In
1999, after the successful negotiations with the Town Hall of
the 3rd District concerning Casa Eliad, an old villa from 1851
situated in the center of Bucharest, Toaca Cultural Foundation
got the right to use for the first period of 15 years the generous
space of about 600 sq.m. as a Studio for Contemporary Arts.
Facts
Opening: May 19th, 2000
Founded by: Toaca Cultural Foundation
Field of activity: education, creation and presentation
of contemporary arts in an alternative venue
Location: a historical monument/building (dating from 1831),
Blv.Mircea Vodã nr. 5, Bucharest, sector 3
Usage right: for 15 years, starting with December 1999
Area: app 600 sq.m. ground floor, app. 250 sq.m. basement
Facilities: theatre/dance studio, workshop rooms, exhibition
halls, concert/video rooms, rehearsal space, seminar rooms
Human resources: dynamic, creative young volunteers, qualified
(in the artistic, economic, technical, project management fields);
collaborators: talented young artists as well as famous Romanian
and foreign artists
To disseminate the expertise of TOACA Foundation in participating
at European projects and in organizing joint projects; to promote
an active co-operation with similar European organizations in
both directions: transfer of European know-howin performing arts
and support for the Romanian culture and artists abroad.
Educational projects: the educational programme aims to enlarge
the educational horizon offered by the Romanian arts and management
schools, through a series of workshops coordinated by qualified
teachers, theatre directors, scenographers, artists and technicians
coming from the Central and Eastern Europe, as well as from the
European Union. The content of the workshops regards artistic
issues (movement, voice, dance, play writing), as well as technical
(studio management, production management, touring, projection
techniques, light design, sound design) and economical issues
(cultural management, marketing, PR and fundraising).
One
of the last owners from the family Eliad, Alexandru Eliad left
the house in 1941 and Romania in 1972. He is living in Germany
and he gave a video interview about the history of the house at
Toaca Studio, in September 2001.
Here is a short fragment from a letter he sent to Nona Ciobanu,
in Dec. 2001:
... I cannot finish this letter before congratulating you and
the collaborators of the Toaca Cultural Foundation for your noble
efforts.
Your work validates the dictum The future of a nation is
guaranteed only if it has a genuine knowledge of its past.
My best wishes,
Alexandru Eliad
27.12.2000