Contemporar is preparing for the following exhibitions that will be open to the public from February 19 to March 14, 2025 – “La Bine and La Rău / Through Thick and Thin” (organized by MATCA artspace) and “Run Artist Run” (organized by Lateral ArtSpace).
The opening of the two exhibitions will take place on Wednesday, February 19 at 6:00 pm, and on Thursday, February 20, the public is invited to a public debate in relation to the two exhibitions on the theme of artist-run spaces, coordinated by the artists.
Dan Perjovschi, Cristina Curcan, Lucian Indrei, Alexandra Mocan will take part in the debate, moderated by Mihai Iepure-Górski.
Admission to all Contemporar events is free. Initiated by the Cluj Cultural Center and the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj, Contemporar is located in the premises of the Academic College of UBB Cluj/Auditorium Maximum, 5 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, ground floor, Cluj-Napoca.
La Bine și La Rău / Through Thick and Thin
Organiser: MATCA artspace
Artists: Alina Andrei, Ana Avram, Sasha Bandi, Dan Beudean, Alexandru Mihai Budeș & Lisa Marie Schmitt, Vlad Brăteanu, Flaviu Cacoveanu, Oana Fărcaș, Camilia Filipov, Alexandra Mocan, MuLu, Alexandru Muraru, Cătălina Nistor, Mihai Teodorescu, Matei Toșa, Ziar
„La Bine și La Rău / Through Thick and Thin” is an exhibition that explores relationships, solidarity and resistance in artistic communities, reflecting both on our own role as an artist-run space and on the commitment of artists to maintain their work in difficult contexts.
Through this intervention in the Contemporar space, we seek to say something about the marginal way in which art is supported in Romania, a place where, in the absence of alternative structures such as artist-run spaces, or other independent collectives, there are not many institutions dedicated to contemporary art, and especially institutions that collaborate with young artists.
Through this exhibition and our work in general, we seek to reclaim the place and importance of artists who have something to say when it is still their time. A local contemporary arts center should look outward as well as inward, locating and encouraging the development of the arts by keeping a close eye on significant activities that lay the foundations for the development of the sector.
MATCA artspace is an independent artist-run space in Cluj-Napoca, reconfigured from a former leather workshop. Initiated in 2017 by Alexandra Mocan, Alexandru Muraru and Matei Toșa, the space was formulated to address the need for accessible platforms for local artists.
Run Artist Run
Organiser: Lateral ArtSpace
Artists: Dragoș Bădiță, Cristina Curcan (musz), Lucian Indrei.
The Run Artist Run exhibition aims to give visibility to the invisible work behind an artist-run initiative, the social involvement it entails and the human connections it nurtures. It is an opportunity to honor the myriad forms of an artist-run initiative and to identify the efforts behind it by showcasing archival elements specific to these cultural entities as well as by presenting works by artists Dragoș Bădiță, Cristina Curcan (musz), Lucian Indrei.
Lateral ArtSpace is an independent contemporary art platform initiated in April 2012, in Cluj-Napoca, as an experimental platform for young and emerging artists, with a focus on dialog between local and international artists.
Debate “On artist-run spaces: a subjective analysis of some recent initiatives”
Artist-run spaces and the people who run them face challenges such as financial instability, short lifespan and dependence on funding or personal investment coupled with a significant dose of self-exploitation and burnout.
Many of these initiatives appear to be unsustainable and operate in deeply precarious conditions, yet their impact on the local scene is undeniable, influencing both the institutional and commercial spheres.
Cristina Curcan, Lucian Indrei, Alexandra Mocan, Alexandra Mocan, Dan Perjovschi will discuss the topic on Thursday, February 20 at 6pm at Contemporar. The moderator will be Mihai Iepure-Górski.
Contemporar is a pilot space for research, dialog, knowledge and exhibition, dedicated to the contemporary art scene in Cluj, Romania and is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 15:00 – 19:00 at the UBB Academic College/Auditorium Maximum, 5 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street.
This part of the program is realized with the curatorial contribution of the Young Actions and Abstractions Association, and the space and the program are curated with the support of Mihai Pop, member of the Board of Directors of the Clujean Cultural Center and founder of Plan B Gallery.
Bilateral initiative implemented by the Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Culture, as RO-CULTURA Program Operator, in partnership with Arts and Culture Norway, as Program Partner, and funded with the support of EEA and Norwegian Grants 2014 -2021 through the National Bilateral Fund,
managed by the National Contact Point of the Ministry of Investment and European Projects.
The project’s objectives
- the development and presentation of a contemporary art program comprising 3 exhibitions and 3 public talks, between November 2024 and February 2025.
