Support of Diversity in the Performing Arts and Music
The performing arts (theatre, dance and circus) and music are considered to be strategic sectors in which the State needs to act in order to allow for creation, production and dissemination, and from the citizen’s perspective, access. Without an active policy of support, these artistic manifestations would be non-existent, or would be limited to the most commercial productions.
The main objectives carried out are:
- To promote, protect and disseminate these areas.
- To make them known abroad.
- To co-ordinate communication among the Autonomous Communities in these matters.
The INAEM works in two broad areas:
Creation and direct promotion area
This includes the artistic creation, exhibition or documentary and technical centres that report to the INAEM, plus an area for seminars and small conferences: the Castillo de Magalia Palace.
Support area for public and private entities, companies and artistic groups
This is managed through the administrative units: artistic production, exhibition and training centres that are part of the State Secretariat for Culture.
It develops promotion and exhibition policy, both in Spain and abroad, for the performing arts and music.
It works in continuous collaboration with the Autonomous Communities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other departments at the State Secretariat for Culture.
A “Map of Spanish Musical Heritage” has been prepared, which in its second edition, in 2015, has included a section on intangible heritage, in an aim to collaborate in the conservation, protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. Support is also given to folkloric manifestations, through state associations, and a grant (CIOOF-Spain) is awarded annually for studies of folkloric music traditions and dance.
The agency in charge of introducing policies is the NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR PERFORMING ARTS AND MUSIC (INAEM), an autonomous agency under the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, acting through three channels:
-direct project management, that includes, on the one hand, direct creation and promotion of programmes related to the promotion, protection and dissemination of music, dance, theatre and the circus from its central services; on the other hand, the management of certain units (among which is the National Auditorium of Music and National Music Dissemination Centre, the National Centre for Dramatic Arts, the National Classical Theatre Centre, the Spanish National Ballet, the National Dance Company, the National Orchestra and Choir, the Centre for Performing Arts Technologies, and several theatres).
-collaboration with other public and private institutions: co-operation with public and private entities both in specific projects and through its permanent activities.
-subsidies: granting of subsidies for production projects, exhibitions and tours both in the public and private sector.
In 2014 a program called PLATEA was begun, fruit of the collaboration with the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, and is managed annually. It objective is that of mobility of performing arts events throughout the national territory.An experts' commitee prepares an annual catalogue of events, and the municipalities may request these events under certain conditions.
The INAEM also issues calls for annual aid for dance, opera and music, and for theatre and circus, and the beneficiaries are selected through a public competitive process. Both calls make express mention of the UNESCO 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions as one of the principles for their existence. Its express objectives, in addition to those related to the creation, production, and dissemination of performing arts at both the national and international level, are extended to facilitate citizen access and the creation of new audiences.
The results expected, in addition to those related to the creation, production, and dissemination of performing arts at both the national and international level, are extended to facilitate citizen access and the creation of new audiences. In the sphere of spectator education and awareness, special emphasis is placed on young people, in an aim not only to create future audiences, but also creators and professionals.
86 000 000 €
PLATEA is evaluated every year. In 2014, its first year, 1,290 events were held, attended by 190 090 spectators. The initial experience was assessed as highly favorable, and it was highlighted that the program has contributed to “the gradual professionalization of public area management, has managed to maintain certain standards of programming quality throughout the territory, which was not homogeneous until now, and has managed to take stable, quality programming to areas throughout the national territory ”. In 2015 there were 155 municipalities adhered to the program, which included over 600 different events.
The qualitative evaluation appreciates that PLATEA creates networks, and with rational organization establishes a catalogue of events, controls their movements, and facilitates to the town councils –whose budgets are highly reduced- a supply of quality performing arts and music events, and lastly and most importantly, makes it possible to maintain all the stages of artistic manifestations, from creation to exhibition, as well as offer these to the public.