Atelier Montreal 2022

Organised in partnership with FTA - Festival TransAmériques, The Festival Academy  invited emerging festival managers to meet with expert festival leaders, artists and cultural activists for the 19th edition of Atelier for Young Festival Managers. 

The Atelier took place in person in Montreal, Québec - Canada, from 1 - 7 June 2022.

The Atelier offered the opportunity to 30 young festival managers from all over the word to spend 7 days together with a group of young and experienced festival leaders, cultural activists, cross-sector experts and artists in Montreal (Canada) - during the Festival TransAmériques - to have a global conversation about today’s challenges and the role that festivals, art and culture can play in these. The Atelier was about: gaining new perspectives, exploring the essence of the why and how of (your) festivals in a global context, share and exchange experiences and reflect on the topics that concern you. Mentors and guest speakers shared their rich experience and answer participants’ questions along the way, acting not only as lecturers but also as true mentors and allowing participants an honest and open insight into their careers, including both success stories and failures.

During the Atelier, participants also had the chance to attend performances at the Festival TransAmériques, met with artists and production teams and discovered the identity and the behind-the-scenes of this inspiring international festival. 

Martine Dennewald - Artistic Co-director - Festival TransAmériques

"Imagining the festivals of the future is no mean feat: creating the best conditions for artists to present their work, making events accessible to a broad range of audiences, widening the frames for art shaped by our colonial past and present, taking care of each other and respecting the limits of our planet’s resources. In Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal, a vibrant, multilingual city grappling with the ongoing effects of its oppressive history, Festival TransAmériques’ programme of dance and theatre will provide an inspiring setting for an Atelier that focuses on the urgent questions of our times."

"Imaginer le festival du futur n’est pas une mince affaire: créer les meilleures conditions de travail pour les artistes, dynamiser l’accès aux oeuvres et leur fréquentation par une pluralité de publics, élargir le cadre façonné par nos héritages coloniaux, prendre soin les un.e.s les autres dans le respect de nos ressources planétaires. Située à Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang/ Montreal, métropole vibrante et multilingue aux prises avec son histoire oppressive, le Festival TransAmériques, consacré à la danse et au théâtre, offrira un contexte inspirant pour une édition du Festival Academy en prise avec les urgences du présent."

MARTINE DENNEWALD

Codirectrice artistique - Festival TransAmériques