How Decentralizing Culture Can Boost Local Innovation

Russia's Kulturaliki Forum in the Middle Urals Brings Together Over 1,000 Participants to Explore Cultural Accessibility

Kulturaliki Forum Challenges Centralized Culture with Regional Solutions

This year's Kulturaliki forum in the Middle Urals has drawn more than 1,000 attendees, with its cultural projects lab centered on the theme "Culture: Access Granted?" Over the course of the event, participants are tackling a pressing question: how to ensure access to culture beyond the capital. The first day of the lab marked the start of a crucial dialogue on partnership between Russia's regions and its cultural hubs.

The opening day set the tone for the discussions ahead. Leading experts—including Yury Trofimov, Minister of Culture of Omsk Oblast (this year designated Russia's Cultural Capital), Oksana Oracheva, CEO of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation (Moscow), and Galina Nikulina, head of the Ostanovka Youth Initiatives Center—debated whether culture today is truly accessible to people regardless of where they live. The discussion was moderated by Ilya Markov, Minister of Culture of Sverdlovsk Oblast.

"Leveraging my administrative role, I managed to convince the organizing committee that the issue of cultural accessibility outside major cities is highly relevant," Markov noted. "My key objective is to define a tailored development strategy for each region. While the approach for megacities is relatively clear, working with smaller municipalities is far more complex. That's why our business program began with a panel discussion on 'The Centralization of Culture.' I'm delighted that my colleagues recognized the urgency of this issue and agreed it demands our attention today."

The central question of the panel—can culture become a real driver for regional development and social resilience?—has no simple answer, which is why it warrants days of debate. Experts observe that projects rolled out through federal networks often fail to account for local traditions and the unique cultural identities of regional communities. Decentralizing culture, by contrast, fosters a dynamic ecosystem where local teams—more attuned to their audiences' needs—can innovate without waiting for federal approval. Grassroots initiatives are inherently flexible, and their smaller scale allows for experimentation, yielding one-of-a-kind cultural products.

The relationship between culture and economics is a highly contentious issue, reflects Vitaly Kurennoy, Director of the Institute for Cultural Research at the Higher School of Economics (Moscow). "Culture has always stood in opposition to economics. Cultural policy comes into play when we ask ourselves: What truly matters to us, and what will we preserve regardless of economic constraints? Yet since 2021, Russia has adopted a serious commitment to developing the creative industries. This policy is being implemented nationwide, and there are already tangible metrics of its success. As an institute, we have worked to establish tools for the creative economy across different regions. While major cities—Ekaterinburg included—are thriving, smaller communities face greater challenges. I hope that over these next few days, we can collectively craft a new strategy."

The speakers' presentations set the stage for the rest of the program, with audiences particularly inspired by the analysis of successful regional case studies. Oksana Oracheva, CEO of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, argues that culture allows people to feel a sense of belonging to a place—whether they are locals, tourists, or even just passing through for a few hours. Today, creative initiatives are radically transforming how territories are perceived. In the Republic of Udmurtia, for instance, cultural resources are being actively leveraged to develop municipal areas. A standout example is the Museum of Vanishing Villages, created by residents of Sep, a village in the Igra District. What began as a local effort has since grown into a global movement, uniting communities around the idea of preserving these places and drawing attention to rural villages.