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CULTURE
their priorities and criteria on which In this regard, due to the complexity, but
they insist. This means that many institu- also the transparency of the process, in
tions and organizations that do not fit in addition to people or an organization
the donor schemes and priorities, should with a project idea that is worth to co-
either change their missions or become finance, and a multitude of other people
passive until their goals match the priori- who recognize the value of the project,
ties of the donors. i.e. its idea, so are prepared to support
it with their small donation, what is re-
Of course, there is also a third option quired is a web platform by means of
that will be discussed in the continua- which the crowdfunding process will
tion of this essay. However, it requires take place.
fostering of the cultural entrepreneur-
ial spirit, the creativity, the openness, Crowdfunding had tremendous re-
and the opinion beyond the established sults in innovation projects, patents or
schemes. And it seems that precisely this new products, which for various reasons
is not a characteristic of our entire so- failed or couldn’t succeed through the
cial surrounding and educational system. traditional funding methods. In many
And then it reflects on what is popularly fresh initiatives they provided the ini-
called mentality. tial funds for small or family businesses,
mostly for vulnerable categories or ar-
Massive funding eas, which means members of minori-
or crowdfunding ties or in poor and in warring countries.
Projects of crowdfunding in the world of
One of the possible funding sources music and film became world famous,
that enables overcoming of the condi- with stars such as Spike Lee or Robert
tions described above is the model of al- Palmer. However, projects in the field of
ternative funding called crowdfunding, art and culture also successfully use this
i.e., a donation from the crowd, crowd- funding model. The most famous exam-
funding. This term appeared for the first ple is the Institute of Marina Abramovic,
time in 2006. Thanks to the Internet and whose mission to work in the long run
globalization, it is widespread, concep- on sustainability of artistic performances
tually founded, theoretically researched from various cultural activities, from vis-
and widely used model of fundraising. ual arts to theater, attracted six hundred
However, in our country unfortunately thousand dollars from approximately five
there is not a single remarkable success, thousand individual donors.
nor any popularity.
An example that I am personally famil-
Analysts will immediately indicate that iar with is the Center for a new circus,
it is an old model, that the Statue of Lib- Jatka, from Prague, Czech Republic. The
erty in the United States was funded in young and talented artists and managers
this manner. In our country, the most in culture, gathered around Nova Scena,
important modern books from our en- the experimental department of the Na-
lightenment were published in this man- tional Theater in Prague, were suddenly
ner, through subscription. Kiril Pejchi- kicked out by the authorities (a situation
novic and Joakim Krchovski were the which is often a part of our cultural folk-
first ones to use a crowdfunding system. lore as well). Instead of despair and whin-
However, we would stick to the modern ing because of the institutional clien-
and accurate definitions of the term, i.e., telism, they used the energy of the unity
to crowdfunding as a phenomenon that to create a new, alternative and autono-
has existed for less than a decade, and al- mous institution as Prague never had, an
ready in 2013 it provided donations worth institution that will deal with the rela-
over five billion dollars. tively new and not completely recognized
art of the new circus. Instead of looking
Hence, crowdfunding is an alternative for recognition and funding by the al-
way of funding through which a specific ready slow and conservative institutional
idea or a project is funded by a multitude
of small donations through the Internet.
100 November 2015
