Culture Meets Business

Workshops, consultations, and discussions – the time for artists and business people to share knowledge and inspirations. Culture Meets Business is a new project of the CCI’s Observatory of Culture. Can the ways artists work be an inspiration for entrepreneurs? What business skills can be used by artists? The participants in the project will try to find answers to these questions. The event is starting in May with consultations on image building and alternative sources of funding for artists.

‘The experts on the economics of culture have for years been stressing the importance of the relationship between culture and economy. However, direct links between the two worlds are something we yet need to work on. We would like to help, enabling meetings and cooperation between artists and business people,’ says project coordinator Natalia Brylowska.

‘Artistic interventions in business organisations (think: Scandinavia) show the value they bring to the table, that is teaching the skills which are crucial for functioning of business entities in the quickly growing creative economy, i.e. flexibility, adaptability, and emotiveness. Innovation in economy depends on open-mindedness and careful observation of the world around us. That is what managers and creative sector professionals should learn from artists,’ says Brylowska.

The Culture Meets Business project has been awarded a grant from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage within a scheme supporting the development of creative sectors. This is the first edition of the programme. The CCI’s event is one of the 88 winning projects from all over Poland. Culture Meets Business is organised in association with Olivia Business Centre and Inkubator Przedsiębiorczości Starter.

In May, individual consulting sessions were organised for artists, who had the opportunity to talk about alternative sources of funding, networking, and image building. They were hosted by Karol Król, an independent expert in capital market innovations and the author of Crowdfunding. Od pomysłu do biznesu, dzięki społeczności. A media and PR expert, providing consulting services for women with entrepreneurial spirit, Justyna Kozioł talked about being recognized in the world of art and beyond. ‘The meeting was fully booked a couple of minutes after it was announced on the Internet. We are going to carry on with the project as the world of art is apparently interested in it,’ notes Natalia Brylowska.

The follow-up consulting sessions will be held in June. On 9 June, public policies expert Natalia Mielszyk of Centrum Cyfrowe will be giving legal advice. On 19 June, business planning will be discussed by Izabela Kielusiak, who implements innovative products and services and runs her design thinking workshops.

You can sign up from 25 May. Info at: www.facebook.com/ObserwatoriumKultury/. In September, art workshops for entrepreneurs are going to be held (theatre, sculpture, sound, and graphics). They will be hosted by Rita Jankowska, Agata Makos, Marta Kalarus, Krzysztof Topolski and many others. The workshops will close with a debate. In the autumn, a panel discussion is going to be organised to critically analyse how creative industries contribute to the growth of cities.