- stimulating bilateral collaboration and co-production, by involving one Romanian and one Norwegian artist in a one-week artistic residency.
- strengthening international cooperation through the participation of two cultural professionals from Romania and one from Norway in an exchange visit to Norway.
The total amount of funding is 621.946,21 lei, equivalent to 124.979,14 euro. Total amount of non reimbursable support from EEA and Norwegian Grants is 100%
The project runs from October 28, 2024 to February 28, 2025.
About EEA and Norway Grants
The EEA and Norway Grants are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway’s contribution to a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. There are two overarching objectives: to reduce economic and social disparities in Europe and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltic States. The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. Between 1994 and 2014, donors provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes. For the period 2014-2021, EEA and Norwegian grants amount to €2.8 billion.
About the RO-CULTURA Program
RO-CULTURA Program is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Management Unit
Project Management Unit and its general objective is to strengthen economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The program budget is approximately 34 million euro. More details are available on www.ro-cultura.ro.
We opened Contemporar in Cluj, a pilot space for research, dialog, knowledge and exhibition, dedicated to Romania’s contemporary art scene. The inauguration took place on January 22, 2025 with the vernissages of two exhibitions, “Ziua crește” and “Perspective din punctul zero”, coordinated by Aluvial and Plastic. Admission to all events and exhibitions is free.
Initiated by the Cluj Cultural Centre and the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, the space is a testing ground for the flagship project European Center for Contemporary Art (ECCA), one of the most ambitious legacy projects of the city’s bid for the title of Capital of Culture European Capital of Culture and a long-term commitment of the Cluj Cultural Centre.
Contemporar will operate in the premises of the Academic College of UBB Cluj/Auditorium Maximum, on 5 Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, ground floor, Cluj-Napoca.
Exploration space for the local art scene
“Cluj dreams of a European Center of Contemporary Art, and Contemporar takes us one step closer to realizing this goal: here the local art scene will be able to explore and imagine, in different formats, how such an institution could function in the future. Shortly, Contemporar benefits the local art scene and its public by simply the community a new exhibition space for contemporary art,” says the executive director of the Cluj Cultural Centre, Ștefan Teișanu.
Contemporar is conceived as a platform for the contemporary art scene; it will bring together its actors and reflect on its dynamics and functions as a flexible program that will experiment with different formats: exhibitions, debates, workshops, events, accompanied by a mediation component.
The first debate takes place on Thursday, January 23, from 17:00, and brings together The debate discusses the relationship between education and contemporary art.
“Contemporar is for UBB a key element in an ecosystem through which University facilitates the articulation between fields of knowledge, between research, science and artistic creation in an inclusive horizon of critical thinking and democratic values”, says Horea Poenar, UBB Vice Rector responsible for the socio-cultural component.
This program is coordinated, in rotation, by a curator invited by the Cluj Cultural Centre, who will work with local artists, involve key actors of the scene and activate themes and formats that gradually build both a discourse and a practice of future construction institutional. The first part of the program is realized with the curatorial contribution of Young Actions and Abstractions, and the space and program are curated with the support of Mihai Pop, member of the Board of Directors of the Clujean Cultural Center and founder of Plan B Gallery.
The objectives are:
- develop and present a contemporary art program comprising 3 exhibitions and 3 public talks, between November 2024 and February 2025.
- stimulating bilateral collaboration and co-production by involving an artist from Romania and one from Norway in a one-week artistic residency.
- strengthening international cooperation through the participation of two cultural professionals from Romania and one from Norway through an exchange visit to Norway.
The total amount of funding is 621.946,21 lei, equivalent to 124.979,14 euro.The total amount of grant support from EEA and Norwegian grants is 100%.
The project runs from October 28, 2024 to February 28, 2025.
About EEA and Norway Grants
EEA and Norway Grants are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway’s contribution to a green, competitive and inclusive Europe.
There are two overall objectives: reducing disparities economic and social disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics.
The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement. Between 1994 and 2014, donors provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes. For the period 2014-2021, EEA and Norwegian grants amount to €2.8 billion.
The RO-CULTURA Program
The RO-CULTURA Program is implemented by the Ministry of Culture through the Management Unit Project and has the general objective of strengthening economic and social development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The Program budget is approximately 34 million euro.
More details are available on www.ro-cultura.ro.
Studiotopia brings together artists and scientists in a 12-month residency program that focuses on global sustainability challenges.
Enter the Symbiocene with Arts and Science is the theme of this edition of Studiotopia, and the Cluj Cultural Center is a partner in promoting interdisciplinary collaborations to inspire innovative solutions for a sustainable future, alongside 10 other organizations. The Studiotopia residency program aims to encourage scientists to exchange ideas, knowledge, and methodologies with visual artists from around the world while visiting their studios.
