On the WOK.radar

In 2025, at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture we decided to explore the participation of children from Belarus and Ukraine with migration experience in the capital’s culture. Turning to the experiences and observations of young people is an important lens through which to view the rapidly emerging multi-ethnic society that Poland in general, and Warsaw in particular, has become.

Czym jest dziś praca artystyczna i jak jest postrzegana przez różnych interesariuszy miejskich: urzędy oraz instytucje kultury. Jaka jest jej charakterystyka? Z czego się składa? W jaki sposób zależy od materialnych uwarunkowań – ekonomicznych i przestrzennych? Na te pytania staramy się odpowiedzieć w publikacji Pracow(A)nie artystyczne.

In the season of the “artificial intelligence boom”, why not draw on the knowledge gained from recent conversations about the established (and emerging) models of cultural work – ecology and overproduction?

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.

Engaging with an audience in a collective manner can also be a political act, with the potential for social transformation and emancipation.

Who should answer this question? There are many people who read and promote reading, and multiple approaches to the problem. At the Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK), we have created a platform for sharing cross-sectoral knowledge and reflections on reading, in order to capture the transdisciplinary sense of reading promotion.

Is it possible to manage a large urban theater known for its high artistic aspirations in an empathetic, inclusive, and humane way? Anna Rochowska, the director of TR Warszawa, reveals the challenges she faces while trying to reconcile seemingly contradictory elements.

The study of cultural education in Warsaw is a study of the city itself: its radically changing community; its shifts and uncertainties in the face of global challenges; as well as its local conditions and their impact on the lives of Warsaw’s residents. WOK presents the report Cultural Education in Research and Action, which concludes the second phase of our study on cultural education practices in Warsaw.

Can you live radically with your head in the clouds? In the age of the digital revolution, it is a thorn in the side of literary purists and a one-night-read, so to speak, if we betray the logic of progress, profit and consumption. The answer is complex. As an invited panellist at the Eye on the World (L'œil du monde) conference at the National Library on 22 March, I spoke about the implications of WOK research and what reading education could look like in the age of the digital revolution.

The Open and Developing Catalogue of Intercultural Practices is the result of months of work by the React! network. We believe it can be helpful in working with individuals with migration and/or refugee experience. We call the catalogue ‘developing’ and ‘open’ because it is a dynamically evolving collection of practices that we will adapt and update in response to changing needs and cultural contexts. ‘Developing’ means that the document is constantly updated with new experiences and solutions.

Are cultural institutions destined to be organised in traditional ways? How can we think differently about structure and working methods? What kind of model would we like to see if we are tired of the hierarchy of roles? How can we communicate effectively? How can we make decisions safe and fast? These and other questions drove the workshop on the basics of sociocracy that I ran for the team of the Warsaw Observatory of Culture. Here is a brief overview of the model discussed for those interested in self-organisation.

Presenting the solutions developed by experts for the cultural sector during a time of transition. On 26 September, a debate on the organisation of the financing and functioning of culture in Poland took place at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw. The debate focused on four main issues: the law on the status of professional artists, cultural institutions, the decentralisation of culture, and social and civic culture.

The Museum Watch Governance Management Project was drafted to help the museum community address management challenges more efficiently. The idea emerged out of the existing Museum Watch Programme, introduced by CIMAM with the aim ‘to assist modern and contemporary art museum professionals in dealing with critical situations that undermine their ability to undertake their professional practice and effect a museum’s ability to operate to international standards of best practice’.

The document contains recommendations, guidelines, and inspirations on the subject matter of projects, ways, and methods of working with recipients, as well as support tools for individuals conducting activities in the field of cultural education. The Cultural Education in Warsaw document intends to aid in planning individual educational activities an comprehensive strategies of institutions in which cultural education plays an essential role.

The Cultural Map of Warsaw project is developed alongside our other projects, and research and artistic processes. By adding new thematic layers, we will develop a map of Warsaw, or more precisely, a map of Warsaws – accessible, created and respected by different groups. We want it to benefit the people of Warsaw, respond to their needs, and inspire them to make unusual and surprising discoveries.