In this conversation, Zuzanna Auguścik sits down with Maria Rosa, the driving force behind ERGO Hestia’s extensive cultural patronage. As the Director of Marketing and PR Office and President of the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation, Rosa discusses the company’s commitment to the arts through initiatives like the Hestia Artistic Journey competition and the new grant programme. She explains why the sense of security is so crucial in case of a difficult period in artistic life.
Zuzanna Auguścik: The scope of activity of ERGO Hestia as the patron of Polish culture is extremely vast. After 20 editions of the Hestia Artistic Journey competition, you have decided to organise the international sculpture competition Baltic Horizons. On top of that, you hand out the Hestia Literary Journey Award. As the Director of Marketing and PR as well as the President of the APH Foundation by ERGO Hestia, could you please share with us why it is worth participating in these types of competitions and why you have extended your scope of activity to include the Hestia Artistic Journey Grant Programme?
Maria Rosa: Ever since the inception of ERGO Hestia, art has been one of the areas on which we have been particularly focused. At first glance, the business of insurance, alongside its precise calculations and risk assessment has little to do with the arts. However, we believe that the common ground is emotion. As we offer someone insurance, we offer them a sense of security in case of a difficult period in their life. That is why we find an agreement with artists who seek to resonate with the emotions of their audience through their work.
The National Grant Programme of the Hestia Artistic Journey arises from the need to create an open platform for the artists who address the challenges of today’s times in their practice. We are certain that the language of art serves as the perfect tool for describing the complexity of shifting reality owing to its flexibility and symbolism. Art “translates” the things that we might find difficult to convey or articulate with words while touching on our emotions. The current state of the world requires action and a change of perspective. In our opinion, art will play a crucial role in this process.
Z.A.: The 2024 slogan of the National Grant Programme of the Hestia Artistic Journey is “Art matters.” What does this slogan mean to you and what were the main goals of this year’s programme?
M.R.: I suppose this slogan is so powerful because it eludes one “correct” meaning. On the one hand, the meaning of art is related to the message that a given artist can convey to their viewers. This way, not only can they present their point of view but also, perhaps primarily, galvanise their audience into ruminating and raising unusual questions. However, art matters also as an incredible driving force behind a change. In art history, there have been cases when a singular piece provoked a wide-ranging social debate, which ultimately led to the evolution of a way of thinking.
I believe these two lines of interpretation illustrate perfectly the founding principles of the new grant programme of the Hestia Artistic Journey. We wanted to launch an initiative that would support artists, curators, and institutions of culture in the implementation of artistic projects that would allow viewers to grasp their surrounding reality better, which is so deeply complex. For this reason, it was very important to us that the exhibition we funded represented a high artistic level and encompassed associated education and accessibility endeavours that would reach a wider audience.
Z.A.: How does the grant programme support art practices and projects in the face of current and future challenges? What are the expected social and educational results of the projects implemented as part of the programme?
M.R.: As ERGO Hestia, we have almost twenty years of experience in supporting Polish artists in their pursuits. This period has confirmed our initial assumption that art and business can in fact bolster each other. We have learned many different things from artists over time as well as gained a better understanding of the challenges they need to face. In many instances, cultural institutions need to limit their programmes for financial reasons. As a result, multiple art projects addressing seminal subjects can’t be implemented. This is the reason why we decided to launch the grant programme. In our business, we never shy away from difficult subjects or fear raising complex questions, and we would love to share this opportunity with artists.
The main goal of the grant programme is to highlight the most pressing issues of contemporaneity, thus sparking a social debate on these subjects. We believe art has a powerful influence because it not only resonates with a person’s logic but also stirs up emotions. It doesn’t mean that we expect the supported artists to provide us with “ready solutions” to the subjects they tackle. However, what we do count on is the fact that their practice will expand our thinking about today’s reality and encourage conversation. It turns out that the most important goal of our grant programme is building dialogue, and art is the most powerful tool for reaching that goal.
Z.A.: What are the foundation’s expectations concerning the potential long-term effects of these projects in the context of inspiring social dialogue and change of attitudes?
M.R.: The Hestia Artistic Journey Grant Programme is a unique project and natural evolution of past activities of ERGO Hestia and the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation. Since the very beginning of the project, we wanted to create a programme that would be as inclusive as possible. We wanted to dispense with what we believe are unnecessary restrictions imposed on applicants in order to give anyone a chance to receive our support. Therefore, the sole requirements that the application had to meet, were a presentation of a concept, an estimated budget for a project, a plan for an educational programme and a letter from the institution that agreed to carry it out. Four elements. Minimum restrictions, maximum space for expression.
