Arts Institute

The Arts Institute runs a creative residencies programme in which it coordinates and arranges residencies for artists from different fields; as well as Residencies Abroad, the institute also sees to the needs of artists from abroad in the Czech Republic, including organising contacts for them in the Czech arts scene. The institute also organises a programme of Residencies at the Egon Schiele Art Centre in Český Krumlov that targets young Czech artists, Residencies for Writers and other activities. Check out the latest calls for applications.

The institute organises educational programmes and events designed to support the professional Development of cultural organisations, culture professionals, and artists. It employs top external lecturers, collaborates with specialised professional networks, and with other organisations and bodies. It seeks to spread and promote trends and examples of best practices in the field of cultural policy. It provides consultation to the professional community, public administration, the academic sphere, and international bodies. Since 2016 it has been running the educational Arts Institute Academy  and it also organises other educational activities as part of its Focal Point project.  

The institute’s research focuses primarily on cultural policy. It collaborates with other professional organisations and centres on its projects. Since 2015, when the long-term research project Mapping Cultural and Creative Industries in the Czech Republic was completed, the institute has focused largely on individual issues and topics in this area. The aim is to address concrete needs in individual cultural and creative industries and in the arts and culture as a whole. In response to demand we implement projects and provide consultation for administrative bodies, the academic sphere, and other organisations.

The institute implements projects that are designed to promote Czechs arts abroad and to foster international cooperation, especially in the fields of contemporary and classical music, dance, literature, the fringe arts, and the visual arts. It collaborates on export showcases in the Czech Republic, arranges participation in international festivals and fairs, and publishes promotional materials. Currently its biggest project is the export-oriented music office SoundCzech, which performs a broad range of activities aimed at promoting Czech music in the Czech Republic and its export abroad.

Networking

The institute’s expert staff cultivate ties and contacts with organisations abroad and international networks and follow trends and cultural policy developments, and they are able to organise a programme or project in any discipline – such as study stays for professionals abroad.

Naši odborní pracovníci udržují kontakty se zahraničními organizacemi a sítěmi a sledují obsahové trendy i kulturní politiku. Jsme schopni připravit odborný program napříč obory, např. ve formě studijních pobytů odborníků ze zahraničí. Tradiční součástí networkingu jsou střediska nevládních organizací se sídlem v IDU: UNIMA, ITI, OISTAT, ASSITEJ, AICT a Česká hudební rada.

The institute operates portals and platforms that offer information various cultural subjects and sectors. Culturenet is a portal that presents information about support, developments, employment, specialised literature on management and cultural policy, a directory of cultural organisations and exemplary international projects. The English version serves as a directory for all areas of cultural and provides international users with information about important events and successes. The institute also operates a portal and platform dedicated to intercultural dialogue and another one that focuses on the cultural and creative industries. There is also a portal that is intended to support international artistic mobility.