Changes and new projects at the ICC – an interview with Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik for “Gazeta Krakowska”

In “Gazeta Krakowska”, the director of the ICC spoke about the changes our institution is currently undergoing, their impact on restoring the everyday presence of culture in the city centre, and our greater openness to the needs of local residents. The refurbishment of the ground floor of the Ravens House, the creation of a bookshop, a bistro and a new educational room, as well as the planned exhibitions and activities for the coming year – these are just some of the issues Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik touched upon in the interview.

– The entire Old Town is dominated by a monoculture of hotels and restaurants, so every culture-creating initiative in this area is worth its weight in gold and must be supported, whether it be the Kino Pod Baranami cinema, activities at the Potocki Palace, the National Museum in the Sukiennice, the Museum of Kraków, or the newly opened café run by the Polish Music Publishing House. If we want to counteract the ‘McDonaldisation’ of the Old Town, then such measures must be taken – emphasised the director of the ICC in an interview with Anna Piątkowska of “Gazeta Krakowska”. 

What will change at the ICC’s headquarters?

Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik outlined to readers the changes currently taking place in the historic Ravens House. She noted that the ground floor of the building is set to become the ICC’s showcase and enable a more complete opening onto the Market Square. Thanks to this, as the director pointed out, the cultural function of our tenement house will become clearer, and perhaps more people will find out what our institution does and come to the ICC for new exhibitions, meetings or debates. A new meeting place will be created – suitable for both individual and social gatherings – as well as a space for organising events and a bookshop where visitors can browse our publications.

 What will we have in store for the public in 2027?

– Thanks to funding received from the European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate and the Environment 2021–2027 (FEnIKS) programme, we will be able to modernise and adapt parts of the building to meet contemporary needs, improve safety for visitors and the works of art on display, whilst respecting its historical character. Like any cultural institution, we need a more welcoming reception area, which serves as the first point of contact with our visitors – emphasised the director of the ICC.

Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik also spoke about the plans and new projects the ICC team is already working on: preparations for next year’s European Cultural Heritage Summit, organised annually by the Europa Nostra network and combined with the ceremonial presentation of the European Heritage Awards/ Europa Nostra Awards, and exhibitions exploring, amongst other things, the turbulent history of Galician oil, postmodernism in Central European architecture, and the work of the Ukrainian sculptor and painter Alexander Archipenko.

The full text of Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik’s interview for “Gazeta Krakowska”.

Photo: Andrzej Banaś