WEXFORD, WATERFORD and Kilkenny’s unsuccessful joint bid to be crowned European Capital of Culture (ECoC) 2020 has been criticised by judges for being insular and lacking clarity and imagination.
The ‘ Three Sisters 2020’ bid team reflected a coming together of local authorities in Wexford, Waterford and Kilkenny with the aim of securing a huge boost and financial support for culture and the arts across the three counties.
The three County Councils approved a regional cultural strategy for 2016 – 2025 with the theme of ‘Better Together’.
Members of the judging panel, however, were concerned that the strategy may not be implemented if the title was not awarded.
Sylvia Amann (Austria) and Christina Farinha (Portugal) visited Wexford as part of a whistle-stop tour of the Three Sisters region on July 13th and viewed distinguished venues including the National Opera House.
Members of the bid team, which included Corner Boy frontman Mick d’Arcy, worked hard to impress but left Ms. Amann and Ms. Farinha, according to their report, ‘not fully convinced the programme would deliver.’
The Three Sisters’ programme incorporated seven strands, an aspect of the bid which members of the judging panel noted ‘may be too wide and too awkward to communicate.
‘The proposed programme appeared to be too wide in scope,’ they stated.
Each of the three counties boast pre-existing arts festivals, however the judges felt the 2020 programme ought to have been more diverse and not centred around these occasions.
Cultural and artistic projects intended for implementation throughout the designated year, should the region have been selected, were laid out in a bid book.
However, in their verdict on the bid, members of the judging panel noted that ‘the bid book did not set out a clear view of success or of priority areas.
‘There was a lack of clear objectives rather than lists of indicators and areas to compile data’, they stated.
Members of the judging panel also noted that the Three Sisters’ vision was insular in approach and that the team could have done more to identify and connect with similar areas and regions across Europe.
The panel did, however, commend strengths in the strand around cultural and creative industries, as well as other aspects of the Three Sisters’ 2020 vision.
See more in the Wexford Echo.