STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
very little of that has gone to street arts. There is no specific aid for touring abroad in that sector,
although applications for aid may be made when the Ministry announces funding proposals.
4. Conclusion
Although the findings of this survey are rather summary in relation to the mindsets that do or do
not promote State recognition of street arts, we can nevertheless posit that the inclusion of street
arts in cultural policy forms part of the new Culture/State relationship that is now emerging
throughout Europe.
France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain and Slovenia, which all recognise the artistic
value of street arts, are developing an official policy of support in reaction to a well-established
grassroots dynamism, although very often also in the face of an economic crisis in the sector.
Ireland is a remarkable case here, because the situation is the reverse. Whilst the sector is poorly
developed, despite the survival of a strong tradition of urban parades, the state, acting through
the Arts Council, has chosen to create more favourable conditions for the work of street artists.
At the same time, local authorities are playing a greater cultural role thanks in part to the
political recognition of street arts. Most European countries no longer doubt the importance of
local and, in particular, municipal authorities as the main sources of funding for culture. Their
cultural role is also strengthened by the trend towards decentralisation (which accentuates the
role of federal bodies or regionalisation) that is found right across Europe.
Lastly, we must emphasise the link between the street artists’ artistic approach – occupying new
creative spaces, which are often urban, developing new forms of artistic expression and
performance, and renewing the relationship with the audience – and the new concerns of the
towns, which are responding to the growing phenomenon of ghettoïsation, or deciding to
include cultural programmes in their strategy to attract tourism or to inject a new dynamism into
the local economy.
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PE 375.307