Speaker: Jolanta Studzińska
Highlights:
→ Wrocław’s Avant-garde – A Neglected Legacy
The lecture emphasized the lack of local awareness regarding the importance of avant-garde artists’ contributions to the city’s history and identity, as well as the potential for this legacy to enhance Wrocław’s cultural image.
→ Elbląg – A Model for Intelligent Public Art Promotion
Elbląg was cited as a positive example of how to care for such a legacy: the heritage of the 1965 Biennale of Spatial Forms remains vibrant and expanding, with new public artworks appearing and tourist maps guiding visitors through these installations—including pieces by Wrocław artists like Gołkowska and Jan Chwałczyk.
→ Dwarfs and Symposium ’70 – Wrocław’s Cultural Priorities
While the legacy of events like Symposium ’70 remains underrecognized, the city continues to invest heavily in expanding its network of dwarf statues. Though widely loved, this effort contrasts with the lack of equally strong initiatives to support other emblematic elements of Wrocław’s cultural heritage.
→ Private and NGO Sectors – The Guardians of Wrocław’s Art
The responsibility for maintaining and promoting public artworks has long been shouldered by NGOs and private entities such as Entropia, Art Transparent, Wro Art Center, and 66P. While some municipal bodies do engage in coherent visual art policy, this often depends more on individual leadership than on any systemic cultural policy.
→ An Expert Body for Coherent Urban Visual Arts Policy – Urgently Needed
Once again, the lack of a dedicated expert body within city structures was raised. Such an entity could oversee public art processes, support involved individuals and organizations, and guide coherent, long-term strategy. Attempts at such policy were made around the Wrocław 2016 European Capital of Culture project, but the structures and momentum were lost once the event concluded.
