Culture Capital hopefuls should balance realism with ambition
Cities bidding to become European Capitals of Culture should be encouraged to be realistic about what they can achieve, as well as showing ambition.
That’s among the recommendations of an independent evaluation report into Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture (ECOC).
The 178-page report is an early assessment of the “outcome and impacts” of Galway 2020, from its designation in 2016 to the end of its delivery in April 2021.
The evaluation, which included various methods of assessment, was mixed.
It concluded: “In the end, Galway 2020 was unable to achieve its full potential. However, the project and its partners showed a high degree of resilience, flexibility and imagination to make the project happen.
“Much of its achievement was less visible, taking place between artists or digitally, and should be assessed in terms of the quality of engagement realised for all stakeholders, and the longer-term legacy for Galway.”
In 2016, Galway’s Bid Book to win the designation fended off competition from Limerick, Dublin and the three sisters (Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford) but the yearlong event itself did not deliver on its promise, partly due to Covid-19 and because of other problems.
The Audience Agency, in its evaluation report, said: “The pressure to be successful in designation naturally leads to big ambition at the Bid Book stage. . . this can lead to disillusionment about what is achieved. Encouraging ECoCs to be realistic as well as ambitious would be helpful for future capitals.”
Read the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie