125 cultural professionals write to Franceschini: MiBACT should not pay us in visibility

A group of 125 cultural professionals (photographers, artists, photo editors, immmage professionals, curators, journalists) wrote a letter to the Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini to underline their concern about the Refocus call: this was a photo call launched by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism to collect works by young photographers working on the theme of restrictive measures in Italian cities during the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic. The project did not foresee remuneration from MiBACT, but an online publication of the selected works to “enhance” their photographic production by the artists “giving also institutional visibility to the creativity and quality of their work that, in such an extraordinary moment of difficulty and social isolation, see abruptly reduced opportunities to be valued.”

The call expires at 12 p.m. on May 18 and is aimed at those with “proven activity in the field of photography” and who are between the ages of 18 and 40. The winners, selected by a five-member accredited committee, will see their works used by the MiBACT’s General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity within the scope of its competencies and institutional activities, using them on a nonprofit basis. In addition, the winning photographers are required to specify that the work was selected as part of the Refocus project each time it is published, and they will contractually undertake to indemnify and hold harmless the DGCC from any claims that may be made against them by third parties in relation to the places being photographed."

The initiators of the letter(also published online with enclosed signature collection: more than 1,000 have already been collected at the moment, with endorsements from various cultural associations and specialized galleries) write that “ workers in theimage should be given equal value, respect and recognition as professional categories by institutions,” and while recognizing what MiBACT has done so far for visual artists and photographers, they feel it is their duty to express their position on the Refocus initiative, calling for the call for proposals to be reformulated to include a budget that includes fees for the artist and explicit identification of a curatorial and/or editorial team during the various phases of the project’s implementation. In the event of a lack of funds, the promoters call for the cancellation of the call pending the necessary resources.

The petitioners also ask for guarantees “proving that the Ministry is able to help the selected in the possible need to move to the territory, through the drafting of a series of documents and authorizations required by the photographer/a, which are necessary due to logistical restrictions due to Covid-19,” and also the adoption of “good practices in drafting the calls promoted by MiBACT in the field of visual arts, starting with mandatory rules” (e.g.: “explicit and complete declaration of the destination of the images collected; transparency and publicity of the evaluation commission (or jury) before or at the same time as the publication of the initiative; presence of a form of compensation, direct or indirect, and in any case quantifiable and consonant to guarantee professional dignity). Finally, it calls for the adoption ”of a platform that indicates guidelines aimed at clarity, transparency and fairness, which may represent indispensable requirements for all festivals, institutions, institutes and foundations and cultural promoters, to guarantee a real professional and artistic enhancement of the actors involved in the field of visual arts."

“We find it deplorable that, especially in the difficult historical moment we are going through,” the letter reads, "a Ministry proposes to offer visibility in exchange for a job that by announcement is asked to be ’professional.’ It is not gratuitousness as a form per se that we object to, think for example of the many collections of photographs for charity during this pandemic crisis. The Covid-19 emergency brought to an all-time low the possibility of work in this sector, which had already been experiencing a deep crisis for some time, and we would have expected more support from the Ministry through initiatives carried out to support contemporary photography. Instead, the Refocus Call belittles not only the sense of our profession, but also the very institution of MiBACT, whose purpose should be to aspire to a technical, artistic and economic elevation of young professionals (subjects to whom the Open Call is addressed) distinguishing itself from amateur initiatives. The demand for images in exchange for visibility and its gratuitous nature results in offence to the professionalism and dignity of all of us who make photography our work. The Refocus Call obscures not only the sacrifices we make every day, but also the difficult days we are experiencing because of the ongoing health emergency."

125 cultural professionals write to Franceschini: MiBACT should not pay us in visibility

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