In January 2010, the conference New Times New Models was held at Trans Europe Halle Member Centre Pekarna Magdalenske Mreze (Maribor, Slovenia) and organize with the support of ARTfactories/Autre(s)pARTs.

New Times New Models – Investigating the internal governance models and external relations of independent cultural centres in times of change Compiled and edited by Sandy Fitzgerald. Pekarna magdalenske mreže 2010.

This book is ambitious. By using the example of governance models, which was the topicof a New Times New Models conference (January 2010, Maribor), it wishes to investigate limitations and criteria within cultural production and at the same time to connect thediversity of creativity and activities into a homogeneous organism, called ‘cultural centre’.
By doing this, it brings to the attention a fundamental, but all too often overlooked, demarcation: in the case of independent culture, are we mostly talking about legal regulations, or - opposite to this - are we talking about content? And what is actually the difference?
The difference surely lies in its mission and engagement: does independent culture simply just satisfy the interests of its particular audiences and represent a kind of a marketing niche, or does it serve a much more daring purpose - the belief that it has to intervene into
social reality and, following the path of insurgent and countercultural movements, expand the boundaries of possibilities? Is it above all a scene and crossroads of trends, or does it swear by its own production, creating, commenting, a changing of the social reality in all
possible ways? Is it a manager that engages in economic calculations or is it a mediator that addresses, educates and encourages social initiative? Does its purpose lie in entertaining, or rather in the constant questioning of its own working condition and with that participation
in matters that concern us all? Is it self-sufficient or does it strive to reach across the fences of its own city? Is it an anonymous crowd of consumers, or a movement of individuals with clear opinions?
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New Times Mew Models