Jerez is becoming an international epicenter for analyzing the strategy and future of creative cities. This is a debate that the city aims to stimulate and lead with initiatives such as the Jerez2031 Creative Cities Forum, organized by the Jerez Chamber of Commerce, which is taking place from November 11 to 13 with the participation of prominent international experts.
The Forum, inaugurated this morning by the Mayor of Jerez, María José García-Pelayo, and the President of the Jerez Chamber of Commerce, Javier Sánchez Rojas, is part of the process of Jerez’s bid to become the European Capital of Culture 2031. Its aim is to create a critical space for discussing the transformative potential of culture and citizen innovation in the contemporary urban context.
The Jerez2031 Creative Cities Forum is being held at the Chamber of Commerce’s coworking space, is supported by the Jerez City Council’s Strategic Grants Plan, and seeks to bring together professionals from diverse fields to contribute their proposals and experiences to the cultural, skills development, and sustainability project of #Jerez2031.
Its program includes national and international speakers and its sessions are divided into different blocks and themes. The opening lecture was delivered this morning by Jesús Prieto de Pedro, a leading figure in cultural rights, Professor of Administrative Law at the UNED (National University of Distance Education), and holder of the Andrés Bello Chair of Cultural Rights. In his presentation, he noted that “cultural rights have had a difficult journey, that they form part of the modern utopia, and that they are built upon the foundation of fundamental rights.” At the same time, he asserted that “these are not only rights of freedom but also rights of provision and solidarity, as they are complex rights, firstly related to the concept of freedom of creation, but also rights of equality regarding access to cultural services and programs, and finally, rights of fraternity such as the right to solidarity in protecting heritage or the environment.”
Among the speakers, the presence of the Spanish architect Santiago Cirugeda (an international authority on social architecture) stands out, as does that of the British professor, curator, and specialist in civic dramaturgy, Chris Baldwin, who has been the artistic director for various bids for European Capital of Culture, such as Wroclaw 2016 (Poland) and Galway 2020 (Ireland), and responsible for major cultural events for Eleusis 2023 (Greece) and Kaunas 2022 (Lithuania).
The Jerez2031 Creative Cities Forum is aimed at professionals in culture, urban planning and social innovation, technicians and institutional managers, citizen groups, students and agents of the territory, artists, architects, educators and urban creators.