Project:  REPOSITIONING THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SKOPJE 2017-2018

Description: The project "Repositioning the Museum of Contemporary art - Skopje 2017/2018" was carried out because of the MoCA - Skopje need for: 1) Re-internationalization (by re-establishing the international cooperation between MoCA – Skopje and other museums world-wide); 2) Acquiring a specific curatorial knowledge for attracting target audience as wide as possible (by establishing a strong partnership with specific institutions and formatting a tailor-made trainings for its expert staff); 3) Repositioning (in its branch) as exclusive institution specialized in contemporary curatorial practices capable of providing "specific education" (or even certified) to different types of audiences.
The MoCA - Skopje wants to follow new curatorial practices from aspect of successfully exhibiting for different types of audiences. The museum made a distinguish between visitors specifically attending the special events and others attending the museum with the primary aim of seeing the institution’s permanent exhibition. This is because different types of visitors have different needs. The MoCA curators recognized those differences, so they can effectively plan events and programs with their target audiences in mind.
The Project Goal was: To reposition MoCA -Skopje as a contemporary museum in a contemporary society, a museum that is established both for learning and enjoyment. The Strategic Goal was: To further improve the specific skills and updated knowledge acquired during the practical training offered to our custodians - theirs specific international practical experience.
The goals of mobilities were to nurture collaborative processes, flow of information at all levels and exchange of good practices. This specific trainings are observed as excellent opportunity for our MoCA - Skopje four curators, graphic designer and restavrator (to get exposed to EU museum experiences and practices). MoCA - Skopje wants to follow the European standards in the filed of taking-care (preserving) of the so-called "digital" artworks and art objects (art installations). Of really high importance is to mention that through this mobilities MoCA - Skopje will bring back to Macedonia a new art preservation skills, as well a new exhibiting curatorial skills (planing and organizing "out-of-the-box" exhibitions, events and etc). Therefore, the museum visitors will have the possibility to get a real "contemporary" experience while visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art-Skopje. This will further increase the competitiveness and the quality of the similar services in the cultural sector.

The Project Strategic Goal was to improve the overall quality of museum performance (by up-skilling its staff: up-grading the level of their expert knowledge and skills that lead towards up-lifted competitiveness of the museum also).
As it was expected the connections with our Partners were established in a manner that the cooperation and exchanging of experiences will continue in the years to come. The context of our project is to strengthen our museum/institution. Our objectives, which will help our institution to become a role model to other similar institutions in our community were: 1) Bringing positive and long-lasting effects on the participants involved; 2) Increasing the capacity to cooperate on international level; 3) Revising and strengthening the professional profile of the curatorial profession; 4) Improvement of foreign language competencies among the trainees; 5) Enhancing not just the the inter-linguistic awareness but the inter-cultural awareness also; 6) Promoting more active participation in society; 7) General improvement of the competencies that are linked to the trainees’ professional profiles; 8) Promoting broader understanding of practices, policies and systems in "digital" preserving and "out-of-the-box" exhibiting; 9) Promoting greater understanding and responsiveness to social, linguistic and cultural diversity; 10) Increasing motivation and satisfaction in the learners/trainees daily tasks; 11) Provide trainees/learners with ready‐to‐use materials.
The expected project impact was: 1) Improvement of the level of key competences and skills; 2) Positive and long-lasting effects on
the participants involved; 3) Increased capacity for international cooperation; 4) Internationalization at the level
of museum work; 5) Broader understanding of latest exhibiting and preserving curatorial practices and systems; 6) Knowledge transfer; 7) Encouragement of sharing the best practices, ideas and materials; 8) Heightened awareness of different digital art preserving techniques; 9) Acquisition of new exhibiting techniques and ideas.

We do believe that after completing our mobility project, MoCA - Skopje and we as a team made a step further, a step
closer to the motto of the European Union, United in Diversity, and to the adoption of the European policies and European Strategy 2020.