Zarządzanie Kulturą, tom 6 (2013), nr 2 / Culture Management, vol. 6 (2013), no. 2 commercialisation. The story is sad but it ends with sort of a flicker of hope: “This board meeting on Mount Helicon went down in history as the saddest one”, implying that there was a continuation… In Anonymous’ story, the crisis takes place on many different levels and with a different magnitude: from an imminent end of the world to the necessity to finance cultural programmes. The last one seems to be the most problematic. The Muses sit, confused, hearing strange voices which are strange and critical of them. Finally, it turns out that they had lost their names, they do not differ from each other anymore and that they are just, in fact, dead paintings on the walls, embellishing the board room. Inga Grześczak describes the meeting as being strictly about business. The Muses are playing very active roles. They debate three weighty issues: brand, copyright and the pros and cons of adding of the Tenth Muse to the board. The Muses reveal the same economic mentalities which dominate in today’s world, they want profit disregarding from eternal art or of everlasting heritage, they plan promotion campaigns which are perhaps of dubious artistic value. But they do not act under pressure, they behave like this because they choose to. They live in their own world and decide about themselves. Further on in the meeting, Muse Erato presented an application to consider on the next board meeting in January. It concerns depriving Apollo of his nickname Musagetes (the leader of the Muses) and divesting him of said function together with the bonus of two talents per year which was vested in him. The Muses, as an independent and autonomous body, do not need male hegemonic patronage because they are well able to decide on their own. The application will be examined on the coming board meeting. Next, the Muses went to the source of the river Hippokrene to alternately stamp their feet on the ground, which in poor modern language is called dance. (Inga Grześczak)
A similar situation is found in Michał Zawadzki’s story – the Muses live a life of their own. Here, the crisis is not of an economic nature but is specific and understandable probably only for the Muses themselves. The atmosphere in the room wasn’t very exciting. One could say: you can hang an ax. Everyone was aware that the main point of the December board meeting would be an issue of the no-salute. It is a most serious crime on Mount Helicon. It happens very rarely and is punished with serious penalty: the person who commits a no-salute, must be frozen in a huge ice cube and thrown down the abyss from Helicon. (Michał Zawadzki)
The High Muse grants the guilty pardon due to mitigating circumstances but she does not do it lightly. The room buzzed again and The Sub-Muse Reconciliatorus Paternoster jumped up, ran into the podium and, kneeling, started to shout “Anything but that! Rector Magnificus, anything but having to use the Submuses system! Please! Have mercy! I’d rather die in the cube than work with this system! Noooo!!!” Guards quickly grabbed the Sub-Muse and kicked her out of the room. The board meeting proceeded further in normal mode. (Michał Zawadzki)
Two students’ stories take up a similar topic – the Muses go through their own crises. In Anna Suszwedyk’s story, the meeting is devoted to a prank by a painter, who disgraced himself, as well as art as such by creating a work of art in very poor taste. It is not his own private matter because he has made use of “inspiration originating from the Muses” for this disgraceful creation. Marta Połeć presents a chaotic meeting, in which everybody is not able to get through to anybody. This is caused by a permanent crisis among the Muses: each of them considers herself to be the most important one, the centre of the world of art. Their narcissism makes them “swoon on the very thought of their exceptionality and uniqueness”. But then the Spirit of Inspiration appears. It expresses esteem and
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