European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024
When bidding for the European Capital of Culture, the City of Tartu involved 19 Southern Estonian municipalities as early as in the pre-selection phase and together they were awarded the title of the European Capital of Culture 2024! This is an immense opportunity and our common challenge.The pre-selection and final phase bid books that were presented to the international panel of experts and the artistic concept for Tartu 2024 were entitled the “Arts of Survival”.
The “Arts of Survival” concept addresses such issues as greener urban and rural culture, mobility, mental health, appreciation and highlighting of local peculiarities and characteristics, broadening one´s horizons and resourcefulness, transgenerational passing of knowledge and co-creation, critical and forward-looking thinking, cross-sectoral cooperation – it is worthwhile for Europe as a whole to experience and provide artistic interpretation of these important topics which concern and are of interest to widely different people within and beyond the borders of our county both today as well as in 2024.
In order to make the preparations for the European Capital of Culture and the title year as effective as possible, an organisation dedicated to these common goals – Tartu 2024 Foundation – was set up.
The Tartu 2024 Foundation will work closely with regional development organisations. The Tartu 2024 cultural programme will be partly developed by a regional Expert Committee which is made up of the cultural managers of the development organisations of each participating county and the City of Viljandi, who will advise the Foundation on the aspects related to the regional part of the ECOC cultural programme.