Factories of Imagination

Investing in Cultural Changemakers

In 2017 Trans Europe Halles launched the four-year project ‘Factories of Imagination: Investing in Cultural Changemakers’. The project was funded by Creative Europe’s Culture Sub-programme: Support to European Networks. In December 2021 the project came to an end, and we summarised its major learnings and outcomes in:

• the Final Report
• Visual Factsheet
• Case-studies

What we tried to achieve 

The overarching aim of the Factories of Imagination Capacity-Building Programme was to enable cultural operators that are connected to non-governmental cultural centres across Europe and enhance their professional skills, develop their international networks and improve their ability to work inter-culturally, and ultimately, to help them build more resilient cultural organisations.  

This aim arouse from the need that we identified in the previous years by monitoring and surveying our members – independent cultural centres across Europe. To achieve it, TEH coordinated stand-alone events in addition to weaving activities into the network’s established programme of conferences and camp meetings. Besides the annual meeting members of the network participated in one of the following five Capacity Building strands: 

• Business Model Development 
• Organisational Development 
• Start-up Support Programme 
• Leadership Programme 
• Arts Education Hub