Last Thursday a delegation composed of twelve citizens of Novi Sad presented the project „Novi Sad 2021“ in Brussels. After three hours of dynamic presentations, numerous questions and sub-questions asked by the Panel of independent experts who decide on the title, Novi Sad was announced the European Capital of Culture, and these are the people who are most responsible for that!
Novi Sad delegation was headed by the Mayor of Novi Sad, and also a member of the Organizing Committee of Novi Sad 2021, Miloš Vučević, as well as the President of the Organizing Committee of Novi Sad 2021 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the EXIT Foundation, Nemanja Milenković.
Darko Polić, PhD, an architect, shared with the Commission his vision of urban planning of Novi Sad as a team member in charge of cultural infrastructure, while the legal questions were answered by a lawyer and researcher in the field of European integrations, Vuk Radulović, Manager of International Relations and Coordinator of the project.
Member of the City Council for Culture, Dalibor Rožić, was a member of the delegation in charge of the cultural strategy, while the coordinator of the application team, Milica Rašković, defined the way in which citizens from different social groups were involved in the project.
Overall exposition was finely moderated by an actor Lazar Jovanov, while the Director of the Gallery of Matica srpska and Vice President of the Arts Council of Novi Sad 2021, Tijana Palkovljević – Bugarski, PhD presented the artistic vision of the project.
The Program Director of the Application and Professor at the Faculty of Media, Momčilo Bajac, PhD was a member of the team responsible for monitoring and evaluation, while the Director of Bel Art Gallery, Vesna Latinović, was responsible for cooperation. Among the representatives who went to Brussels were also Dušan Vuković, PR manager of the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad, who prepared a presentation for Brussels and Jelena Rebić as a translater.
Behind this project lies, however, a whole team of people who were committed to the development of the Application, comments, promotion of the project and the image of the cultural scene of Novi Sad in the future.
The project was managed by the Organization Board composed of: Dušanka Manić, Deputy President, Siniša Jokić, Slavko Gordić, Obrad Škrbić, Dušan Pop Đurđev, Zoran Hadzi Lazin, Slaviša Grujić, Dragan Stanić, Žanko Tomić and Selimir Radulović.
Arts Council composed of eminent experts from different fields of cultural and social life had the task to provide technical assistance on the development of artistic concept and strategy of the candidacy, and besides Tijana Palkovljević – Bugarski, PhD it consist of: Rita Kinka, President, Vesna Kaćanski, Valentin Vencel, Danijel Babić, Vladimir Kopicl, Dušan Kovačević and Zdravko Vulin.
The Application sent to Brussels in early September was created by Vesna Latinović, Lazar Jovanov, Darko Polić, Milica Rašković, Zoran Tairović and Dragan Marković, and foreign advisors of the project were Christian Potiron, Petr Šimon and Marton Mehes.
For daily promotion of Novi Sad 2021 project was in charge the Operative team consisting of: Aleksandra Jovanović, Dušan Vuković, Bojana Kozomora, Bojana Jurišić, Denis Bajac, Ivana Milenković, Bojana Tepić, Ljiljana Kuzmanović and Dobrivoje Drobac.
Certainly an enormous contribution to the victory gave a unique visual identity of Novi Sad 2021, which was designed by Jovan Trkulja from Novi Sad Peter Gregson Studio, for which the representatives of the Commission said that it was one of the most original they have seen since the beginning of ECoC title.
In addition to all the all mentioned above, contribution to the title have many citizens, institutions and organizations who actively participated in the development of Cultural Strategy and proposals for the improvement of cultural life in Novi Sad, and certainly the contribution of all citizens of Novi Sad who supported the candidacy from the heart and were proud of their city all the time!
