June 2, 2025<\/p>\n
In the past weeks, we made a difficult decision regarding JAMA \u2013 79th Year of Milan Adam\u010diak.<\/p>\n
At the Slovak Arts Council board meeting on April 16, our application for JAMA 79 was approved. We have decided to decline this grant. This does not mean that JAMA won\u2019t happen this year \u2013 quite the opposite.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t an easy decision, and we don\u2019t claim it\u2019s the only right one. Unlike many others, we are among the more fortunate ones \u2013 our support wasn\u2019t cancelled or slashed to unsustainable levels by the new nominees of the Ministry of Culture. We feel the need to explain why we chose this path. That\u2019s what this statement is about. If you\u2019re interested, read on.<\/p>\n
1. Since the end of last year, we\u2019ve been closely following the public sessions of the Slovak Arts Council\u2019s board \u2013 and we\u2019ve found them deeply disturbing. We\u2019ve heard many bizarre statements, including the repeated claim that \u201cthe Slovak Arts Councl is functioning well\u201d (if only the director didn\u2019t obstruct it). These words are coming from people who are directly harming the institution through politically motivated and incompetent behaviour, shifting blame onto others. They mislead, manipulate, lie, delay funding, and threaten the very existence of culture in Slovakia. After months of protest from the cultural community, we feel helpless and exhausted. The only thing we feel capable of doing at this point is to reject this game \u2013 to refuse to be used by the Ministry of Culture as an example or a public justification for their destructive actions; to refuse to serve as a convenient proof that \u201cthe system works.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. We were among those who defended the Slovak Arts Council to the very last breath. We attended every protest, applauded every expert who chose to stay in the commissions and continue. This is public money and public interest \u2013 it belongs to all of us, not to the board, not to the friends or cronies of the current establishment. The resignation of Du\u0161an Buran as chair of the SAC board in March, and the dismissal of SAC director R\u00f3bert \u0160pot\u00e1k in April marked a breaking point for us. We now see the Council as being fully taken over by people nominated by minister \u0160imkovi\u010dov\u00e1 and Luk\u00e1\u0161 Machala \u2013 people we consider incompetent, harmful, and self-serving. These people cannot be our partners.<\/p>\n
3. Based on all publicly available information about how the board is currently operating, it is clear that decisions are being made regardless of arguments \u2013 unprofessionally, arbitrarily, and for personal gain. Several board members are under scrutiny by the General Prosecutor\u2019s Office. We do not consider this kind of decision-making about public funding to be responsible or legitimate, and we refuse to accept it.<\/p>\n
By rejecting the grant, we do not mean to dismiss the work of the expert commissions \u2013 quite the opposite. We are deeply grateful to those who stayed on even a year after the Council\u2019s collapse began, continuing their work in service of applicants and the public, and helping preserve quality projects a little longer.<\/p>\n
We are also grateful to the dismissed director R\u00f3bert \u0160pot\u00e1k, former board chair Du\u0161an Buran, and every staff member of the SCA who stood up for the institution. You have our respect and admiration for your tireless, principled work.<\/p>\n
Last but not least, we thank the protesting public, the Kult\u00farny \u0160trajk, the Otvoren\u00e1 kult\u00fara! platform and its supporters, and everyone defending culture and taking a stand. You are doing vital, underappreciated work.<\/p>\n
We did consider accepting the grant and using it to support artists and initiatives that were left out. But when the time came to make a decision, we simply couldn\u2019t see how this would work in practice. JAMA, even in better times, is not a plug-and-play event. It\u2019s not a cultural centre, it doesn\u2019t have institutional infrastructure or standard programming.<\/p>\n
What we can do is support artists, provide space, create jobs for cultural workers \u2013 and we\u2019ll continue to do just that. We\u2019re lucky to be able to offer paid opportunities in our other projects to the artists, producers, and tech teams we work with. We are deeply grateful that they continue to stand with us.<\/p>\n
Being in this position is far from easy. We are part of Tren\u010d\u00edn 2026 \u2013 a project that is in many ways imperfect and exhausting. But it\u2019s also one of the few safe havens we currently have. We know not everyone has that luxury. We\u2019ll keep looking for ways to share it with as many people as possible who need it.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re happy for every meaningful project that received support and will be realised. We cheer for everyone who found ways to open their project to others and support the scene. We\u2019ll be there. We\u2019ll come see it. We\u2019ll support it whenever we can. We\u2019re fully convinced that it\u2019s essential to keep going \u2013 no matter what. We\u2019ll keep going, too \u2013 just in our own way.<\/p>\n
Now, for the good news: JAMA 79 is happening.<\/strong><\/p>\n JAMA will take place as originally planned, on October 17 and 18, 2025. We continue to count the years of M.A., regardless of politics or funding. More than ever, this is a time to come together and build islands of freedom and solidarity in difficult times. That\u2019s what we want JAMA 79 to be.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll make it happen within our means, energy, and capacity \u2013 and whatever shape it takes, it will be open to anyone who wants to come. It will be what it can be \u2013 one of many possibilities. We\u2019re looking forward to it and curious to see what we\u2019ll manage to create.<\/p>\n For now, we just need a little time to redraw the plan. More from us soon. Take care.<\/p>\n Eva Voz\u00e1rov\u00e1 June 2, 2025 In the past weeks, we made a difficult decision regarding JAMA \u2013 79th Year of Milan Adam\u010diak. At the Slovak Arts Council board meeting on April 16, our application for JAMA 79 was approved. We have decided to decline this grant. This does not mean that JAMA won\u2019t happen this year \u2013 […]<\/p>\n
\nFero Kir\u00e1ly<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"