POLSKA! YEAR comprises over 200 projects introducing the most interesting achievements of Polish culture and works of the most outstanding Polish artists to the British public. We will present extraordinary exhibits from Polish museum collections and works of young contemporary artists and designers, concerts with Polish performers, as well as Polish music performed by British bands and soloists. We plan theatrical performances, reviews of Polish dramatic productions and the promotion of Polish literature at selected British literary festivals. We invite you to galleries, theatres, concert halls and cinemas in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Norwich, Liverpool, Oxford and dozen other cities in Great Britain.

POLSKA! YEAR to commence in spring 2009 and to be continued in 2010 is a joint initiative of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme of POLSKA! YEAR covers cultural events prepared in strict cooperation with British partners. The purpose of the Year is to bring communities of Poland and Great Britain closer by strengthening cultural relations, establishing new contacts between Polish and British artistic institutions, artists and organisers of cultural events.

POLSKA! YEAR programme was developed in cooperation with Polish and British partners of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. It is the result of visits of over 150 curators, cultural managers, artists and journalists who visited Poland during the year and a half of preparations. Thanks to such visits, they could see themselves that Poland is a young and dynamic country, an important EU member. A contemporary country with rich tradition and culture, historically and civilisationally having much more in common with the British than is usually considered on the basis of widespread opinions and stereotypes attributed to Poles. Mostly thanks to contacts established during those visits, the programme of the Year was created. It will comprise of exhibitions of past and modern art, concerts of classical, jazz and contemporary music, reviews of feature films, documentaries and cartoons, theatrical performances, as well as conferences and seminars.

The cultural programme of POLSKA! YEAR is coordinated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, a government institution in charge of promoting Polish culture abroad and initiating international cooperation in the field of culture. The programme is organised together with the Institute of Polish Culture in London. POLSKA! YEAR draws on interdisciplinary projects promoting Poland abroad organised since 2001. Such projects were already held in 26 countries all over the world including Austria, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, France, Russia, Germany, as well as India, China, Algeria and Morocco. The projects covered over 2 500 000 concerts, exhibitions, films and theatrical performances seen by over 14 million viewers.

The Polska! Year in the UK 2009-2010 takes place under the patronage of HM The Queen and HE The President of the Republic of Poland.

Conference

Coordinator of the Polska!YEAR is Aneta Prasal-Wisniewska.

Any questions related to the Polska!YEAR in UK should be directed under the following address: polishseason@iam.pl