Dearest Circle Members,

 

 

 

As you know my mandate as CIRCLE president has finished. Due to proposed changes during the 2007 AGM in Barcelona, there is now a CIRCLE steering committee that will decide during the next three months on the future of CIRCLE and will help to initiate the new CIRCLE co-ordination in Interarts in Barcelona.

 

I would like to thank all of you for your co-operation and kind support. It has been 6 intense but satisfying years. During that time we have accomplished quite a lot – even though it was a time when CIRCLE had to cope with many new players coming into the field of international research and debate, when CIRCLE had to survive only on project funding which gradually was more and more modest. Nevertheless nearly each year we managed to write a successful application, each year we had a Round Table, and we have published books among which are e.g. Metropolis of Europe: diversity in urban cultural life, Whose culture is it? Trans-generational approaches to culture and Gambling on culture: state lotteries as a source of funding for culture – the arts and heritage.

 

Most of these things would not have been possible without the engagement, good will and belief in what CIRCLE always stood for, that in the case of many of you became very visible. I do not want to diminish the merits of anyone but I do have to mention here Carla, Simona, Eduardo, Mercedes, Jordi, Jean–Cedric, Ritva, Christopher, Kirill, Sanjin, Biserka, Andreas, Magdalena. A great and a heart warming example of such devotion to CIRCLE is this year’s project on public festival policies, for which we did not get any project funding. Not only did Interarts step in with the organization of the RT but also CIRCLE members delivered papers without being remunerated for it (some even had to pay for their trips). It was only thanks to such attitude that we managed to accomplish such a high quality and important project.  Thorough the whole project we came across with only one person (surprisingly one that initiated the project and was a board member) that strongly opposed to take part without being paid. With only one such a case -  I would call the project a great joint success.

 

Still not all was as perfect as I hoped it would be. We did not achieve to have a stable secretariat due to lack of funds, some of the projects had to be limited, CIRCLE was not as  visible as it could have been. Of course I feel personally responsible for those problems. But I also believe that not only success has many fathers. So the time of change has come and I am happy that that change will be possible with a significant role of Mercedes whom I trust a lot.

 

Nevertheless, for me being CIRCLE president was a big honour and great time. Full of hard work, interesting projects, fruitful conferences, and co-operaton with wonderful people. For that, once again, thank you. And good luck  to all of you. GOOD LUCK TO CIRCLE.

 

Dorota Ilczuk

 

Warsaw, 26^th October 2007