Cultural and Cross Innovation Projects

Implementing Organisation: Armenian Center for contemporary Experimental Art
City: Sevan
Duration: December 2023 – April 2024
Project Summary:
The project aims to establish an educational space dedicated to artistic experience, art history, and art education. Over a period of five months, the project will engage local stakeholders, design the educational space, implement art workshops and classes, organise educational events, and ultimately culminate in an exhibition featuring the artwork of participating youth from Sevan. 

Implementing Organisation: Children’s Music School Named after Aram Khachatryan NCO
Cities: Charentsavan and Ijevan
Duration: April – June 2024
Project Summary:
The main objective of the project is to organise an art camp in June 2024 for approximately 40 children studying in music and art schools in Charentsavan and Ijevan communities. It will promote high-quality cultural education and develop musical, interdisciplinary, and inter-community cooperation. The project also aims to revitalise the cultural life in the region and localise the use of innovative and successful cultural education practices. 

Implementing Organisations: Tavush Innovation Center NGO; Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises NGO; CO-WO LLC; Enterprise Incubator Foundation; Saqanima
City: Ijevan
Duration: December 2023 – July 2024
Project Summary:
EUCompGraphLab develops a tech-learning lab where young people can have the opportunity to learn essential skills in all aspects of product development including graphic design, modelling, texturing, editing, and animation. The main topic around which the teaching subjects and the skills will be delivered is environmental protection. As a regional project, it will also involve colleagues from the Georgian Animators Association (SAQANIMA) with two experts and five students. As a culmination of the workshops, an exhibition will feature the works produced during this collaborative effort, highlighting the creativity and skills of all participants. As an ending event a one-day Regional Conference will be organised on new developments in the Computer Graphic and Motion Animation field with Georgian and Armenian experts as speakers.
After the project is finished, the space will continue being utilised for animation studies. The best students of the project will be hired by the studio as trainers of a new group of young students from the area.

Organisation: Association for Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage
City: Sheki
Duration: April – June 2024
Project summary:
The project aims to address the relevance, overall context, and specific needs of Sheki's cultural tourism development. The city boasts a rich cultural heritage. Yet, its lesser-known attributes remain undiscovered by some of the visitors. To address this challenge, an online tool will be developed offering alternative cultural destinations in Sheki, including the peripheral neighbourhoods, which are often overlooked by tourists.

Organisation: Lankaran State University
City: Lankaran
Project summary:
CREATIVE+ aims at promoting creative entrepreneurship and supporting the development of creative industries in Azerbaijan. With its training modules, the project will be focusing on enhancing the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge of students at Lankaran State University (LSU) and the Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC). By conducting a Situational Analysis, the existing support for creative entrepreneurship and learning in both universities and the wider civic, regional, and national context will also be identified.

Organisation: Municipality of Sheki
City: Sheki
Project Summary:
The site-specific theatre is a unique performative method that tells stories and adapts them to a concrete place. It enables viewers to become parts of the performance. Through it, they learn about the place – its history and people. Hence, the site-specific theater also combines theatre with tourism. 
As part of the project, a site-specific theatre will be created in Sheki. To do so, a group of young actors and amateurs will be trained on the specific technique. Afterwards, together with a dramaturgical expert, they will gather stories from the city to create a performance.

Organisation: "Intellect" Boundless Educational Youth Organisation
City: Lankaran
Project summary:
The Youth Art Empowerment project is designed to foster an appreciation for culture and arts, while also addressing social issues and promoting societal development. The project is divided into three stages.
During the first stage, four specialists in painting, weaving and carpet weaving, sculpturing, and music, will be invited to prepare presentations about the fields of their expertise. Eight young people will be trained on delivering these presentations. Afterwards, they will arrange interactive educational meetings for high school students in eight selected schools in the Lankaran district. An essay competition will also be held for the attendants of the presentations. The three most active students will receive special awards and all others are going to receive certificates recognising their engagement in the project. 
 

Organisation: DANİB - Demokratik Azərbaycan Naminə Gənclərin İctimai Birliyi - Public Association of Youth for Democratic Azerbaijan
City: Khirdalan
Project summary:
The project is meant to make further steps in cultural place-making in Khirdalan. A series of workshops will be implemented for the local youth on creative skills - carpet weaving, ceramic painting, and interior object design with recycled materials. As a result, artworks will be created, assembled, and permanently displayed in publicly accessible areas across the city.
 

Implementing Organisation: Urban Art, Electronauts
City: Kutaisi
Duration: December 2023 – July 2024
Project Summary:
Focusing on the post-Soviet art scene of the 1990s in Kutaisi, Georgia, the Alternative Kutaisi project aims to create a cultural and educational space showcasing the city’s alternative art scene of the decade. The non-profit organisations implementing the initiative are working on creating an educational program and a cultural route on the topic. They are also producing a documentary to highlight Kutaisi's unique cultural heritage.

Implementing Organisations: Leni Academy, Inform – Platform for Inclusive Minds, Open House
City: Kutaisi
Duration: January – July 2024
Project Summary:
The project offers contemporary dance workshops, training and performances in Kutaisi, Georgia. It highlights the performative form of art as a means for integrating people with disabilities. Hence, with its activities, the project is fostering the creation of an inclusive community of children and adults with disabilities, as well as their family members, artists, and disability professionals.