Scientist Tibor Hartel, Associate Professor at Babeș-Bolyai University, will guide the creative process of the selected artist. Tibor’s expertise lies in population, community, and landscape ecology, as well as conservation biology. Over the last decade, he has increasingly expanded his areas of interest to include the human dimensions of conserving urban green systems and traditional land-use practices (wood pastures).
Ânia Pais, a Portuguese artist passionate about the role of green spaces in urban environments, will collaborate with Tibor Hartel starting this month.
“I consider my work a response or a testimony of a conversation with the land, with the space and time that welcome me. I am interested in space as the main influence, allowing the landscape to guide my exploration. I am intrigued by how space generates motivation and necessity in the body and spirit, and this sensitivity to the landscape plays a crucial role in my creative process.” declares Ânia.
The selection of the artist also involved Tibor Hartel, alongside Ciprian Mihali, a philosopher, Mihaela Ghiță, a journalist, and Alexandru Stermin, a biologist, who form the Local Challenge Committee (LCC).
We invite you to learn more about the Studiotopia residency program here:
The fast advance of new digital technologies and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, have encouraged many cultural heritage institutions to make their collections digitally accessible and reusable. In the last two decades, millions of objects – artworks, documents, and media – have found their way into the digital realm.
However, the same advance of new technologies has prompted changes in digitization processes and raises questions about how to manage digital heritage, its reuse, copyright, and the way audiences interact with it. How can cultural heritage institutions keep up with the latest digital technologies and trends? How can they organize and develop an impactful digital workflow? How can digital collections enhance audience engagement and participation? How can cultural heritage institutions manage, apply and make the users aware of intellectual property rights? How can cultural heritage institutions manage, apply and make the users aware of intellectual property rights?
These and a plethora of other questions are addressed in a new, free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), ‘Developing digital transition strategies for cultural heritage institutions’. The MOOC is organized by the inDICEs project, which has received funding from the European Union for 2020-2022 under the Horizon 2020 programme. A MOOC allows large numbers of participants to learn new skills and develop their knowledge through online teaching.
The course takes place in English and will be hosted by KU Leuven via the edX platform. It is aimed at cultural heritage professionals, students, policymakers, and anybody with an interest in discovering how to tackle the challenges of digital transformation. Guided by experts from varied fields (from cultural economics to sociology, from communication to intellectual property rights), participants will learn how to design, assess, and improve digital transformation strategies. The course will provide insights and tools and framework for assessing the impact that cultural heritage institutions’ mission and activities can have thanks to new technologies.
Calendar and modules
The course will run from 13 February – 10 April 2023 onwards and will cover six modules.
Digital Transformation & Self-Assessment is an introductory module partly focused on the concept and importance of digital transformation in the GLAM sector, and partly on self-assessment and monitoring strategies.
Digital Trends and Culture 3.0 examines the main transitions of the web, from its use as an information source (web 1.0) to the adoption of social and interactive elements (web 2.0). It also explores the concept of Culture 3.0 in which active participation is essential, analyzing it in correlation with societal challenges. Different domains and types of impact of digital cultural participation, as well as trend-watching practices are focal points.
Empowering IPR for the Commons explores how cultural heritage institutions can reuse digital content in safe, legal frames. How can institutions navigate EU legislation with regard to digital cultural collections and what are the fundamentals to understand when it comes to intellectual property rights?
The module Strategic skills, collaboration & organization growth discusses how participation in networks can increase organizational capacity and help to optimize the impact of cultural heritage institutions.
Impact assessment introduces good practices, tools, and methodologies to assess whether a strategy is working or needs to be refined or redirected. In this module, special attention is given to the Europeana Impact Playbook and its application.
Approaching technological innovation investigates the notion of ‘innovation’. It then focuses on what that means for designing a comprehensive digital strategy, including ways of reaching out to audiences via online communication channels.
Each module is enriched with lectures, interviews with experts, and readings. Learners will be encouraged to apply their newly acquired knowledge and set their critical thinking skills in motion through multiple-choice quizzes, and reflection assignments. They will also have the opportunity to interact, discuss and share experiences and thoughts with the other students.
The MOOC is instructor-paced and will run for 8 weeks. Participants will be able to discover a module per week during the first six weeks and dedicate the remaining time to attempt the final exam if they wish to, or to revisit once again the previous learning activities. Learners are expected to dedicate three-four hours to each module.
All the material offered by this edX course is freely accessible. However, participants will always have the opportunity to receive an official certificate for a fee, upon passing a final exam.
