Project description: The partnership grant between the organizations Fakiris of the South from Kruševac, the Association of the Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia from Belgrade, and K-Town Group from Kosjerić responds to the challenges faced by independent cultural centers in Serbia. These centers are few in number, generally short-lived, and operate under precarious conditions. Yet, they have the potential to become incubators for various initiatives in contemporary art and culture, as well as spaces for active and democratic self-organization of groups and individuals. Through the project, three cultural centers from Kruševac, Kosjerić, and Belgrade, by involving their regular and occasional users, exchanged experiences and knowledge. Through a series of joint artistic-educational and work processes, personnel exchanges, and capacity building, the organizations made progress toward sustainable operations within their communities, ensuring they continue to be generators of diverse contemporary cultural production in their local communities. Through joint interventions at AKC Gnezdo in Kruševac, the summer stage furniture was reconstructed—five users were trained in the basics of welding metal structures, and Gnezdo expanded its seating capacity by 18 seats and acquired multifunctional mobile benches. The exchange of staff between Gnezdo and KC Magacin in Belgrade strengthened the personal capacities of the youngest users of the space and solidified relationships between the cultural centers. Two Gnezdo users, Katarina Dragonjić and Miona Dimitrijević, stayed at KC Magacin, where Miona held a workshop in Belgrade titled “Bedside Conversation” about the importance of sexual education and the societal consequences of labeling sex as a taboo topic. Olja Mićković Nikolić from KC Magacin in Belgrade participated in the logistical and technical preparations for celebrating the five-year anniversary of AKC Gnezdo, conducted workshops on communication and interpersonal relationships, and made a significant contribution to a panel discussion on the position of female artists and cultural workers. Throughout the project, workshops were organized at all three cultural centers—covering topics such as photography, acting, maintaining and servicing electrical installations, and mounting standard objects on wall surfaces. The final two-day event at AKC Gnezdo, titled “Towards the Joint Sustainability of Independent Cultural Centers (Outcomes)”, included a public presentation of the project results and a panel discussion on “The Importance of Socio-Cultural Centers for the Local Community,” featuring representatives from the Social Center Krov from Belgrade, KC Magacin, Anibar from Peja, Kosovo, and AKC Gnezdo. The partnership between these cultural centers will continue through program exchanges, joint applications for various grants, and mutual support within European networks of independent cultural centers.
Grant Amount: 2,811,847.41 RSD