Implementing Organisations: The Foundation for Art Development AYA, Human Rights and Social Justice Research Center, Ahuahu Foundation for Contemporary Art, Chaikhana
City: Kutaisi and Poti
Duration: November 2023 – June 2024
Project Summary:
The project aims to play a role in developing vibrant film cultures in Kutaisi and Poti, Georgia. From workshops for cultural managers to monthly film screenings, capacity building, production of documentaries, and a film festival, the project encompasses a wide range of activities for creative professionals in the two cities.

Implementing Organisations: Dasavluri Ganvitarebis Centri, Tbilisi Photo Festival
City: Kuraisi
Duration: February – June 2024
Project Summary:
The project revitalises Kutaisi's cultural ecosystem by promoting the local contemporary art scene. It focuses on empowering emerging artists and enhancing the skills of local stakeholders through artistic and educational activities, including an art residency, public lectures, and a group exhibition.
 

Implementing Organisation: Sud Est Media
Cities: Cahul and Orhei
Duration: January – August 2024
Project Summary:
As part of the project, the implementers are producing seven video reports and a documentary about artists from various localities in the Republic of Moldova, with a special emphasis on Cahul and Orhei. The audio-visual materials are to highlight personal stories, and artistic journeys of local creatives, as well as their impact on the communities, which they are parts of. The video reports are planned to be published on Moldova.org, a local media outlet Ziua de azi, and Jurnal TV. The Moldoc International Film Festival in Cahul will screen the documentary, which the project implementers are planning to also present at 4 other events in the public libraries of Cahul and Orhei.

Implementing Organisation: Academia Europeana pentru Cultura si Arta
Cities: Cahul and Orhei
Duration: February – May 2024
Project Summary:
The "Moldo Crescendo Musical Interpretation Master-Class" project aims to enhance music education opportunities in the small cities of Moldova by bringing three accomplished professional musicians to conduct masterclasses in local music schools. The initiative seeks to inspire, educate, and empower young music enthusiasts, fostering their talent and passion for music while also promoting cultural exchange and understanding. The masterclasses are tuition-free and open to all individuals interested in attending as passive participants.

Implementing Organisation: Pro Lucășeuca
City: Orhei
Duration: January – June 2024
Project Summary:
In line with the Cultural Development Strategy of Orhei, the project organises a four-day creative industries festival, as part of the Library Days, which takes place in May 2024. The multi stakeholder event will highlight the importance of books in the development of creative sectors. Finally, a roundtable discussion will be held to sum up the festival and address topics brought up during the event.
 

Implementing Organisation: GEN Moldova
Cities: Charentsavan, Ijevan, and Sevan, Armenia; Cahul and Orhei, Republic of Moldova; Odesa, Vinnytsia, and Rivne, Ukraine
Duration: December 2023 – June 2024
Project Summary:
The project implementers will organise educational and matchmaking online sessions and exchange programs for Armenia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. The cultural creative leaders involved in these initiatives have been assigned the responsibility of enhancing the fundamental aspects of cultural creativity and fostering entrepreneurial communities within the three nations. The project provides them with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the understanding of cultural ecosystems, forging intercultural bonds, and advancing innovative endeavours across borders. Additionally, it ignites the spirit of community and partnerships between cultural and creative institutions in Armenia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.
 

Implementing Organisation: Friends of Museum Charity Fund
City: Odesa
Duration: November 2023 – May 2024
Project Summary:
The exhibition project "Heating Season" by Odesa-based artist Vasyl Dmytryk will be implemented by the Charitable Foundation "Friends of the Museum". The team has created unique equipment for this dynamic exhibition. The electromagnet "tracegraph" will drive a mass of rusty objects against the surface, leaving mechanical traces on the paper. The fading traces symbolise the fading energy of Ukrainian society amidst the war. The first place to host the exhibition will be the "Asortymentna Kimnata" Gallery in Ivano-Frankivsk. Later, it will be moved to the Odesa National Fine Arts Museum.

Implementing Organisation: History Reconstruction Club Ostvytsya
City: Rivne
Duration: March – July 2024
Project Summary:
The Ostvytsya park is an historical and cultural project located in the city of Rivne, which recreates the atmosphere of the 9-12th century Rus through historical reconstruction and experimental archaeology. The location regularly hosts workshops on ancient crafts, cultural and educational events, boat rides on ancient vessels, and more. As part of the EU-funded project, the implementers will develop a quest immersing the participants in the life of Ancient Rus using the park's structures and boats. The interactive experience will provide interested individuals with insights into the local history, culture, archaeology, and reconstruction techniques.

Implementing Organisation: NGO “Ukrainian Marketing Organisation”
Citiy: Rivne
Duration: February – May 2024
Project Summary:
The EU-funded festival will showcase Ukrainian and foreign feature, documentary, full-length, and short films. During the event, the project implementers will hold a competition titled Wounded Earth for short documentaries about the environmental damage caused by war. Additionally, experts in ecology and cinema will engage in a roundtable discussion about collectively restoring the environment affected by the war. During the festival, a non-competitive screening of films about artificial intelligence and a round table of experts and filmmakers on the prospects of using Artificial Intelligence in the film industry are planned.
 

Implementing Organisation: Art Association Plai
City: Vinnytsia
Duration: January – June 2024
Project Summary:
The project revolves around a series of professional residencies that will gather representatives of Vinnytsia’s public institutions with regional and local specialists from the creative sectors such as urbanism, landscape design and ecology, architecture, and revitalization. The EU-funded initiative aims to stimulate cross-sectoral interaction at the local level, research and develop a model for local urban space revitalization, namely a former children's sanatorium, which is also highlighted in the city’s Cultural Development Strategy as a potential cultural venue.