Developing Digital Transition Strategies for Cultural Heritage Institutions will start on the 13th of February 2023. Enrol now on KULeuvenX.
inDICEs is conceived as a project that aims to empower policy-makers and decision-makers in the Cultural and Creative Industries to fully understand the social and economic impact of digitization in their sectors and address the need for innovative (re) use of cultural assets.
]]>24 November, 2022 | 10.00 – 14.30 CET
Online
Free, registration required
Policymakers, arts, cultural and health practitioners and experts are coming together on 24 November to showcase the potential that culture has on improving our health and well-being. The project CultureForHealth has launched their report collecting over 300 scientific studies on culture’s contribution to health and well-being, as well as providing policy recommendations for Europe.
During her State of the Union (SOTEU) speech on 14 September, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated “We should take better care of each other. And for many who feel anxious and lost, appropriate, accessible and affordable support can make all the difference.” She proposed a new initiative on mental health, a direct follow-up to calls coming from citizens during the one-year-long Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) process. The ninth proposal of the CoFoE asks for “a broader understanding of health” and the first measure demands to “improve understanding of mental health issues and ways of addressing them.”
More than 85 million citizens in the EU were affected by mental health problems before the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then the mental health crisis was exacerbated by a series of direct and indirect reasons including the pandemic, growing inequalities, forceful displacement of people due to war and political conflict, climate anxiety and the dynamic changes to work and the economy. It has become clear that new solutions and approaches are needed. With health and well-being as one of the strategic areas of the new Commission’s Work Programme, it is an intersection where culture could give a dramatic contribution. If it is given the opportunity – and the recognition.
The CultureForHealth project, an EU preparatory action – Bottom-Up Policy Development for Culture & Well-being in the EU, unveiled the “CultureForHealth Report – Scoping review of culture, well-being, and health interventions and their evidence, impacts, challenges and policy recommendations for Europe” in early November. The report compiles evidence from over 300 scientific studies that show that participation in cultural activities improves the health and well-being of citizens. It also provides a set of policy recommendations, gathering knowledge through roundtables with experts and practitioners.
With different EU Member States comes varying awareness of the critical role of culture and the arts in improving health and well-being at both the individual and collective levels. In the Nordics, there are already clear strategies developed around culture and health, while other countries have focused on short-term arts and health projects and art therapy. However, creating policies for sustainable, long-term interventions calls for the health, cultural and social sectors to co-design and work together, using knowledge of recent developments in methods and evidence across disciplines. One promising methodology is social prescribing, including culture on prescription practices, which is already established in the UK and the Nordics. Without these integrative approaches, the upcoming EU Mental Health Strategy would be outdated and would miss one of the key ingredients that can help EU citizens\’ mental health get better.
On 24 November 2022, the project is hosting an online launch of the CultureForHealth Report to present the findings, the policy recommendations as well as examples of interventions currently happening within cultural and health and well-being sectors. With the ambition to trigger a true policy change in the EU on all levels, the programme brings policymakers, arts and cultural practitioners, and health and wellbeing experts together to dive deeper into the findings of the CultureForHealth Report. Speakers will include MEP Pernille Weiss, member of the European Parliament, member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety; Georg Haeusler– Director, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission, Nils Fietje -Technical Officer in the Behavioural and Cultural Insights Unit at World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe who was involved in commissioning the WHO 2019 report on the subject and Veronique Wasbauer– Directorate General for Health & Food Safety.
CultureForHealth is implemented by a consortium consisting of Culture Action Europe, Trans Europe Halles, Central Denmark Region, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, Cluj Cultural Centre, and Društvo Asociacija. The project is co-funded by the European Union.
CultureForHealth is the implementing project of the EU Preparatory Action: Bottom-Up Policy Development for Culture & Well-being in the EU which aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experience and success stories in the EU related to the role of culture for well-being and health, map the most relevant existing practises, carry out small-scale pilot work on the ground and provide a set of policy recommendations on the topic.
The full programme of the event on 24 November can be found here: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/810225817/
The CultureforHealth Report can be downloaded here: https://www.cultureforhealth.eu/news/the-cultureforhealth-report-is-now-available/
Contact:
Kornelia Kiss
Projects and Operations Director, Culture Action Europe
For the first time in Romania, a mixed-use urban conversion project includes a cultural center open to the whole community, realized in partnership with Cluj Cultural Center. The space – a concept dedicated to the performing arts – will be part of the project developed by IULIUS Group on the Carbochim platform. With an investment of over half a billion euros, this is the largest urban conversion effort announced in Romania. One of the two industrial heritage buildings of the site, the hall with arcades from the \’50s, will be preserved and brought to the public circuit, receiving cultural functions.
