By empowering cultural professionals, supporting cities beyond their ECoC bids, and advocating for culture’s role in sustainable development, Culture Next has established itself as a catalyst for transformation. In this interview, Immie sheds light on the network's ability to connect like-minded individuals, share impactful practices, and promote culture's inclusion in global agendas like the SDGs.

With a focus on collaboration, shared experiences, and tangible impact, Immie reveals how Culture Next (CN) helps cities tackle challenges, seize opportunities, and foster meaningful connections within Europe’s evolving cultural landscape.

In a Europe polarized by economic crises, migration, and the rise of populism, how do you see the role of international cultural networks, such as Culture Next, in supporting a shared European identity and strengthening cultural democracy?
Culture is a great way to bring people together. Culture transcends borders, wars, and nasty differences of opinion. As a network, Culture Next connects a multitude of knowledge, backgrounds, and experiences. It inspires members to work together, to share, to learn from each other, to find allies, and to help each other in reaching goals. By sharing, and using culture (and art) as a common ground, we get to know each other and respect each other much faster and better. In Culture Next we are not fretting about what divides us, we are finding the things that bind us. This results in great cooperation and sharing on a European level.

How does Culture Next support its member organizations in developing their capacity to create meaningful and lasting impacts within their communities? 
One of the most important things about a network is that you have a multitude of people who have had the same experiences and have overcome the challenges you are facing. That means there is a lot of knowledge but also an understanding of the situation you are in. And also possibilities for solutions. This is organized in conferences (sessions) and thematic working groups as well. Next to that, we organise meetings, for example, with politicians from different cities and countries to also have an exchange on the political level (sharing experiences and learnings). By being a member of CN, you have a world of experience at your fingertips. Through app groups and email conversations, there’s always someone who has the right answer or maybe (the start of a) solution.

Cities that do not secure the title of European Capital of Culture often face stagnation. How does Culture Next help these cities maintain cultural momentum and avoid losing energy and resources?
Among the members of Culture Next are cities that have implemented successful programs: as a legacy organization of an EcoC or as a city that has not won the title. They can serve as an example. CN is not only there for the cultural operators, but also for the decision-makers and politicians. Connecting them might help to gain insight into the (political) importance of not wasting all the time and effort (not forgetting money) put in the bid process.

Culture is often seen as a secondary sector in development strategies. What changes are needed in local and European cultural policies to ensure that art and creativity become true drivers of urban transformation?
This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Sharing, showing, telling, repeating, and patience (or perseverance), would be my advice. Good storytelling on the successes, joining movements, or creating movements and networks. Proving the theory by doing. Highlighting successful projects.  A network as CN can help to share and connect aspiring projects and/or creatives with those with more experience. And, it also helps to find like-minded people if you are completely fed up with persevering ?.

How does Culture Next contribute to integrating culture into the global sustainable development agenda? How can decision-makers be convinced to see culture not only as an identity marker but also as a strategic resource?
CN is working on the role of culture in the SDGs and also, with partners, developing a goal for measurement of the impact of culture. But also, again, sharing good practices as part of a network. Inviting decision-makers from a successful region or city to talk to more reluctant decision-makers. Being part of a European network as broad as CN means you have access to a lot of knowledge.

What are Culture Next’s priorities for the next 5-10 years, and how will the network evolve to address emerging trends in culture and society, such as technology, the growing need for ecological sustainability, and the challenges of social inclusion and diversity in cultural initiatives?
The network has 4 main objectives:
Representation Capacity: To build representation capacity and make Culture Next astronger and more relevant network in the European and international policy arena, by expanding the network membership to represent more cities and more diverse background and perspectives (50 member cities, 8 conferences);

Support for Cities: To strengthen the CN program and our capacity to support more ECoC candidate cities to implement strong bid book legacy program and therefore to increase their sustainable development impact (90 Mobilities, 5 TWG, 2 CN Things, 8 CN Missions);

International Relations: To expand our international relations in and outside of the EU by connecting and collaborating with other international ECoC-like programs (4 CN missions outside the EU, 1 study visit hosted, 1 dedicated conference);

Contribution to Policies: To expand our role as contributors and advocates for cultural policies related to ECoC Legacy, Culture, and SDGs and the five priority topics of the present Creative Europe call: Artists and cultural professionals, Culture for the people, Culture for the planet, Culture for co-creative partnerships, and Culture for digital transformation (Policy and Advocacy Task Force established, seven policy papers published and disseminated).

What is the fundamental difference between cultural mobility within a network like Culture Next and between different networks? How can such connections be prioritized?
For me, there are a few things that distinguish CN from other networks:

It is not only a network for bidding or winning cities, it’s also for (what we like to call) ‘the losers’. Cities that have not won the title but have implemented (or will implement) larger cultural projects. So it’s much more about impact, than being an ECoC.

We also have fun. Whilst culture and art more and more are seen as a means for a change, it also might be just beautiful and nice to look at or experience. The same goes for networks: on the one hand, they bring you a lot, but  it’s also important that you can have a nice time with your cultural colleagues from Europe. This also allows you to be more aware of things happening In Europe on a different scale: the day-to-day life in other countries. For a better understanding of Europe, this is also important.