It is worth noting here that the selected exhibitions caught our attention not only with captivating artistic ideas but also with remarkably extensive and engaging educational programmes. This is where we see a huge opportunity to initiate public discussion and change attitudes. We hope that combining the impact of art with expertly curated educational activities can ensure that viewers leave exhibitions moved by portrayed issues as well as the expanded context of said problem.
However, art matters also as an incredible driving force behind a change. In art history, there have been cases when a singular piece provoked a wide-ranging social debate, which ultimately led to the evolution of a way of thinking.
— Maria Rosa
Z.A.: Are there any specific areas that the Advisory Board of the Grant Programme focused on the most while evaluating applications, such as originality of concept, potential for local community engagement or accessibility for persons with disabilities?
M.R.: The Advisory Board of the Grant Programme and the representatives of the foundation faced the arduous task of selecting merely a few projects out of almost two hundred applications. An indication of the difficulty level might be that after hours and hours of deliberations, we concluded that we needed to increase the original number of beneficiaries because we were simply unable to reject some proposals. We also had to accept that numerous projects, which deserved recognition would not receive our support. Ultimately, we landed on ten projects from all over Poland, which we are really glad to be able to support.
We approach the selection process holistically, looking at each project in its entirety. Although all members of the Advisory Board actively participate in the art scene and are deeply interested in the subject, each has their own field of expertise. This extraordinary group includes art critics, outstanding education experts as well as researchers and academics specialising in CSR. This combination allowed us to conduct many interesting and often lengthy discussions, which led us to make some difficult choices.
We were seeking out projects that would appeal to us both in terms of artistic merit and addressed the subject. However, we also placed an enormous emphasis on education and accessibility. The exhibitions were meant to engage local communities. We are very pleased with our selection. Based on the first openings, we can see that we made the right choice.
Z.A.: Could you describe the process of evaluating the incoming applications and tell us why the selected projects were considered particularly valuable and deserving of financial support from the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation?
M.R.: In three consecutive calls for proposals, we received almost two hundred applications in total. Two of these calls were aimed at institutions of culture, and one at individual artists who entered into collaboration with selected galleries and museums.
Alongside the Advisory Board, we chose ten projects characterised by a fascinating combination of artistic values with the education and accessibility aspects. A good example is the ongoing exhibition in the CK Zamek in Poznań titled “Łataj! Ceruj! Długie życie ubrań” (“Patch! Mend! Longlife of clothes”) presenting artistic objects that spark an open dialogue about the issue of overproduction in the textile industry. Moreover, the exhibition is accompanied by engaging education workshops aimed at a wide range of audiences. It is also worth noting the exhibition “Ćwiczenia z uważności” (“Exercises in mindfulness”) held in the Jan Tarasin Gallery in Kalisz. Here, the viewers are encouraged to “slow down” and take in details of the pieces by Alicja Bielawska and Teresa Starzec.
Z.A.: What are the main challenges in managing and implementing the grant programme?
M.R.: First of all, we were surprised by the scale of interest in our programme. Based on many years of experience, we made every effort to design the programme in a way that would meet as many needs of the Polish artists as possible. However, we expected that artists might approach a brand-new initiative with some caution. It turned out that throughout the years ERGO Hestia and the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation have earned enormous trust among both the artists and institutions of culture in Poland, which in turn resulted in an influx of applications for the programme.
In this context, the biggest challenge was combining the project’s efficient and professional coordination with maintaining a direct and empathetic relationship with the persons engaged in the exhibitions’ organisation. If our support as part of the project focusing on dialogue was limited only to providing funding, we would have dealt with the contradiction. We care about maintaining a close relationship with every person we have selected. A good example could be a series of interviews around the exhibitions conducted with artists, curators and representatives of institutions.
Z.A.: Finally, I wanted to ask you if the foundation already has an idea for another edition of the Hestia Artistic Journey Grant Programme. How is it going to evolve taking into account the potentially changing needs in the art and culture sector?
M.R.: We can already confirm that we will certainly continue the Grant Programme of the APH Foundation. We had operated under this assumption even prior to the launch of the inaugural edition. Its incredible success has only reinforced our conviction that this project is significant and necessary.
Once again, I would refer to the idea of dialogue, which we want to develop – we are already getting very substantive feedback from our beneficiaries, which indicates the directions in which we can develop our initiative. The Grant Programme is a dynamic project that will most definitely evolve over time to a certain extent. However, the founding principle of combining artistic merit with education and accessibility will remain unchanged. Just like the first edition, we hope that the second edition will reaffirm everyone’s belief that art matters.