The Carbochim Hall will be transformed into a cultural centre, hosting events in the field of performing arts: concerts, theater and contemporary dance, workshops and festivals. The newly created spaces will be managed by Cluj Cultural Center, with the participation of some of its member organizations that are active in the field of performing arts, and will remain permanently accessible to the artistic community of Cluj, contributing to the development of their program.
\”Since 2013, when local community specialists developed the Cultural Strategy of the city, the need to create a contemporary art centre has been defined as the main priority of the sector. We are glad to be able to announce the start of the first project component, the one dedicated to performing arts. The fact that we manage to do this in partnership with the private sector is a first in Romania and excites us all, as it allows us to work side by side, gathering resources and expertise specific to the worlds of both culture and business, in the same project”, declared Ștefan Teișanu, director of the Cluj Cultural Centre.
The need for several spaces dedicated to art and culture was identified as one of the most pressing priorities of the local cultural sector in the study \”Work in culture: current models and changes generated by the COVID-19 pandemic\”, conducted for Cluj Cultural Center by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Data Science of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca.
In addition to the performing arts center, the urban conversion project developed by IULIUS Group on the Carbochim platform also includes a performance hall, the first of its kind integrated into a real-estate project, an amphitheater and some outdoor event spaces, the latest cinematography concepts, as well as a mix of leisure opportunities involving dozens of international restaurants and cafes.
The second industrial heritage building to be converted is the administrative building, which will bring together both co-working facilities and pilot spaces to encourage and promote local talent and creative initiatives.
\”For the urban conversion project of the Carbochim platform, we want to keep the identity of the place, which we consider of social importance, and, at the same time, to give the two converted industrial buildings a new meaning, with resonance for the general public. Cluj is a strong cultural and creative city, a component that we will highlight in the new development through this partnership with the local cultural environment. We are glad that our vision is confirmed by the community, as the cultural function is one of the main expectations expressed by the people of Cluj for the new development, along with the green spaces, another component that defines our projects \”, said Iulian Dascalu, owner of the IULIUS Group.
More details about the largest urban redevelopment project in Romania, the Carbochim platform, are available at www.partedincluj.ro, where the community is invited to express their views and expectations on how this renewed part of Cluj should look like.
About
Cluj Cultural Centre is a non-governmental organization for culture and sustainable development that brings together 116 cultural institutions and organizations, universities, civil society and business associations, as well as local and regional public authorities. The mission of the Centre is to mobilize culture, in partnership with other key sectors, to produce social transformation and urban development, by creating new spaces and programs for culture development and its impact on society. www.cccluj.ro
The IULIUS Group project for urban regeneration of the Carbochim platform in Cluj-Napoca aims to transform the industrial area into a living space, integrating it as part of the city. The factory will be relocated and refurbished, without inactivity periods. The new project includes: the largest retail area in the country (115,000 square meters), with over 400 stores, a cultural centre dedicated to performing arts, the conservation and restoration of two industrial heritage buildings, the development of an integrated approach to green spaces by connecting the newly built urban garden of over 4 hectares with adjacent parks and by completely reconfiguring the road and pedestrian infrastructure, developing an integrated eco-neighborhood, creating a bicycle-pedestrian infrastructure on the Someș banks and arranging it as an outdoor sports centre, the consolidation of a new business pole in Cluj and the construction of the largest underground car park in the country, with over 6,000 parking spots.
The Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition European project aims to create a framework for dialogue, interaction and organizational capacity building for the 14 partner entities, through a series of international residencies and co-productions called Tandem. Intended to address issues that are relevant to the South European cultural landscape, these tandems are innovative mechanisms for artistic co-production and public interaction in which 12 art projects will be developed.
In an effort to strengthen Europe\’s Southern periphery, especially in terms of cultural practices and policies, Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition proposes us to explore six major themes: \”Work and Happiness\”, \”Connecting Dots\”, \”Daily Bread\” , “Having a Voice”, “Bridging the gap” and “Right to the Future”. Each of them addresses a number of socio-political issues, proposing possible solutions to restore a sense of closeness, mutual support and inclusion among countries that do not enjoy equal opportunities at European level.
Right to the Future is the central theme of the tandem coordinated by Cluj Cultural Centre in collaboration with Reactor – the independent theater, together with the project partners, POGON – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth, L’arboreto and Dimora Theater. The call invites theater creators who live and work in Romania to discover the countrie’s multiple valences through direct interaction with members of the host communities in Cluj-Napoca, Zagreb and Mondaino.
This type of collaboration offers artists the opportunity to work in an effervescent and dynamic artistic environment, thus branching out their cultural network and coming into contact with new spaces, communities and audiences in the process of developing an artistic project. The production will be presented in Romania and abroad and also included in Reactor’s repertoire.
