Sustainable Partnerships for Arts and Culture in Europe

Although most villages in Albania and Romania have designated cultural centers, such spaces aremainlydisconnected from the present life ofcommunities. Meanwhile, new community spacesemerge in East Germany providing new models of social activation through culture.

By enabling newpartnerships of cultural spaces in East-Germany, Albania, and Romania, the project aims to activatelocal communities and inspire local actors to develop future-oriented cultural solutions to systemicchallenges. It stems from the belief that cultural spaces in rural areas can re-emerge as spaces offreedom placed at the heart of local community development

Partnership and Collaboration

The implementing partners Tek Bunkeri, @HomeinFăgăraș and icebauhaus will facilitate the whole process and invited other local organizations in their home regions to join the collaborative structure of the project to exchange their experiences and expertise, to co-develop their own formats andactivities according to the needs and preferences. We are planning to intensify the involvement of peers and new European partners in the next few years. With SPACE we have the opportunity to geta closer look also into the East-German transformation process of creative spaces of local drivers.

Albania

H.A.N.A. Lezhë

Sebastia, Laç

ATA, Kamëz

Tek Bunkeri, Albania

Romania

Asociatia Sătească Șona Noastră, Șona

Muzeul de Pânze şi Poveşti, Mândra

@HomeinFăgăraș, Fagaras

The Mihai and Maria Fratila Foundation (FMMF), Fagaras

The Fagaras Research Institute (FRI)

Germany

OMA – Other Music Academy, Weimar

COCONAT, Bad Belzig

icebauhaus, Weimar

Research, Strategies and Activation

We envision three stages of the project. The process will result in a documented set of best practicesof selectedspacesand also disseminated via a few different digital formats.Research and peer-engagementwill help us to understand and map local dynamics, similarities andpractices applied by cultural practitioners in various local community development models. Buildingon the learnings from phase one, we will develop partnership-models and strategies among peersand communities to test various types of exchange and solidarity-mechanisms. 

This process is guidedby some virtual activities and short study trips to Romania and Albania to provide comprehensiveinsights into each country‘s local realities.The activation phase tests practical exchange and differenttypes of partnerships and collective impact through co-production of a network gathering in Romaniaand will also contribute to the transformation of one community space as a micro-festival.
 
 
The need for flexible methods and adapting content to the specific contexts of young people is obvious and has been observed and clearly identified by our partner organizations in their practice. In particular, questions of self-perception and individual development potentials seem to have a high priority.
 
Typical organizational challenges in terms of financial sustainability and advocacy in the local environments were also identified.

Donors

Helping in our Growth and Development

S.P.A.C.E is a short-term action by partners of the MOCI network to connect cultural initiatives inrural contexts in North-Albania, Central-Romania and East-Germany with support by the EuropeanCultural Foundation (ECF) and theFederal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) in Germany.