Author: Beatriz Garcia

Dr Beatriz Garcia is an international researcher in cultural policy, cities and mega-events, based at the University of Liverpool. She is the director of the Institute of Cultural Capital (www.iccliverpool.ac.uk) member of the European Capital of Culture Selection Committee at the European Commission, and member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission at the International Olympic Committee.

European Capitals of Culture: European dimension in cultural cooperations

On the 15 November 2023 I am at the European Parliament moderating a debate with political representatives from the three 2024 European Capitals of Culture in Austria, Norway and Estonia. #Salzkammergut2024, #Bodø2024 and #Tartu2024 have all launched their programmes for their year and have achieved unprecedented levels of tripartite collaboration to date. From hosting jointly…

Why festivals & special events matter now more than ever

Article written for the Arts and Humanities Research Council After a year of on-and-off global lockdowns the need to gather and experience collective joy feels more urgent and pressing than ever. Festivals and outdoor cultural experiences offer us the chance to connect and feel part of a community in positive and inspiring ways. In this…

What Future for Festivals? Report

Final report of the Salzburg Global Seminar I co-curated in 2020, asking the question ‘What future for Festivals?’ The seminar involved weeks of intense discussion with festivals leaders and scholars from around the world. It was an intense and tough process as this event was supposed to take place in Salzburg in March of 2020,…

Gender Balance in the Cultural and Creative Sectors

I acted as Expert curator for this important discussion back in 2019, part of Voices of Culture, the Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the Culture Sector. We involved a wide range of participants, representing 36 organisations across the EU. Why is gender balance important? Several gender gaps exist in nearly all cultural fields…

LockDown Diaries

Reflections from a non-stop travellerrediscovering life in her city while isolating at home Here you have a collection of diary entries about what inspires or puzzles me every day, while watching out of my apartment window. For a professional who makes a living out of international travel, spending weeks on end alone at home has…

EU Heritage Impact Assessment

Pleased to have been appointed Advisory Board member for the EU-H2020 Social Platform for Heritage Impact Assessment (SoPHIA) @sophia_heritage I’ll be advising on the development of a holistic framework for the capture of the symbolic, cultural, physical, social, and economic value of Heritage interventions across Europe. I will make special emphasis on the importance of…

Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad

In Paris responding to a day workshop on the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad. I will be talking to key local stakeholders across la Ville de Paris and the rapidly developing and newly redefined boroughs (établissements public territoriales) surrounding the Olympic Park site in Seine Saint Denis. Plenty to discuss as France gets ready for the…

Culture Summitt UCLG

Some pictures from the third UCLG #cultureSummit , hosted in Buenos Aires. The summit has become the largest global gathering of cities and local governments for the purpose of discussing culture as a motor for #sustainabledevelopment. I led a discussion on definitions of data and research frameworks in order to capture meaningful evidence in cities. I referred to…

Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad

Tokyo’s Cultural Olympiad: youth, heritage, empowerment and nationwide celebration Article published by Net TAM (Toyota Art Management) In English | In Japanese The Cultural Olympiad has been an essential component of every edition of the Olympic Games since 1912. Despite its long history, the Olympic cultural programme is one of the least well known dimensions…

Impacts 18 Symposium Highlights

Find below highlights from our 10 year anniversary symposium, launching Impacts 08 ~ 18 | #Impacts18, the major research programme I have directed since 2006 on the impacts and long term legacy of hosting a European Capital of Culture. The Symposium opened a global conversation about the value of being a ‘‘#cityofculture’ after 30 years of…

Essay | No one-size-fits-all models of success

When it comes to culture-led regeneration, there are no one-size-fits-all models of success   Today, culture-led regeneration is either an aspiration or established achievement of countless cities worldwide. From Glasgow to Liverpool, from Barcelona to Bilbao, from Lille to Marseilles, and from Baltimore to Detroit, cities are looking for – and finding – ways to transform…

International Symposium | Cities of Culture, 30 years on

Culture Liverpool and the Institute of Cultural Capital have partnered with the British Council, and the CreArt European Network to host #Impacts18, a two-day International Symposium which will take place 18-19 October. This global conversation will see cultural heavyweights from across the world join in Liverpool to discuss culture as a catalyst for urban change.…

Project | British Council and UK Cities of Culture

Commissioned by the British Council, this project explores the relationship between the British Council and the UK City of Culture (UKCC) programme, focusing on interrogating the added value provided by the British Council, as event partner focused on building international cultural relations for the UK. Drawing on a review of policy and strategy documents, as well as interviews with…