Calendar
To enter the selection process, artists interested in this type of opportunity can apply for Tandem 6 | Right to the Future residencies until May 18, 2022, 7:00 p.m. At the end of this stage, five semifinalists will be invited to participate in an international workshop, organized between October 4 and 7, 2022 in Cluj-Napoca, where they will have the opportunity to interact with project partners, present their portfolio to an international audience and form connections for possible future collaborations.
The finalist artist will benefit from two research residencies within the project, in October-November 2022, in Cluj-Napoca and in Zagreb, as well as from two creative residencies, in February-March 2023, hosted by L\’arboreto (Mondaino, Italy) and Reactor (Cluj-Napoca, Romania). The residencies aim to connect the selected artist with members of the host cities communities, as well as provide resources to support the creative process. At the end of the residencies, in April 2023, the developed project will be presented to the public for the first time, on the Reactor stage.
Full details of the project and the regulations can be found at www.strongerperipheries.eu.
Co-producers
Reactor – a place for creative experiments is an independent theater founded in 2014, which focuses on contemporary drama, artistic experiment and social themes. They produce theater performances based on original ideas, closely related to current social contexts, developed through a variety of creative processes. They also encourage constant artistic development by organizing workshops for theater professionals as well as the general public and by providing residencies for developing artists.
POGON – Zagreb Center for Independent Culture and Youth was founded in 2008 and is run by Alliance Operation City and Zagreb City Hall. Its mission is to support local independent organizations and artists through dedicated programs and activities, to support their interests at local and European level and to facilitate their involvement in international cultural cooperation initiatives and projects.
Founded in 1998, L’arboreto is a cultural organization recognized locally and internationally for the quality of its activities. The purpose of L’arboreto is to enhance the culture of theater and performing arts through two main activities: training and creative residencies. The Dimora Theater, founded in 2004, and the two guesthouses built in Mondaino, make L’arboreto a unique structure in Italy, suitable for researching and producing new contemporary artwork.
Stronger Peripheries: A Southern Coalition is a complex international collaboration project, bringing together 14 partners from 10 European countries. It is co-financed by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.
\”What is the role of culture in improving health and wellbeing? How can we create change through culture by impacting European, national, regional or local policymaking?” The CultureForHealth project aims to answer these questions.
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Rebecca Vats Jonsson. Classical guitar player
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Culture has always been known to affect people in many ways and to contribute to a better quality of life. But in recent years the focus has increasingly been on how engagement with the arts and culture can not only improve our quality of life, but also can provide a significant positive effect on a wide variety of health conditions. Health Evidence Network synthesis report 67
Nils Fietje, Technical Officer at the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe: “In many countries, governments often aspire to work in multi-sectoral ways, in order to increase efficiencies and improve outcomes. Arts and health activities present a real opportunity for two very different sectors to actually work together on viable projects that have significant benefits for both sides.”
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Nils Fietje, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Technical Officer © Niels Åge Skovbo
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Nils Fitje is part of the project\’s advisory board. WHO has helped put culture as a health promotion on the world map with a groundbreaking report on the field, which was published in 2019.
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Broad European partnership on culture for health
CultureForHealth is a project co-funded by the European Commission with partners from all over Europe, consisting of Culture Action Europe, Trans Europe Halles, Central Denmark Region, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, Centrul Cultural Clujean, and Društvo Asociacija. The project will last 18 months, ending in May 2023.
During this time the project will host three study trips aiming at cross-sectorial collaboration and policy development between the cultural and health sector creating meaningful and supported cross-sectorial collaboration between culture and health sectors by bringing together professionals from both sides of the table.
The first event was held in the historic and modern cultural city of Aarhus, Denmark, and gathered practitioners, researchers and decision makers from 15 European countries. This event and future policy workshops in Italy and Romania will result in policy recommendations for the European Commission.
New European home of culture for health
Part of the project activities are to create a an extensive and inspirating database of projects and programmes of arts and culture for health and well-being. The website will feature a new database and inspirational catalogue, which will gather knowledge about the field and strengthen the tailwind that is within the field for the benefit of the whole of Europe.
Therefore CultureForHealth is now looking for contributors to the project mapping at cultureforhealth.eu
Project researchers will provide an extensive desk research on arts and culture for health and well-being, as well as a massive mapping of existing arts and health projects and policies. If you work within this cross-sectorial field, or if you know about a project focusing on arts& health you can now add your project or programme to the database on cultureforhealth.eu, which will become the new European home for knowledge on cross-sectoral actions on culture, health and well-being.
Well attended visit to a European pioneer region
On 16-18 March this year, 45 specially invited researchers, politicians, cultural and health actors from 15 European countries met in Aarhus in Denmark to experience one of Europe\’s most active regions in the field of Culture for health and well-being.
