Open Culture: Protecting the Cultural Sector through Watchdog and Advocacy Actions

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Open Culture! platform (OK! platform) to systematically monitor, analyse, and communicate developments in the cultural sector in Slovakia, contributing to the protection of the public interest, transparency of public administration, and the rule of law. It focuses on both individual decisions in cultural policy and broader sector conditions, including funding, working conditions, access to public resources, regional disparities, and the impacts of legislative and managerial decisions on cultural institutions and professionals.
The project responds to the need for expert, data-driven oversight in a context of insufficient transparency, problematic public decision-making, and long-term neglect of systemic issues, which weaken cultural infrastructure, increase social insecurity, and limit sustainable development.
Building on several years of OK! platform’s activities, as a non-hierarchical, non-partisan initiative, the project uses monitoring, participatory analysis, and strategic communication to improve transparency in cultural policy and strengthen civil society’s capacity to address systemic challenges.
It also promotes inclusive public discourse in culture, including the participation of groups exposed to discrimination, such as Roma communities, women, LGBTIQ+ persons, and persons with disabilities, supporting democratic development based on equality and human rights.

The main objective of the project is to strengthen the role of civil society in safeguarding the public interest in the field of cultural policy through watchdog activities, participatory analysis, and strategic public communication.

The project has three interrelated specific objectives:
1. Strengthening the oversight and analytical capacity of civil society in the field of cultural policy.
The project will establish a systematic framework for monitoring legislative changes, decisions of public authorities, and managerial interventions in cultural institutions. In doing so, it will contribute to enhancing the transparency of public administration and reinforcing the principles of the rule of law.

2. Supporting the participation of cultural sector stakeholders in identifying systemic challenges in public policies.
The project will enable experts from various areas of the cultural sector to collaboratively analyse structural issues affecting the sector and to formulate proposals for solutions. In this way, it will strengthen the participation of civil society in public policy-making.

3. Improving public awareness of the functioning of cultural policy and the importance of transparent governance of cultural institutions.
Strategic communication of the project’s outputs will help explain complex public policy mechanisms in the field of culture and foster informed public debate on the protection of culture as a public good.

Watchdog and investigative monitoring of decision-making in the cultural sector – systematic monitoring of decisions affecting the cultural sector in Slovakia, including freedom of information requests and complaints to oversight bodies. The project team will track legislative proposals, decisions of public authorities, and managerial actions impacting social stability, transparency, funding, and the independence of culture.
Monitoring will extend beyond the Ministry of Culture to the broader public cultural policy environment, including funding bodies (e.g. Slovak Arts Council, Audiovisual Fund), public institutions, regional and municipal organisations, and publicly funded projects and festivals.
The project will use public data, communication with cultural professionals, and analysis of public funding flows, drawing on OK! platform’s network of stakeholders built since 2024. It will also include participation in legislative consultation processes in cooperation with this network and policy experts.
Participatory analysis of sector challenges – organisation of thematic meetings and consultations with professionals across the cultural sector to identify systemic issues, including underfunding, heritage neglect, precarity, and legislative barriers affecting cultural workers. Participants will include independent actors, public institutions, regional organisations, and cultural managers.
Public communication and awareness-raising – implementation of a strategic communication plan to share findings through online and media outputs. The project will produce accessible content (texts, infographics, videos) explaining cultural policy mechanisms, funding systems, and legislative impacts. The aim is to increase public understanding of the sector and highlight the importance of transparent governance for a democratic society, while strengthening civil society’s capacity to communicate complex policy issues and foster public engagement.