How do courageous citizens make a difference through culture? That is the theme of the 10th edition of the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture, which the European Cultural Foundation will be hold on 16th May 2018 in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam. During the ceremony Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the Netherlands will present the 2018 awards to Polish cultural platform and foundation Borderland and international multidisciplinary research group Forensic Architecture, which is based in the UK. Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, president of the European Cultural Foundation, will hold the opening speech.
Invisible Bridge. Borderland Foundation, The Village of Bridge Builders, Krasnogruda 2015, The Mystery of the Bridge. Courtesy: Borderland Foundation. Photo by: Cezary Nowak.
The European Cultural Foundation presents this annual Award to artists and thinkers who inspire change in the way people shape societies – pioneers who are contributing to a more open and democratic Europe through culture. This year Borderland and Forensic Architecture were recognised by the Award’s independent jury of experts for their outstanding work. Both laureates see art as a way of exposing injustice in our communities, to help us recover and rethink the past in order to change the world. They also teach us the importance of working critically with memory and tangible matter to create a common story and a means to be able to tell history in new and different ways.
The ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture will be presented on Wednesday, 16th May 2018 in the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in front of a large international audience. Each laureate will receive a prize of EUR 25,000 and a unique Award, designed by Dutch artist Jan Rothuizen. More information on the European Cultural Foundation, the laureates, the prize and the independent jury can be found on www.culturalfoundation.eu/pma-2018
Tenth edition
ECF will also publish a book commemorating the 10th anniversary of the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture. Entitled Courageous Citizens. How Culture Contributes to Social Change, the publication contains various reflections on ten years of advocating for the change-making capacity of culture and for culture as a source of inspiration for renegotiating our understanding of a more democratic Europe. The book will be launched during the Award ceremony on 16th May but copies can be pre- ordered via Valiz Publishers: http://www.valiz.nl/en/publications/courageous-citizens.html
The European Cultural Challenge
Prior to the festive award ceremony the first European Cultural Challenge will take place. It is a two-day advocacy retreat that brings together laureates from 2008-2018, grantees, partners, researchers, foundations, media-makers and policy-makers to work on tangible cases that fuel positive change through culture.
Through this challenge ECF will connect European change-makers and contribute to rethinking and building Europe as an open, inclusive and democratic space. Outcomes of the European Cultural Challenge may vary from exploring cultural solutions to imagining campaigns and developing concrete advocacy proposals. The European Cultural Challenge is by invitation only and will take place at Hotel Arena, Amsterdam on May 15th and 16th.
More information: http://www.culturalfoundation.eu/european-cultural-challenge-2018/
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Note for editors
You are warmly invited to attend the ceremony on Wednesday 16th May in the Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam. The programme will start at 17:00 hrs. Press must be present at 16:45 hrs.
For accreditation, please send an e-mail before Monday 14th May 2018 to kjochems@culturalfoundation.eu, mentioning your full name, date of birth, the media you will be representing and telephone number.