culture of Georgia -
Learning to Plan

Tbilisi, May 11-14

Jerold Kappel, an organizational development and tourism development consultant, led the seminar, Learning to Plan, in Tblisi, Georgia from May 11-14. The seminar’s objective was to establish a process that the Confederation of Arts and Culture can use to continue to build its organization. This included analyzing the current environment for the arts in Georgia; identifying core challenges and opportunities that the arts face in that environment; identifying the confederation’s strengths and weaknesses; and devising strategies and action steps that will achieve the above goals.

Twenty-eight cultural managers attended the seminar, many of whom have attended past Fund seminars. Three full days of planning, much of it done in breakout groups, was productive. The Confederation established a mission statement and three goals to be met over the next 2 ? years. They included: advocating to the public and private sector and to the NGO community for the cultural sector of Georgia; building relations with the business community to benefit both the cultural community and the business sector, and improving the working and living circumstances of people who work in culture.

In addition to facilitating the seminar, Mr. Kappel spent considerable time advising Rusudan Matsuberizde regarding the planned American Music Festival in September 2005. The festival will include American music (West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, and New Orleans Jazz), Cajun/Creole cuisine presentations, and Pilobolus, the American contemporary dance company. The festival will be held in Tbilisi and at the outdoor amphitheatre in Mtshketa. Mr. Kappel advised on planning, contracts with artists, financial management, publicity and marketing, fundraising, and festival logistics. The American Chamber of Commerce is interested in supporting the festival by promoting it and assisting Rusudan Matsuberizde in seeking sponsorship from its members. The US Embassy is also interested in supporting this event.

Mr. Kappel noted that The Fund has done significant work to introduce critical arts management principles to arts and cultural managers in Georgia in the four seminars that it has conducted in that nation. He noticed significant growth in understanding of the role of cultural organizations in building and sustaining Georgian society. The biggest challenge facing the cultural sector is the overall economy of Georgia and the major political challenges it faces. There is a great fear that Georgian cultural objects and structures will be lost due to lack of funding for care and conservation.