Circular letter of Cosima CAMPAGNOLO
I-30133 Venice, Giudecca 54 P (Calle Michelangelo, Villa Heriot) Phone 041/5230210 - Fax 041/5231033
All members
Dear members of the European society of Culture,
It is with great pleasure that we take the opportunity of these first weeks of the year for you to give a brief account of our activity in 2013, to share with you our thoughts and plans for 2014 and, naturally, send you our warm wishes for the new year.
ACTIVITIES 2013
The year 2013 is open for us with the scent of ink of beautiful volume 3 of ‘Understanding’ new series, out the last days of December 2012. An event that asked the international Secretariat of Venice, now greatly reduced in its workforce, a great effort, that he wanted to accomplish as a testimony to his will of continuation. It is true that this volume represents a tribute to our late international general Secretary, Michelle Campagnolo Bouvier, who had designed it and had already largely worked on his writing, it is also true that its publication has somehow marked a conclusion, or, to put it in the most poignant terms, entry into the story of an unforgettable and almost 35 years long Secretariat. Therefore, 2013 appeared as the time to gauge the forces of our institution and get him a new balance.
We did it over all year, keeping abreast members, notably through our circular letters ; by following all contacts on the outside who were or looked promising ; and is not the least, meeting all the deadlines administrative headquarters.
But we did it especially in us meeting in Venice, from 18 to 20 October, for our twenty-ninth annual general meeting, coupled with a symposium open to the public on the theme “politics of culture : past and prospects”.
The Assembly marked a happy moment. It is allowed to say it with force, despite the great difficulties of the current phase which have been the subject of a honest review and in-depth : financial first and foremost, from which flow the lack of labour force, but still attached to the need to adapt to the requirements of the new times without losing the unique quality of our commitment. Happy because, in spite of, or perhaps because the means very modest organization, the Assembly allowed to measure the conviction of the irreplaceable value of the work of the society members and their commitment to an institution that has managed to make dent in hearts as much as in the heads.
It is on these belief and commitment that we want to build for a revival of our activity, which should be built through the strengthening of the dialogue between Headquarters and national and local centres and centres between them ; synergy with other institutions, including NGOS and universities ; a strengthening of our presence on the Web ; a development of the component ‘training’, so well opened by our editions of the Summer School, directed by the late Professor Lorella Cedroni, Executive Member of our Board. As for the topics to touch, we talked about empowerment of men of culture, of attention to the ecological dimension, of the ‘civilized’ Europe’s role ; of art and education. del’ opening to the different currents of criticism and resistance to economic globalization and political chaos ; attention to the new thinkers of a world order.
The Assembly elected as general Secretary international Cosima Campagnolo, thanking her for the work for two years and a half while she was covering the position, and decided to immediately confirm the other members of the bureau, without changes. The Executive Council met the day before, on 18 October, and has accepted applications from Rens Bod, Jan de Bruin, Karel Claassen, Antje von Graevenitz, Donald Kalff, Zofia Posmysz-Pasecka, Florian van Olden, Jan Thomas and Anneke Walwoort, to which we welcome here and express the hope that our work together will be long and fruitful.
ACTIVITIES 2014
The Secretariat is currently working an agreement to drop the archives with an institution able to highlight, while collaborating with the SEC. The first contacts in this sense look promising : we will not fail to give you some news about the developments of this approach.
Another positive contact is established with a private university which has expressed interest in establishing a Summer School 2014, in September, in collaboration with the SEC. As you know, the four editions of the Summer School of the SEC (2008-2011) on the theme “European Citizenship and Politics of Culture” have been a success and were able to arouse a lot of attention on the part of a number of young for the SEC and his thought. So it is with great enthusiasm that we have agreed to submit the requested project. Here too, we will keep you informed of the progress of this agreement.
Volume 4 of ‘Understanding’ new series remains a priority, but unfortunately often delayed by more pressing emergencies such as fundraising, which is always on the one at the beginning of the year.
Naturally it is time to start thinking about our next meeting of the Executive Council or General Assembly. If you have the opportunity to submit a proposal in this sense, we will be happy to take this into account.
Finally, we would like to point out the intense activity by the Dutch Centre, in order to explain the issue of the European elections from the perspective of the SEC. The Center will probably contact other European Centres over the next few weeks.
Hoping the table that have given you us will appear significant to you, we rely on your support and your participation. Our action is always underpinned by the desire to deepen and enhance the prospect of the cultural policy and to give back, by this, also a new physical stability to our institution.
Please accept, dear members of the SEC, dear friends, the assurance of our devoted feelings.
Vincenzo Cappelletti, president
Cosima Campagnolo, international Secretary general
Venice, January 31, 2014
To pay your dues or contribute :
Bank SEC :
C.R. Venezia SPA
IBAN : IT14 063 4502 0001 0000 0010 498 X
BIC : IBSPIT2V
e-mail : info@societaeuropeacultura.it – www.societaeuropeacultura