Important news from last general assembly: Kryštof Koláček new president of EAIPA, Ulrike Kuner new general manager, new board members and new member

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Foto (c) Barbora_Koláčková

PRESS RELEASE
European Association of Independent Performing Arts (EAIPA); May 2024

EAIPA – the European Association of Independent Performing Arts was founded in 2018 as the umbrella organisation for associations and interest groups from all over Europe representing the independent performing arts internationally and at European level. EAIPA’s mission is to raise visibility for the sector and to achieve sustainable working structures and conditions as well as sufficient and stable funding for every artist in Europe. EAIPA members exchange knowledge and best-practice models regularly to guarantee that national efforts are amplified and that a solid foundation for a European agenda is created.

The latest general assembly on May 8th, 2024, brought some structural news: Kryštof Koláček from the Czech association AND ČR was elected as new president. The board was also newly elected and now includes Inga Remeta from Associacija Slovenia, Chiara Baudino from Cresco Italy, Stefan Prohorov from ACT Association Bulgaria, Anna Steinkamp from BFDK Germany, Milan Vračar from Kulturnova in Serbia and Amy Fee from Danscentrum Sweden.
Lena Gustafsson (Sweden) and Axel Tangerding (Germany) were both welcomed as honorary members.
With Mikael Kinanen (Finland) and Thomas Maniacco (Italy) the network also got the support of two new auditors. The former president Ulrike Kuner from the Austrian association was appointed to become the first general manager of the network.

With Circuscentrum from Sweden a new full member also joined EAIPA’s network.

The new president and the new general manager are very happy to take on their new challenge:

Krystof Kolacek: “I am deeply honoured to have been elected as the president of EAIPA. I have believed strongly in the organization’s purpose since its foundation, and it is a privilege to lead it now. I would like to express my gratitude to Ulrike Kuner, who served as president for two successful terms, as well as to all the board and EAIPA members. I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the new board.”

Ulrike Kuner: „Becoming general manager of EAIPA is a great honour and will help the network to build a solid and stable ground for all future activities. Together with the Austrian team Esther Baio, Christian Keller and Maren Streich we will support all EAIPAs endeavours and are curious to create better understanding and real changes for the future of the sector.
And we thank the Austrian Ministry BMKÖS for the constant financial support since EAIPA’s founding in 2018, as well as all members for organizing and financing our events and publications in the past and following years“.

EAIPA’s network grew extraordinarily over the past years and currently counts 23 members from 18 European countries. EAIPA’s outstanding knowledge regarding the working conditions, social challenges, artist status and funding politics has direct impact on national politics where topics such as fair pay claims and the artist status as a social security instrument for self-employed or hybrid working artists and art workers are being discussed. More information about EAIPA’s expertise can be found here:

EAIPA Dossier 2018-2023 (Download)
https://eaipa.eu/eaipa-dossier-2018-2023/

To get a direct insight into EAIPA’s work we invite you to our upcoming online event and last event of the series ‘Artists in Focus’ on May 23rd from 14-16 CET. Under the topic ‚Chain of Responsibilities: Funding Politics‘ we will bring different stakeholders to the table to examine European funding politics in regards to fair working conditions for artists. Do funders query how individual artists are treated in the structures they are funding? Is the allocation of funds transparent and the working climate fair? And what is the legal status of the artist across different European countries? In two parts, the event will see us review models of national funding structures, give us a brief presentation of the fairness process in Austria, give an update about the latest efforts to create fair funding structures in Scandinavia and a pilot project in Ireland and then focus on artists´ working conditions and their legal status on European level, for which exciting guests are also invited. Afterwards, there will be time for questions and discussion.

Register here: https://www.termino.gv.at/meet/b/df6d9cfd8616c681a9edcd70b87a2638-262978

MEMBERS
In 2018, EAIPA was founded in collaboration with 9 organisations from 9 European countries. By the end of 2023, EAIPA had extended membership status to 23 organisations from 18 European countries.

AUSTRIA
IG Freie Theaterarbeit /Austrian Association of Independent Performing Arts
freietheater.at

BULGARIA
АСТ – Aсоциация за свободен театър / ACT – Association of Independent Performing Arts
www.actassociation.eu

CZECH REPUBLIC
Asociace nezávislých divadel ČR
www.andcr.cz

FINLAND
THEATTERIKESKUS – Theatre Centre
www.teatterikeskus.fi/english

GERMANY
Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V.
www.darstellende-kuenste.de

HUNGARY
Független Előadó-művészeti Szövetség (FESZ) / Association of Independent Performing Arts
www.fesz.org

ICELAND
Association of Independent Theatres in Iceland (AITI)
new.leikhopar.is

IRELAND
Theatre Forum
https://theatreforum.ie/

ITALY
Associazione Etre
www.etreassociazione.it

ITALY
Coordinamento della Realtà della Scena Contemporanea
www.progettocresco.it

POLAND
Unia Teatrów Niezależnych
www.uniateatrowniezaleznych.pl

ROMANIA
ASOCIAŢIA TEATRELOR INDEPENDENTE

SERBIA
Association Kulturanova
www.kulturanova.org

SLOVAKIA
Klub nezávislých divadiel

SLOVENIA
Društvo Asociacija
www.asociacija.si

SPAIN
Red de Teatros Alternativos – Spain
www.redteatrosalternativos.org

SWEDEN
Cirkuscentrum
www.manegen.org

SWEDEN
Danscentrum Sverige
www.danscentrum.se

SWEDEN
Teatercentrum
www.teatercentrum.se

SWITZERLAND
t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz | t. Professions du spectacle Suisse
t. Professioni dello spettacolo Svizzera | t. Professiuns da teater Svizra
www.tpunkt.ch, www.ktvatp.ch

UKRAINE
Association Independent Theatre
www.facebook.com/associateUnt/

PEER MEMBER
Perfas – Performing Artists South Tyrol
www.perfas.org

URGENT MEMBER
ProEnglish Theatre
www.proenglishtheatre.com

 


The umbrella organisation EAIPA was founded in September 2018 and currently counts 23 member organisations from 18 countries. EAIPA operates at B2B level, its members being interest groups or representatives of the individual member countries, which in turn represent actors from the Independent Performing Arts field. Therefore, EAIPA represents people, companies and theatres working in Europe’s independent Performing Arts sector, and it responds to Europe’s cultural policy making by collecting up-to-date information, initiating new policy proposals and by raising visibility for the needs and achievements of the sector.

Website: www.eaipa.eu
Facebook: EAIPA European Association of Independent Performing Arts
Instagram: @eaipa_association
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