POGON - ZAGREB
The main purpose of POGON is to provide basic services and manage the infrastructure for cultural and youth programs (contemporary arts and culture; related social, theoretical, and policy activities; various youth activities). Its venues, equipment, and temporary office may be used free of charge for all non-profit activities. At the same time, POGON is also developing its own activities, currently focusing on international cooperation.
Identification
Operation
Process
Organisation
Last update: 18 May 2011
IDENTIFICATION - LOCATION - CONTACT
- Place name POGON
- ContinentEurope
- CountryCroatia
- Regional Emsemble AL
- City / TownZagreb
- AdressKneza Mislava 11
- Postcode10000
- Telephone++385 (0)1 4682 463
- Fax++385 (0)1 4682 465
- General Emailpogon@upogoni.org
- Web sitehttp://www.upogoni.org/en/
- Person(s) in charge Emina Višnić, director Sonja Soldo, program coordinator
Last update: 18 May 2011
OPERATION
- Name of the legal structurePOGON - Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth
- Legal statute institution of mixed ownership (civil and public)
- Creation date of the legal structure 23 FEB 2009
- Current ownerAlliance Operation City (NGO network) and City of Zagreb
- Nature of the current property public
- Terms of occupation given by contract by the City of Zagreb; free of charge
- Team - Organization Emina Višnić, director
Sonja Soldo, program coordinator
Ruža Gajić Guljašević, administrator
Nenad Barić, program realization manager
- Method of organization - Governance POGON is jointly managed by its co-founders and by the Director. Users are included in the decision-making process through the Program Council, a five-person coordinating body elected by member organizations of Alliance Operation City. Additionally, all interested organizations may participate in debates concerning the management model and major changes.
The founders monitor the Center's work, make the important decisions about its main functions and general development, approve the Center's statutory and other regulatory instruments, and appoint the director.
The primary role of the Alliance is to bring together organizations that work in the field and to organize programs in the Center. In this way, it can secure program funding from a variety of domestic and foreign sources. By joining the Alliance, all organizations who wish to participate in the decision-making process may do so. However, Alliance membership is not a prerequisite for using the Center's resources.
The role of the City of Zagreb is to provide the necessary spaces and financial resources for the Center's basic functioning and the implementation of its program. The City also has control over the use of city property and monitors the work of the Center as a public institution.
This ensures that the overall functioning of the Center is jointly governed by both founders, while control over programming is in the hands of those who use its resources, i.e. those who carry out programs in the Center's venues.
The two main internal governance bodies are the Director and the Program Council.
The Director is the head and the official representative of the Center. Following a public tender, he or she is selected and appointed by the founders, who are also responsible for supervising his or her work. The Director is appointed for a term of 4 years. The Director is responsible for the overall work of the Center, and manages the Center in cooperation with the founders, Program Council, employees, and other associates.
The Program Council is an expert advisory body composed of representatives of civil society organizations in charge of defining rules and procedures for the use of resources (the model), program orientation, and long-term program plans. It also arbitrates in case of a complaint against the program coordinator's decisions. The Programming Council has 5 members, who are elected by the members of the Alliance Operation City for a 2-year term.
PROCESS – IDENTITY
- Statement of the current project POGON (which means both “drive†and “production plant†in English) is a hybrid cultural institution, based on a new model of public-civil partnership.
The main purpose of POGON is to provide basic services and manage the infrastructure for cultural and youth programs (contemporary arts and culture; related social, theoretical, and policy activities; various youth activities). Its venues, equipment, and temporary office may be used free of charge for all non-profit activities. At the same time, POGON is also developing its own activities, currently focusing on international cooperation. - Genesis - History - Identity POGON is a direct result of the advocacy and activism of previous years. It was initiated by a coalition of NGOs consisting of two national networks (one of independent culture (Clubture Network), the another made up of youth organizations (Croatian Youth Network)), the local collaborative platform Zagreb – Cultural Kapital of Europe 3000, and three independent cultural venues (Mochvara, Attack!, and MaMa). The coalition started an exhaustive advocacy process in early 2005, a few months before the local elections. For the first time, the needs of independent culture and youth in Zagreb were articulated, publicly discussed, and stated in a policy document signed by the future political decision-makers. In parallel to public discussions, media activities, and protest actions, we organized a series of events, Operation:City, which every year focused on a different specific issue important for the urban development of the contemporary city. Through various formats and forms of artistic expression, it temporarily occupied different abandoned locations and, among other things, promoted the idea of a cultural center on which POGON was modeled. After the first Operation:City in September 2005, when over a period of 10 days one of the few remaining former factory sites that had not fallen prey to the wholesale commercialization of space was temporarily occupied by over 50 programs from more than 30 independent cultural organizations, drawing over 15000 visitors, the city mayor promised to save the industrial site of Badel/Gorica for public use and to create a cultural and youth center there. During the following four years, relations with the City went from reserved cooperation, ignorance, and obstruction, to direct attacks, drastic budget cuts, fights in the media and the shutting down of the cultural club Mochvara. Even so, we did not give up. We continued protesting, and before the last elections the City finally agreed to establish the Center.
SPACE'S AMENAGEMENT & ORGANISATION
- Spatial current organisation POGON JEDINSTVO [Trnjanski nasip bb, Zagreb, Croatia]
located on the Sava riverfront
former water-pump factory
2 main halls (80 and 450 m2)
officially opened in September 2009, although previously used by independent cultural actors in a variety of semi-legal and illegalized modalities
hosting various events: exhibitions by local and international artists, international festivals of visual and performing arts, concerts and parties, theater and dance shows…
POGON Mislavova [Kneza Mislava 11, Zagreb, Croatia]
located in the city center
office space with a conference room, altogether 120 m2
operational since June 2009
used as the Center's office, a temporary office for NGOs, and a space for informal educational programs, public presentations, and meetings. - Former usesee above