Kaņepes Kultūras centrs

Kanepes Kulturas centrs

Kanepes Kulturas centrs is a cultural centre in Riga, Latvia – a place for recreation and entertainment and a platform for individuals using arts and entertainment as a tool to emphasise the need of equal opportunities for all. The centre is located in a former dormitory of the Art Academy, used as music school for 50 years after which it was left empty for three years until Kanepes moved in.

The mission of Kanepes Kulturas centrs is to encourage synergies among people, ideas and various forms of culture by providing a platform for experiments, cultural events, recreation, conversations and impulses for social change in order to contribute to a happier, culturally educated and open society. An additional focus is to renovate the building, which is situated in the centre of Riga, as well as cultivating the surrounding garden in an eco-friendly way. The idea is to provide an oasis for thought, cultural experiences and conversations to the citizens and visitors of Riga and to contribute to making the city a better place to live and spend time in. Kanepes embraces openness, authenticity, quality, avant-garde, community and responsibility.

What makes your organisation unique?

Kanepes runs both an extensive cultural programme (between 300 and 400 cultural, social, educational events a year) and a bar – both of these help one another. The programme brings people to the bar and the bar brings extra people for the events. They collaborate with more than 100 other NGOs, cultural, social, educational institutions in Latvia in terms of co-programming and providing space for events. They also organise things outside their building and city – festivals, art exhibitions. In the almost seven years of work, they have gained a highly recognised place in the local (and international) cultural scene as an example of converting an empty building for cultural purposes and they have become an active independent cultural actor in their own right.

What TEH activities are you a part of?

Arts Education Platform, Staff Exchange