Zoltán Gyalókay
(Poland)
The Art Historian Information from Central Europe (AHICE) web service was created at the International Cultural Centre in Cracow in January 2004 following a year of preparations. The purpose of the project was to streamline communication on events relating to the protection, promotion and exploration of cultural heritage in the countries of the Visegrad Group. Consequently, the prime focus of the AHICE service is on exhibitions, conferences and publications devoted to old and contemporary art of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
This experience inspired the idea to set up a ‘signpost’ directing one to the source of cultural events, i.e. the sites of organisers. We managed to find three partners willing to take on the task of coordinating the project locally. Having a good knowledge of the local cultural environment our partners have a very important role to play: not only do they clarify the mechanics of the service but also explain the ideas behind the project, support the information sharing process and, finally, promote the service to its potential users.
By submitting details of their projects, partner institutions contribute to the editing of the site. Once registered, an institution receives a password that gives access to the administration panel, where brief information is entered, most importantly the web address.
The AHICE service has become one of the tools for finding one’s way through the hundreds of art and science events in Central Europe. Since 2004, 118 institutions have joined us and over 1500 news items have been published.
Institutional partners of the AHICE are: National Office of Cultural Heritage (Hungary), the Moravian Gallery in Brno (the Czech Republic), and the Faculty of Art History of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia).
Please find AHICE on www.ahice.net.