“GlobalnaHrvatska” (Global Croatia)
Citizens Association (NGO, Udruga građana) “Globalna Hrvatska” (Global Croatia) held its business convention in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb on Thursday, July 11, 2002. It drew about tow dozen members, guests and media representatives, and its main goal was to present the objectives of the Association and open a discussion on how to achieve them. President of the Association, Ms. Lilijana Domić, explained in an inspired opening statement that the goal of the “Udruga” is to strengthen cultural exchange among Croats all around the world, with an emphasis on introducing the talent from the diaspora to home public, and on intensifying efforts to present Croatian culture and its representatives to the world. Noting that Croats have been “globalized” for over two hundred years, Ms. Domić emphasized that “our goal is not ‘globalized Croatia’ but global cooperation of Croatian communities all around the world, enabling Croatia to enter the global community as a subject with clear identity and tradition, and not as an object”.
Speaking as the host to the Convention, Professor Vladimir Maleković, Director of the Museum of Arts and Crafts expressed his support for the goals of the GH, and stressed the international character of his own institution, one of the oldest of its kind in Europe, praising the work of some of his distinguished predecessors, Iso Kršnjavi in particular.
Agreement with the stated goals was also expressed by some of the guests, in particular by Dr. Ivan Kujundžić, Secretary for Public Relations of the HDZ, Professor David Pickus of the Arizona State University and Mr. Božo Skoko of the Millennium Promotions.
The founding members of the Association had launched an exhibition project centered on the gallery of the State Archives in Rijeka wherein exhibitions of home artists alternate with those of the artists from the diaspora. Now the Association will take over the sponsorship of the series. Discussion that followed centered on the key task the leadership of the Association will be facing: the funds. As usual, the situation is not great. Yet, whereas there are currently only 600 kunas in the GH’s account, the Association has attracted its first sponsor, the HAK (Croatian Automobile Club) which has generously agreed to help with the costs of the catalogue of the exhibition of the well-known Croatian-Canadian painter, Anton Cetin, to open in Rijeka on October 2, 2002.
The convention was covered by journalists from the Croatian TV, the Večernji list and Hrvatsko slovo.
Membership List:
Višnja Bedenko. Architect., Advisor, City Preservation of Monuments Office, Zagreb
Edward Damich, Chief Justice, Court of Federal Claims, Washington, D.C.
Lilijana Domić, writer, critic and gallerist, Zagreb.
Vladimir Goss, Ph.D., writer, journalist, and scholar
Sena Gvozdanović-Sekulić, Dr.., Professor Emeritus, School of Architecture, Zagreb
Zlatko Jurić, Dr., Asst. Professor, Art History, School of Arts and Sciences, Zagreb.
Vesna Kittelson, MFA, Professor of Art, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, painter.
Valentina Krčmar, Editor, Hrvatska Iskra, Toronto
Silvija Letica, Director, Dept. of Culture, Matica hrvatskih iseljenika
Slobodan Lang, Dr. Med., physician, humanitarian, and writer, Zagreb.
Vladimir Maleković, Director, Museum of Arts and Crafsts, Zagreb, critic and writer.
Melita Matijević, Dpt. of Culture, Matica hrvatskih iseljenika.
Zlatko Ožbolt, architect and designer, Zagreb.
Vesna Škare-Ožbolt, Member of Parliament.
Marko Spalatin, MFA, painter, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
Miroslav Šutej, academic painter, professor, Art Academy in Zagreb
Carmen Verlichek, journalist and writer, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nenad Vidović, lawyer, “Degen, Vidović, etc.”
Stanimir Vuk-Pavlović, Dr., Professor and head stem cell lab, Mayo Clnic, Rochester(Minnesota).