The guests experienced new health services and research projects, including live music in intensive care units and reading groups for expectant parents at Aarhus University Hospital and museum visits for people with dementia in the open-air museum, The Old Town.
Policy recommendations for cross-sectorial collaboration
During the visit also a hybrid round table discussion on the topic \”Culture and Health: Treatment and Management\” took place. The main aim of the discussion was to raise awareness and understanding of culture and health interventions and to highlight the need for policy decisions that support this practice. Results of the discussion and also future policy workshops will result in policy recommendations for the European Commission.
Monica Urian, Policy Officer from the European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture, took part in the round table discussion on Arts and Culture for Health and Well-being:
\”Arts and culture have been essential for health and well-being since the dawn of humankind. Both access to culture and access to healthcare are human rights and need to be more connected. The most recent collective traumas- the covid 19 crisis and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine- show the role arts and culture can play in alleviating human suffering, in creating and maintaining communities, in giving a more humane face to the healthcare system. It is our responsibility as Europeans, as culture and health professionals, as human beings, to do everything we can to help our societies heal. This is the reason why the European Commission and the European Parliament are supporting the project CultureForHealth,\” (Monica Urian)
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Monica Urian, Policy Officer, European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture © Niels Åge Skovbo
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About CultureForHealth
CultureForHealth is a project co-funded by the European Commission with partners from all over Europe: Culture Action Europe, Trans Europe Halles, Central Denmark Region, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, Cluj Cultural Centre, and Društvo Asociacija.
CultureForHealth brings researchers, practitioners and policymakers together to generate knowledge, research and fieldwork in order to trigger cross-sectoral cooperation and policies that enhance well-being through culture. The initiative will also institute six pilot projects in Denmark, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia aiming at “management and treatment” of illnesses as well as “prevention and promotion” for a variety of life stages and age groups.
Read more and contribute to the mapping: www.cultureforhealth.eu
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]]>On Thursday, March 10, the Cluj Cultural Centre organized the online meeting of the General Assembly of the Association’s Members, when the plans for the current year were discussed and approved.
On this occasion, four new organizations became members of the Centre: OM studio – choreographic centre, Creative Mornings Cluj, JCI Active Citizens Cluj and Good texts in crazy places. Thus, Cluj Cultural Centre currently has 116 members: cultural institutions and organizations, universities, civil society and business associations, public administration.
The complete list of the members, the activity report for 2021 and the planning for 2022 can be consulted on the organization\’s website: www.cccluj.ro/documente-en.
The General Assembly of Members also approved the draft budget for 2022, with a total value of 11.8 million lei, most of the revenues coming from European funding (41%), private funds (26%) , local (15%) and national (4%) public funding.
For 2022, Cluj Cultural Centre announces the opening of the first cultural spaces under its management: QUB – a space for artistic and scientific education dedicated to Cluj schools – and the Culturepreneurs Hub (CLTP) and Cluj Future of Work laboratories – for the cultural and creative sectors of Cluj.
Cluj Cultural Centre also announces that they are starting the preparations for the co-administration of the future Cultural Garrison on 21 December Boulevard, together with the City Hall. The Municipality will soon launch the tender for contracting the renovation works provider. The garrison will provide cultural operators in the city with over 2,500 square meters of spaces for work, meetings and events.
\”This year we set out to conduct an external evaluation of the entire 2018-2021 program, to analyze how we can improve our activity in the future. Our projects are reaching the maturity stage, and those that have proved viable will be scaled, replicated or transformed from experimental projects to projects either undertaken in our long-term program or transferred to other specialized actors in the local community. In addition, in 2022 we are studying new financial mechanisms for the organization sustainability, in an attempt to attract more private funds for culture \”, says Ștefan Teișanu, the director of the Centre.
Among the activities announced by Cluj Cultural Centre for 2022 are the Stronger Peripheries call for Romanian artists in April, the opening of the Qub space and the launch of Cluj School Community in May, the STUDIOTOPIA exhibition in July, the mental health music project \”Songs for moms and babies ” in the summer, the Cluj Future of Work conference, the Cultural Mediation Forum and the Culture and Well-being Forum in October and the Autumn School of Curating in November.
Cluj Cultural Centre is a non-governmental organization for culture and sustainable development. With 116 member organizations from the cultural, academic, civic, business and public fields, the Center runs an extensive research and development program in the field of culture and its contribution to society. Beyond its local activity, Cluj Cultural Centre works with 50 international organizations, including UNESCO and the World Health Organization, conducting together European pilot programs in the field of culture’s contribution to sustainable development and public health.
