From Strategy to Street Level

Caterina Giangrasso Angrisani represents a generation of cultural professionals working to reposition the arts as both a social and economic force. A manager shaped by culture – and its structural gaps.

“I consider myself a performing arts manager,” says Caterina Giangrasso Angrisani, who has spent more than a decade navigating Italy’s cultural sector across institutions, cities and funding structures, building a career that sits at the intersection of creativity and policy. 

Her academic path reflects this dual perspective: a degree in communication and marketing in Salerno, followed by performing arts management at Sapienza University in Rome, and later a master’s in the economics of culture, all of which grounded her understanding of the sector not only as a creative field but as a system that requires strategy, governance and long-term vision.

Although Caterina trained in dance and theatre, she chose not to pursue a professional career as an artist, instead positioning herself alongside performers as an advocate and organiser, someone working to strengthen the conditions under which artistic work can exist and be sustained.

“This is a job,” she says. “It needs to be recognised, paid, and respected.”

That conviction has been shaped through her experience across a range of organisations — from Balletto di Roma and the historic Teatro San Carlo in Naples to contemporary dance companies such as ArtGarage, as well as national projects on gender equality in the performing arts. Caterina worked in production and project management and observed how institutional priorities continue to shape — and sometimes limit — the visibility and development of certain art forms.

“There is still not enough space for dance,” she notes, pointing to structural imbalances that persist even within well-established cultural institutions.

Why ekip Academy?

Caterina joined ekip Academy in Tallinn June 2026 with a clear intention: to observe, compare and learn from other European ecosystems that appear to operate with a greater degree of coordination and autonomy. Particularly where cultural and creative industries are often more strategically integrated into regional development.

“I was looking for models that could be adapted to Italy,” she explains, emphasising the similarities in regional structures but also the differences in how they are activated and supported.

While the formal programme provided structured insights into policy, innovation and ecosystem development, she highlights the less formal exchanges as equally significant. 

“The structured sessions were important, but the informal moments, the conversations, the visits, the shared experiences, were just as valuable,” she says. “You realise how much you gain from being physically present with others, from exchanging perspectives in real time.”

What emerged over the course of the academy, she suggests, was a temporary but meaningful network, “a human ecosystem”, composed of individuals representing different countries, regions and professional realities, yet facing comparable challenges.

A shift towards international collaboration

One of the more unexpected outcomes of her participation was a shift in how Caterina approaches international collaboration, particularly in relation to places she had not previously considered as potential partners.

“I had never thought about Tallinn as a place to develop projects,” she admits. “Now I am seriously considering it.”

Exposure to a different cultural and geographical context, combined with the diversity of participants, opened up new possibilities for cross-border cooperation that extend beyond performing arts into the wider creative and cultural sectors.

“I value diversity in every sense,” she says. “It allows you to rethink your assumptions and imagine different ways of working.”

Structural challenges: space, funding and fragmentation

Returning to Italy, Caterina continues to operate within a system characterised by fragmentation, administrative complexity and persistent resource constraints, where the challenges are both practical and structural.

“The main issues are quite simple,” she says. “Lack of spaces and lack of funding.”

In cities such as Naples, where historical architecture is abundant, she sees untapped potential in underused buildings, particularly churches, which could be reimagined as spaces for artistic production and performance.

“There are many empty churches,” she explains. “They could become places for residencies, for dance, for theatre, spaces that are currently missing.”

At the same time, she works within a layered funding system involving national and regional bodies, supporting organisations in navigating grant applications that range from short-term experimental projects to multi-year programmes, each with its own requirements and constraints.

While public support exists, she notes, access often depends on the ability to manage complex administrative processes and align with shifting policy priorities.

From qualitative value to quantitative evidence

Among the most concrete lessons Caterina takes from ekip Academy is the need to strengthen how the cultural sector articulates its value, particularly in relation to policymakers and funding bodies.

“In our field, we tend to focus on qualitative impact,” she says. “But we also need quantitative indicators, we need to be able to measure and demonstrate results.”

For her, this is not about reducing artistic work to numbers, but about complementing existing narratives with data that can support advocacy and decision-making at a policy level.

“We need to show clearly what we produce, what impact we generate, and why it matters,” she says. “Otherwise it is difficult to be taken seriously as part of the economy.”

Caterina frames this as a cultural shift that will require time, particularly in contexts where evaluation practices have traditionally been less formalised, but sees it as essential for the next generation of cultural professionals.

Devotion, resilience and the European dimension

Caterina describes her relationship to her work using the word “devotion”, a term that reflects both personal commitment and a broader cultural sensibility, shaped by an Italian context where, as she notes, the language of dedication often carries deeper meaning.

“It’s not just passion, it’s something that connects your personal and professional life.”

This integrated approach is also visible in her engagement at the local level, where she is involved in municipal and cultural initiatives in her hometown of Cava de’ Tirreni, near Amalfi Coast, working alongside others from different professional backgrounds to contribute to community development. It is in this territory that she hopes, in time, to help build new opportunities for the performing arts.

For her, resilience in the cultural and creative industries is closely linked to this kind of commitment, as well as to the ability to build connections across sectors and contexts.

“You need to believe in what you are doing,” she says. “That belief allows you to continue, even when the system is difficult.”

Looking ahead, Caterina positions cultural and creative industries as central to Europe’s future, not only in terms of cultural production but also in relation to broader societal challenges. 

“It is not only about culture, it is connected to health, to the environment, to digital transformation — it touches every aspect of life,” she says and emphasizes the need for a holistic and inclusive perspective. In this light, she adds, “we need both people who can see the system from above and people who work from the bottom up. And that being resilient in democracy is, ultimately, the key to being present in the world without destroying it.”

From the margins to the centre

For Caterina, the challenge now is to move cultural and creative industries from a peripheral position to a central role within innovation ecosystems, which requires both strategic thinking at a systemic level and practical action on the ground.

Looking ahead, she positions cultural and creative industries as central to Europe’s future, not only in terms of cultural production but also in relation to broader societal challenges. 

“It is not only about culture, it is connected to health, to the environment, to digital transformation — it touches every aspect of life,” she says and emphasises the need for a holistic and inclusive perspective. 

In this light, she adds: “We need both people who can see the system from above and people who work who every day with hands, brains and hearts from the bottom up. And that being resilient in democracy is, ultimately, the key to being present in the world without destroying it.”

The risk, if this shift does not occur, is that the sector remains undervalued despite its wide-ranging contributions, particularly in a context where political and economic priorities may lie elsewhere.

Her approach remains pragmatic and forward-looking: building partnerships, developing projects, strengthening evidence, and continuing to advocate for recognition.