In September 2023, by the time the ACMC took place, I was going through my first month as an MA History student. Everything was completely new: Vienna, where I had never been before, people at the university, study and life routines… So, when one of my professors suggested registering for the Arts and Cultural Management Conference, which, luckily, took place right on our campus, I was more than happy to try.
I have a very special (and complicated) relationship with art and culture. I got my BA in Art History in Russia, and right after graduating, in 2021, was employed by the Scientific-Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Art in Saint Petersburg as a museum educator. But my career was relatively short: in February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, and the lives of millions of people changed completely, including mine. I had to leave my job, and in several more months – the country. Since that time, I have been constantly looking for opportunities in a cultural sphere, but for an immigrant it seems a million times harder.
The 2023 Conference’s theme was “Cultural Management in Conflict and Context”, which, at that point, extremely resonated with me and my story. There were a lot of powerful performances – my personal favorite was the one by Ukrainian composer Illia Razumeiko. He gave a small lecture about his project Opera Aperta and told how he and his talented colleagues created opera performances in an empty space of a museum in Kiyv, from where the artworks were evacuated because of the war. It was painful but also inspiring because these people have the inner power to create beauty despite the utter horror and use this beauty to convey important messages to the audience inside and outside of their country.
I always believed that art and culture should help us get through difficult times and reflect on our everyday lives. Isolating art from political and social events, perceiving it as something separate from them, is wrong. That is why I loved that the conference organizers were not afraid to raise difficult questions and discuss them with the experts. I witnessed a lot of active discussions that, however, were held in a respectful and thoughtful manner.
But, for me, the most significant component of a conference was networking. On the very first day, after the formal opening, organizers encouraged small networking sessions, so in the next days it was always pleasant to come to the panel and see familiar faces there. I met people doing cultural projects in Vienna, Hungary, Germany, Belgium, France, Ukraine, and other countries, all of them glad to share their experiences. I also had an opportunity to share my story and got a lot of support and encouragement. Thanks to this, now I have a potential place for an internship as a cultural professional and several new friends, with whom I still keep in touch.
Even though during the conference I was extremely busy with my studies and drained by trying to build a life in a new place, I tried to visit as many events as possible. ACMC marked a great start for my academic year and my immersion in Vienna’s cultural landscape. Now I am grateful to be part of the team that brings to life ACMC 2024. Hope to see a lot of young people there, who want to start their journey in art and culture – just like I was almost a year ago.
