“Space is never neutral. Every place is a configuration of power, meaning, memory, and imagination,” wrote Doreen Massey in her book Space, Place and Gender, highlighting the social construction of space.

Together, we will reflect on the role institutional culture plays today in cities considered hubs of creative activity, as well as in those still seen as cultural peripheries. We’ll explore how to effectively secure funding for artistic initiatives, assess the current offerings of cultural institutions, and consider what systemic changes are needed to meet the needs of city residents and fulfill the mission that drives artists and cultural creators.

This meeting will be an attempt to capture a transformation unfolding before our eyes — what happens when we begin to recognize the creative and critical potential of the peripheries? As bell hooks emphasized, “the margin can be a site of radical openness” — and it is precisely these spaces we wish to explore with you.

Discussion participants:

Katarzyna Młyńczak-Sachs – President of Krupa Art Foundation, cultural manager, art advisor, and PhD in political science. She has worked with the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe, the Ossolineum National Institute, and coordinated international cooperation for Wrocław 2016 European Capital of Culture.

Piotr Czerkawski – Winner of the Polish Film Institute award, one of the program curators of the New Horizons Festival and NH Cinema. Member of the European Film Academy. Author of Shivering Frames. Conversations about Film Life in the People’s Republic of Poland, and co-author of several film scripts. Eccentric.

Piotr Jędrzejowski – Deputy Director of the Information Center and spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. With 20 years of professional experience in culture, he has led culture-business projects for 15 years. He has developed communication strategies for both brands and cultural institutions. In 2023–24, he worked with the agency Sto Lampartów, overseeing communication strategy, business development, and artistic project production. From 2020–2023, he was part of the Artystyczna Podróż Hestii Foundation as a communications specialist, project manager, and editor of uncommonground.pl. Between 2014 and 2020, he worked in PR and client relations at Szustow. Kultura i Komunikacja. He holds a degree in cultural studies (University of Warsaw) and taught courses on the creative industries and pop culture at SWPS University for three years.

The discussion will be moderated by Mateusz Roesler, cultural studies scholar, journalist, and communication researcher, editorial team member and audio series producer at Pismo. Magazyn opinii. 

After the conversation, we invite you to a wine tasting with Moderna Vineyard featuring wines from Lower Silesia, accompanied by refreshments from Wrocław-based bakery Chleboteka. For a refreshing twist, local CUDO Kombucha will also be available. And as a takeaway, you’ll be able to grab the latest special issue of Pismo.