TEH Startup Support Programme is a training programme that we have designed to provide support to European emerging non-governmental cultural centres.

The beneficiary region in 2020-2021 were Mediterranean countries – Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain. One of the four cultural centres that participated in the programme was DASTE from Bergamo, Italy. Take a look at the startup support programme publication to learn more about the initiative and their journey towards a more sustainable future.

The Startup Support Programme is part of the project Factories of Imagination, which is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Kulturfabrik and COOPERATIONS – members of the Trans Europe Halles (TEH) network – hosted the third annual Arts Education seminar,“Exploring the Benefits of Arts Education Programs”, from 5-7 March 2020. During these three days, 60 participants from across Europe tried to identify the benefits of participative projects and to learn about different methodologies to develop them. The following publication offers a deeper look into the main objectives and findings of the seminar.

The Arts Education Platform is part of the Factories of Imagination (FOI) project run by Trans Europe Halles (TEH). The main purpose of the platform is to facilitate exchange and knowledge transfer between arts educators on the subject of participation in the arts.

An Interperiphery Centre for ‘Contemporanities’ (Aipcc) is a new concept developed by female black artist Sonia E. Barrett whose aim was to challenge the conventional perception of arts space. Aipcc was born as a response to a collective experience of many black artists living in artistic residences in Europe. Having collected different testimonies, Sonia realised that many of black artists have often to face homophobia, racism, tokenism and other negative aspects of exclusiveness of those places. She started a space in rural area – Aipcc – to enable young aspiring black artists and other periphery makers to develop their artistic voices.

The last four years we have been running TEH Startup Support Programme (SUSP) within Factories of Imagination project that helps emerging cultural initiatives at the European borders (Earstern, Southeastern and Southern Europe) towards a sustainable future – and towards a full membership of our vibrant network.

This publication is a summary of the discoveries made and the lessons learned during these four years. It zooms in on the main challenges along the way. And can, hopefully, serve as a guide for other smart and fearless people from these regions to start their own centres.

Authors: Chris Keulemans (The Neitherlands), Irena Boljunčić Gracin (Croatia), Mykhailo Glubokyi (Ukraine), Ada Arduini (Italy).

In times of climate crisis, pandemic, neo-liberal markets and authoritarian governments, we are facing an unpredictable future. Spaces of urgency are local pockets of resistance, offering alternatives against dominant systems of capitalism and patriarchy.

Cultural spaces by and for self-organised communities are at the heart of unique identities and innovations. They are communal tools to be used against inequality while promoting strongholds for democracy. Unfortunately they are disappearing rapidly.

The Space of Urgency platform shares their narratives, to raise public awareness and international solidarity. The aim is to support these “spaces of urgency“ and their communities in gaining local recognition and protection. These stories of the spaces are designed to inspire international change-makers to engage in creating their own identities and alternatives for the dominant systems.

This manual is aimed at cultural centres across Europe that want to host volunteers from other European countries. It provides a concise overview of what is needed to take part in the European volunteering programme European Solidarity Corps (ESC). It then gives reasons why it’s a great idea to get involved and shares some insights that you should take into account if you decide toget involved.

The publication was produced within the framework of Factories of Imagination Project that was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

In this publication, Michele Bee, co-founder of Manifatture Knos – a socio-cultural project from Lecce, Italy – advocates a radical new concept – Third Place. This new concept derives from the concept of Third Landscape developed by French gardener and botanist Gilles Clément. Third places are places of indecision that belong to no one and everyone at the same time. Those places are commons as they are open to everyone who dares to experiment, explore and invent. Michele advocates for keeping these places open to public and preserving their integrity. Their existence is vital for society development and evolvement.

Creating the People’s Factory in Denmark is a new TEH publication featuring the inspiring story of Maltfabrikken. The publication is written in conversation with Kristian Krog and explores Maltfabrikken approaches to strategy, fundraising, surviving the pandemic and the 12-years history of transforming a former malt factory in Ebeltoft.

The story offers valuable insights to anybody else who is in the process of revitalising a building – and its surrounding community – for cultural purposes.

KEA European Affairs is pleased to have co-authored the updated “Market Analysis of the Cultural and Creative Sectors in Europe” commissioned by the European Investment Fund (EIF) under the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) Guarantee Facility Capacity Building programme.

The market analysis captures the figures behind European CCS’s growth before the pandemic. It also outlines the key trends that are reshaping the CCS in light of digitisation and technological innovation, increased environmental consciousness, new business models and more collaborative ways of working.

Participatory Governance Under the Lens is a recent publication from TEH that explores the concepts and practices of participatory governance, focusing the discussion on cultural centres initiated by citizens and artists.

The topic is multidimensional in its approach, demonstrating the benefits of participatory governance from the perspective of citizens and public administrations alike. Overall, the publication is an approachable introduction to a subject of significant relevance to the cultural sector at this point in time.

Participatory Governance Under the Lens was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme.