The panel session ‘The Role of Creative Projects in Developing Creative Cities’ was held during the Creative Business Forum with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund on the opening day of the business programme of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2021 on 2 June and featured a discussion on opportunities to change the life of territories through cultural projects.
A creative city is a territory where the creative energy of residents and their innovative, entrepreneurial, and socio-cultural initiatives are used as a key resource for a city’s development. The creative engagement of citizens generates new jobs and forms an atmosphere that makes the city an attractive place for living and tourism. The panel session participants discussed mutual support for creative businesses and small towns, what solutions creative industries can offer to solve the local problems of small territories, and the formation of these territories as full-fledged participants in the creative economy’s ecosystem.
“The fact is demand for culture in a metropolis has always been obvious: the routine of ‘work – ride home – and home’ forces people to look for some kind of emotions. It’s crucial to understand how this search takes place in rural areas, where people have a completely different way of life,” said Anton Dolgov, the session moderator and executive director of the Presidential Grants Foundation, which provided support for the session.
The panel session was attended by representatives of non-profit organizations: Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation General Director Maria Morozova; OMK-Uchastiye Charitable Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Irina Sedykh; and Art, Science, and Sport Charity Foundation Director Fatima Mukhomedzhan; regional representatives: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area-Yugra Governor Natalya Komarova and Samara Region Minister of Culture Tatyana Mrdulyash; and media representatives: Komsomolskaya Pravda Publishing House First Deputy General Director Roman Karmanov and Argumenty i Fakty General Director Ruslan Novikov. In addition, representatives of the creative industry and business took part in the discussion: Garage Museum of Contemporary Art CEO Anton Belov; Advisor to the Severstal General Director for Sustainable Development Natalya Poppel; Stefano Boeri Architetti Architect and Founder Stefano Boeri; Golubino Development Director Anna Klepikovskaya; and Sysert Development Agency Director Yan Kozhan.
“The United Nations declared 2021 the year of the creative economy. This is no coincidence. Changes aren’t being made by projects, but by creative people, and, fortunately, there are more and more of them. This is why the potential of the creative economy is inexhaustible, as evidenced by world statistics,” Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation General Director Maria Morozova said.
For reference
The Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation, was established to facilitate a constructive dialogue between business, government, and civil society. The Innosocium Foundation’s activities primarily aim to develop culture, creative industries, education, youth initiatives, women’s leadership, and social communications. The Foundation’s main objectives are to provide practical support for priority areas of social development, create and promote the social agenda at the communication platforms of the Roscongress Foundation, implement charitable initiatives, enhance the effectiveness of NPOs and corporate social responsibility, and bolster international cooperation as part of the sustainable development agenda. Innosocium Foundation Director Yelena Marinina is the Director of the Creative Business Forum.