Сила тут / Be Strong
Funding: European Commission
Partners: Dnipro Vocational Art and Design College, facilitating student internships, Ukrainian Cultural Fund
Duration: December 2021 — ongoing
Budget: 492,623.99 EUR
Coordinator: Olga Diatel
Contact: office@insha-osvita.org
The project «Be strong: A sustainable multicenter ecosystem for culture in Ukraine» aims to strengthen the capacity of local cultural players and the horizontal connections between them to balance the Ukrainian cultural system towards polyphony and decentralization. Cultural managers and organizations should adopt less paternalistic and more subjective approaches, be less authoritative and more non-directive, and rely less on external resources and more on self-reliance.
That was the plan. The project implementation started in December 2021. Due to the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the initial project plan was partially changed, but its focus remained on strengthening horizontal connections to support the resilience of cultural institutions and practitioners, taking into account crisis needs.
Goals and directions of the project:
Supporting the preservation of cultural heritage in areas affected by military actions. Supporting online documentation and archiving of cultural heritage and artworks.
We supported the launch of the Museum Crisis Center and its work during the first year of operation. The Museum Crisis Center supports museum workers in addressing crisis issues, such as purchasing medication, preserving artifacts, and evacuation, etc.
Emergency assistance to cultural figures, their families, and organizations. Improving the resilience of cultural institutions and individual cultural managers and workers.
We were involved in the acquisition of essential items, transportation, and evacuation services. We provided financial support in March 2022 to artists who lost their sources of income.
Supporting the activities of artists, creating conditions for work in Ukraine and promoting the presentation of Ukrainian art abroad.
We organize residencies in relatively safe spaces. For example, from March to May 2022, we held the residency «Workspace» at the Khata-Maysternya space. In April and May, we supported a group of performative artists from the Opera aperta laboratory in realizing their first international presentation. You can find a video report on this on the website of media Suspilne.
Supporting the research and analysis of the local cultural context as an element that is missing from the ecosystem.
We have launched a media and archive project about the local culture of Ivano-Frankivsk and the region: https://postimpreza.org/.
Supporting the sustainable development of non-governmental organizations, strengthening horizontal connections, and supporting organizations in implementing initiatives in the field of culture and education.
We are developing a competence map for culture managers. We invite guest lecturers to the Dnipro Professional Art College and provide internships for students majoring in «Sociocultural Activity Management». Furthermore, we create platforms for synchronization and exchange for representatives of educational and cultural organizations. For example, the «UkraineLab: Effective Organizations in Times of War» forum took place in June 2022. You can found notes from the forum on the Media of Great Stories website. We provide emergency consultations for cultural and arts workers.
The project is still ongoing, and for updates, please follow our website or Facebook page.
