Directorate of Culture and Arts - Skopje

The roots of the Directorate of Culture and Arts-Skopje officially are found in the distant year 1948, which enlists it among the institutions with the longest tradition in the sphere of the Macedonian culture.

Its vitality is due to the continuous adjustment to the current conditions and that is way it is always in the center of the cultural events with a basic function to cherish, affirm, present and stimulate the native spiritual creative activity in continuous communication with the world’s events.

In the last five and a half decades, there have been thousands of programmes, more than ten thousand participants and a few hundred thousand visitors. Yet the numbers and the statistics do not always have to be an expression of the essence when it comes to the accomplishments in the creative activity and art. That is why the numbers are replaced with the fact of the continuous active existence, the continuous presence among the artists and the audience.

The Directorate of Culture and Art directs its interest towards each sphere of the creative activity: music, theatre, literature, film and Fine Arts introducing them through all available forms: concerts, performances, publishing, exhibitions, seminars, workshops and multimedia presentations. Moreover, there is its own production of drama and ballet performances, exhibitions of the best native artists, published books, records, audio cassets, CDs and video tapes which remain registered in the Directorate portfolio besides the already enlisted programmes through which the creative activity of the native and foreign artists is presented.

The continuous and wide communication with the authors and institutions and the great number of cooperators enabled the Directorate to put its signature to many cultural events and projects that have left a significant mark on the overall cultural life in Macedonia that even today might be sensed. Besides the associative role, individually or in cooperation with related institutions, it is an initiator, founder and organizer of significant cultural manifestations such as Skopje Summer, the Blues and Soul Festival, the Autumnal Musical Festivities and the New Year’s programme.

There are the names of the best authors from all over the world on the list of artists which were presented by the Directorate, who present part of their national spiritual treasure, and take away new energy, knowledge and friendship from Skopje and Macedonia.