The space is the result of a large participatory process that took place in several stages and actively involved the school community – teachers, students, parents – along with artists, designers, architects, landscapers, researchers in psychology and public health.
\”Art and involvement in creative activities play a significant role in the emotional and cognitive development of children, as shown by numerous studies. Our intention was to develop a model that supports the long-term presence of art in schools and contributes to shaping an educational environment that appreciates and cultivates the attention for well-being, as well as children’s collaboration skills and imagination. We hope that students in schools across the country will be able to benefit from this type of space in the future.\” Rarița Zbranca, program director, Clujean Cultural Center
The participatory process was facilitated, under the coordination of Cluj Cultural Centre, by a multidisciplinary team from Urban Scale Interventions (UK), specialized in urban innovation projects focused on community, culture and well-being.
\”We have an older collaboration with Cluj Cultural Centre through the Art’n’Play project, this is not our first attempt to bring culture and art to schools, so when they proposed this new project and the creation of this space I immediately and enthusiastically said \” yes ”, although I had not identified exactly where we could do it. First I said \”yes\” and then we started looking for options for this wonderful space. I am extremely proud and happy that we can do something more for children.” Monica Bereș, director, “Onisifor Ghibu” Theoretical High School.
The 40 square meters space was designed to stimulate the emotional and cognitive development of children through art, play and sensory exploration. The chosen design theme was \”the mysterious planet\”, inviting children to express their curiosity and creativity in interaction with a multisensory panel, an astronomical mini-observer, musical instruments and other interesting objects.
The space can be used for art or music classes and to teach other subjects in an experiential way, but also for extracurricular activities, as well as recreation and relaxation. In collaboration with the school, Cluj Cultural Centre will continue to support cultural and creative education workshops facilitated by artists through the Learning Qub project.
\”We chose to carry out this project together with ”Onisifor Ghibu\” Theoretical High School, as it is one of the schools in our Art’nPlay network, with which we have a very good collaboration through cultural education workshops, since 2019. Every year, an artist in residence came and facilitated workshops with children here, so this space represents an opportunity to move to another level and offer them the best place to do all these things in a funny and playful manner, in an environment that stimulates the imagination and is less rigid than the traditional school. It is also the largest school in the city, so a participatory process and a successful solution developed here will be even easier to replicate in smaller schools. We would like all students to benefit from such a space, just as much as we would like them to enjoy the benefits of cultural education.\” Cristina Rogoz, Art’n’Play project coordinator, Cluj Cultural Centre.
These solutions, such as the one implemented in the Ghibu space, with the intention to increase students’ and teachers’ well-being and to cultivate, through the space endowments and the cultural activities it will host, healthy habits of life and social interaction, can be reproduced in other schools in Cluj-Napoca, in future modernization processes.
\”We will launch over 10 international competitions in Cluj in order to find solutions for the modernization and expansion of some schools in the city through the schools investment program. We want to take this example and integrate it from the technical level and of course, we intend to involve children, parents and teachers in this process so that the implemented changes are as close as possible to their needs; after all, they are the ones who benefit from these spaces and from the modernization projects which involve the educational infrastructure”, Ovidiu Cîmpean, development director, Cluj-Napoca City Hall
60 students, 22 parents and a group of teachers from “Onisifor Ghibu” Theoretical High School were involved in the process – Monica Bereș | director, Mihaela Coța | Deputy Director, Raluca Popa | school counselor, Adina Câmpean | primary school teacher. The experts who contributed to the space creation and development are: Jak Spencer and Khadidja Konate | architects, Urban Scale Interventions; Eliza Jurca and Simona Or-Munteanu | architects; Alin Tănasă | artist / creator | Gentle; Maria Brudașcă | visual artist, Tamás Márkos | photographer, musician, educator; Monica Bartucz | psychologist, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (BBU); Adela Hoble | Landscape architect and researcher, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj-Napoca; Teodora Morar | landscape architect and researcher, Romanian Landscape Association and Hanna Ugron | consultant. The process was coordinated by Cristina Rogoz and Claudia Cacovean and curated by Rarița Zbranca, from Cluj Cultural Centre.
Thanks to: Ștefan Teișanu, Ovidiu Cîmpean, Simona Baciu, Carmen Muntean, Adrian Balcău, Marius Mariș, Daniela Maier, Raluca Mășcășan, Paula Feșnic, Septimiu Cioara, Mihaela Orosan, Adela Nicoară.
The art and well-being space initiative developed by Cluj Cultural Centre is part of the Art & Well-being project and the Learning QUB program, co-financed by the European Union through the Creative Europe Programme, Botnar Foundation and Cluj-Napoca City Hall. It was also supported by Rondocarton.
Vaczi Roland