STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

2.3. The dominant role of local authorities
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Street Artists in Europe
In other respects, even if the State does not generally conduct a cultural policy in support of
street arts, local authorities and municipalities, in particular towns 168 , seem to attach a certain
importance to them. They both organise and fund street events. Their objective, however, seems
to relate more to the benefits of bringing the town to life and making it attractive by organising
‘entertainments’ than to an awareness of that art form and a political desire to promote the
creation and dissemination of street arts.
Taken together with the fact that there are very few training schemes specifically for street arts,
this suggests that the development of cultural policies for the sector depends mainly on the level
of dynamism and demand for support on the ground. Unlike cultural policies for conventional
and institutionalised sectors, which develop and take shape as a result of the impetus given by
the State, in this case the policies develop and are formulated in direct response to the fait
accompli or because of an urgent need to prevent a crisis.
2.4. Federations, associations and unions
It may be noted at once that there has been little mention of national or university studies of
these sectors; even where they do exist, the professional milieu tends to be unaware of them.
Nevertheless, there is a growing number of studies in France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and
Ireland. Generally they highlight the blatant lack of any resource centre that would centralise,
classify, disseminate and coordinate the studies or projects relating to street arts in Europe and,
in that sense, help structure this area at national and European level by passing on information.
That salient feature, which emerges from the replies to the survey, reflects the fragile structure
of the professional circle in most European countries. Professional networks of street arts do,
however, exist in France (Fédération nationale des Arts de la Rue 169 and regional federations),
the United Kingdom (the Independent Street Arts Network (ISAN) for promoters, and the
National Association of Street Artists (NASA) 170 for artists), in Belgium (De Vlaamse Federatie
voor Kunsten op Straat or Fédération des Artistes de Rue), in Italy (Federazione Nazionale
Artisti di Strada). In Scandinavia and eastern Europe the replies to the survey do not mention
any kind of organisation of the sector.
2.5. Training
It is not surprising to find that the situation of street arts training reflects the general lack of
recognition of the sector. Overall there are very few street arts training schemes that are
institutionalised or at least State-recognised. Often it is the companies themselves that set up
one-off training schemes, often at festivals. In the United Kingdom, ISAN organises a few
168 See article: Fourreau, Eric, Financements publics de la culture en Europe: les collectivités locales en première
ligne, La Scène, Paris, June 2003.
169 Born 1997.
170 In reply to the survey, a member of NASA and an independent producer (Edinburgh, Scotland) describes the
role of the British network: ‘NASA is an independent national network of UK-based Street Artists working to
develop professional practice through networking, peer support, sharing of information, collaboration and
advocacy. It is a network for both individual artists and companies creating work for the street and other
outdoor contexts. It acts as a forum for discussion, exploring common issues and methodologies in order to
engage with peers, audiences, promoters, local authorities, development agencies, funders and the media to
support the development of the sector. NASA organised a national three-day meeting of street artists in early
2006 and intends to organise similar performances on an annual basis. There is a lively online discussion group
with over 130 member artists and artist organisations. So do join now and encourage membership! NASA
welcomes new members at any time.’
PE 375.307