Slovakia/ 8.4 Amateur arts, cultural associations and civil initiatives  

8.4.1 Amateur arts and folk culture

Amateur artistic production has a long tradition in Slovakia. Among the tools for supporting this production, are amateur arts associations in various areas (especially theatre, fine arts, music, dance, folklore, film and video, photography, literary activities, artistic recitation), festivals, shows and workshops of amateur artistic production and special-interest artistic courses as a part of leisure-time centres (school and non-school centres under the supervision of the municipality self-government authorities).

The country-wide methodology and documentation centre for the area of the amateur arts is the National Centre of Public Education and Culture - NOC (a governmental organisation under the authority of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic) and its organisational unit, the Institute of Amateur Artistic Production.

The NOC is responsible mainly for the following activities:

• maintaining the database of the Theatre Directory of Amateur Ensembles (272 throughout Slovakia http://www.nocka.sk/uaut/divadlo/adresa);
• providing the methodology and professional assistance for amateur ensembles and authors;
• publishing professional literature, methodology guidebooks, note and text material for amateur artistic activities;
• publishing professional magazines for the area of amateur arts;
• organising or co-organising the most important amateur arts events in Slovakia and undertaking research programmes in this area;
• providing professional guarantees for country-wide contests in amateur performance (special-interest artistic activity);
• recording, documenting, safeguarding and using the traditional folk culture for cultural activities (while taking into consideration specifics of minority cultures); and
• ensuring education in the area of culture and amateur production.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the NOC compiles annual statistics on cultural activities and cultural education in the Slovak Republic.

During 2006, there were 5 822 groups, with a total number of 89 511 members (adults, young people aged 15 - 26, and children) involved in various special-interest artistic activities. Altogether, 47 888 special-interest activities took place in Slovakia during 2006 (source: National Centre of Public Education and Culture, Statistics on local and regional culture).

In 2006, more than 3 000 local cultural-educational centres employed a total of 3 172 people.

Founders of these centres are: the government (0.13%), self-governed authorities of regions and municipalities (73.37%), churches and religious societies (6.31%), Matica slovenská (2.4%), non-profit NGOs (14.26%) or various individuals (3.53%).

Table 9:     Overview of special-interest artistic activities according to individual areas of artistic production and performance, 2006

Source:      National Centre of Public Education and Culture, Statistics of Local and Regional Culture 2006

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