Monday, October 28, 2024 | 1:00 pm
Location: Residency Unlimited
360 Court Street (main green church doors), Brooklyn NY 11231 (map)
In this presentation, cultural manager Jana Kuffová Popovicsová, currently in residency at RU, will talk about the current independent cultural scene in Slovakia (officially the Slovak Republic) which is situated in the heart of Europe.
Jana will briefly describe the historical development of the cultural scene in Slovakia after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 (a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia resulting in the end of 41 years of one-party rule). Her presentation will focus on the independent cultural institutions and organizations that are shaping the cultural scene in Slovakia (especially those associated with Anténa – a network for independent culture) and their current forms.
Jana will focus on the cultural and community center Hidepark Nitra, where she has been working as a program director and project manager since 2018. Hidepark’s main activity is organizing cultural events and performances of artists from the contemporary Slovak and international independent scene such as concerts, theater performances, readings, experimental multi-genre performances, international projects, as well as discussions and workshops on ecology, crops growing, education, ecological forms of transport or migration. It is also the home of a community bike repair workshop, and KOZA, a community garden offering Nitra’s people the ability to grow their own crops based on permaculture principles across 10 acres of a former landfill site outside the city.
Click above to see images from the Talk.
About
Jana Kuffová Popovicsová is a cultural manager based in Nitra, Slovakia. Previously, Jana worked on the city of Nitra’s candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2026 and at the Creative Center Nitra, as a fundraiser/partnership coordinator. Since 2018, she has served as the program director and project manager at the independent cultural and community center Hidepark Nitra, which showcases contemporary, independent, professional, and non-professional art from Slovakia and the EU. Hidepark cultural center is an outdoor venue, spread across 10 acres of a former landfill site outside the city, surrounded by nature. This unique setting offers numerous opportunities for both functional and artistic use. Since 2022, Jana has been managing and booking for the Slovak band Dis is Marketa, representing the band in Slovakia and abroad at showcases, festivals, and conferences.
This program benefits from the support of Malý Berlín, the Consulate General of Slovak Republic in NYC, and the Slovak Arts Council.
