The European Capital of Culture expert commission examined Tartu 2024 activities, events, and plans

The activities and plans of the
European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 were introduced by the Tartu 2024
Foundation Chairman and Tartu City Mayor Urmas Klaas, Tartu 2024 CEO Priit
Mikk, Programme Coordinator Erni Kask, Regional Coordinator Annela Laaneots, Communications
Manager Kalle Paas, Financial Manager Toomas Peterson and Programme Line Manager
Triin Pikk.

“At the heart
of every European Capital of Culture is the culture programme – that was what
interested them the most,” said Erni Kask after the meeting. “COVID-19 is a big
problem in both the Estonian and European cultural sphere; hence we received
many questions about how the crisis has affected our preparations and how it
has changed our previous plans. We were pleased to confirm that the preparations
have not strayed from the initial timetable, even though we have had to make
adjustments like everyone else.”

The CEO
of Tartu 2024 Priit Mikk said that for the current year, the foundation’s
objective is to launch the comprehensive preparation process in cooperation with
the State and local governments. “An active organisation has been established
that is tasked to carry out the European Capital of Culture,” he confirmed.  

“We have begun
assembling the planned Tartu 2024 culture programme and training activities,”
Mikk listed things that have been done. “As a result of discussions that have
taken place in Southern Estonian local governments and counties, a cooperation
agreement has been drafted, which within a month has been approved in 13 municipalities
and cities. This is only the beginning and most of the work is still ahead of
us. Every year we will reach more people who can take part in Tartu 2024 as organisers,
audience or in other roles.”

The Tartu
2024 team met with the expert commission through a video call that was set up
in Estonian National Museum. Cultural managers, researchers and creators form
Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, France,
Romania, and Germany make up the commission that monitor and advise the
Capitals of Culture. The representatives selected by Estonia in the commission are
Mikko Fritze, who led the Tallinn 2011 foundation and Anu Kivilo, the Managing Director
of the Arvo Pärt Centre.

The commission will also compile
a report, where they will give an overview of the meeting and additional
recommendations for preparations in the years 2021-2022. The report will be
published on the European Commission homepage. The next meeting will
take place in the spring of 2022, which will be followed by a meeting in autumn
2023. Tartu with Southern Estonia will be the European Capital of Culture in
2024.

Photos: Mana Kaasik