Warsaw
Observatory
of Culture

At the Warsaw Observatory of Culture we aim to explore the processes of contemporary culture and share our findings with the wider community. We believe that connecting art and artists with scholarship affords us a better understanding of the world and the tools to engage with and contribute to the future.
About Us
Activity
Knowledge
Study on the Situation of Artists and Artist-Parents of Children Aged 0–6 in the Creative Labor Market
The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) is launching a research project dedicated to the situation of parents working in creative professions. We are witnessing a paradigm shift for mother/father/parent-artistic individuals—from the historical exclusion of combining a career in the arts with caregiving responsibilities to an increasingly common need to function in both realms and to fulfil the role of practising artist on an equal footing with the role of a parent.
It’s been two years
The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) is celebrating its second anniversary! As we embark on the next chapter of our operation, we want to take this opportunity to share with you memories, reflections and experiences from the past 365 days.
REPORT: Who are we all? The Experience of Cooperation on Theatre Projects between Polish Cultural Organisations and Belarusian Artists
The publication Jacy tacy nowacy? Doświadczenia współpracy polskich organizacji kulturalnych z białuskimi artystami w zakresie projektów teatralnych [Who are we all? The Experience of Cooperation on Theatre Projects between Polish Cultural Organisations and Belarusian Artists] attempts to observe the cooperation of Belarusian artists and artist groups with Warsaw-based cultural institutions on theatre projects. We are primarily interested in the challenges and possibilities of supporting artists.

How to support young adults reading in the midst of a digital revolution. Research Report

The Warsaw Observatory of Culture has published a report on the study of reading practices in Warsaw. Ten expert interviews were conducted with individuals who examine reading from various perspectives in their work. Additionally, five focus group interviews were held with people working in libraries and schools, as well as students in high school and the last two grades of primary school. The report is available for download from our knowledgebase.

More about: How to support young adults reading in the midst of a digital revolution. Research Report

Publication Artistic, Collective, Metropolitan. Warsaw art studios as micro-institutions

The publication which sums up the project Artistic, Collective, Metropolitan. Warsaw art studios as micro-institutions address the issue of creative work, its regulatory frameworks and constraints through viaf the functioning of art studios. Focusing on city-owned properties, studios rented on the commercial market, the creative space available at the Academy of Fine Arts, and studios run by creative cooperatives, we explore the different ways in which creative work can be organised, which usually depends on the availability of dedicated space.

More about: Publication <em>Artistic, Collective, Metropolitan. Warsaw art studios as micro-institutions</em>

How to create a dance house? Joanna Leśnierowska in conversation with Eva Broberg

We need stable long-term funded institutions to sustain the work and protect the community from multiple crises that are going to haunt us more and more. If you don’t have any structure at all, if everything relies on independent artists and NGOs, all the competence is at risk and likely to be gone when hard times come – says Eva Broberg in conversation with Joanna Leśnierowska.

More about: How to create a dance house? Joanna Leśnierowska in conversation with Eva Broberg

The museum is ours. A conversation with Joanna Mytkowska

Will the new model for a cultural institution be an outlet in a state of constant formation, uninterrupted transformation and repurposing? How do you manage a museum that is constantly migrating, under construction, shrinking and expanding its space? Joanna Mytkowska, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw talks about managing an elusive structure.

More about: The museum is ours. A conversation with Joanna Mytkowska