The UСF has joined the initiative to support the "Zapravka" art residencies

“The Zapravka” is an initiative created to support and promote Ukrainian residencies. On July 10, the Ukrainian Institute, the European Union's House of Europe program, and the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation announced the start of a joint mapping of Ukrainian art residences. Residents who agree to participate in this process will be able to place their profiles in the largest web database of DutchCulture | TransArtists residences, as well as receive professional support and develop the international aspect of their programs.

A joint database and research will help the three organizations that have founded “Zapravka” to better coordinate and develop their own residency programs.

“Art mobility and in particular creative residencies are one of the priorities of the Ukrainian Institute, because for art sector professionals they are an indispensable way to immerse themselves in the context of another country and to develop working contacts that may grow into international cooperation projects in the future. For foreign artists, curators and researchers, Ukraine still remains largely terra incognita, but therein lies the potential for its attractiveness. Undoubtedly, Ukrainian residency programs are of interest to foreign specialists, but they lack international visibility and opportunities for development, and the task of  "ZAPRAVKA" is to fix it, "said Oleksandr Vynohradov, head of the Visual Arts Department at the Ukrainian Institute and EXTER International Art Residences.

"In my opinion, "ZAPRAVKA" initiative is a kind of precedent in modern Ukrainian cultural management. It is great that the staff of three different institutions work together to exchange information, offer support and coordinate their residency at the crossroads of Ukrainian and international contexts. The coronavirus pandemic has forced many residencies to reformat into the "domestic market" and shift their focus from physical mobility to research, mapping and online formats. This was an additional impetus for our working group to study and describe the landscape of Ukrainian residencies to make sure that it is properly represented on the international platform TransArtists, ”said Lina Romanuha, House of Europe residency program manager.

"ZAPRAVKA" initiative can be a great springboard for Ukrainian art residencies to enter the international arena. In Ukraine, this format is just beginning to gain momentum - so, in 2020, 91 applications were submitted to the UCF competition in the LOT "Residencies". While working with the applicants, we have realized that bringing international experience to the residency program is a very common and sometimes necessary format of work. Therefore, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation has joined the working group of the "ZAPRAVKA" initiative to give Ukrainian residences ability to reach a new level of development and to facilitate the exchange of experiences between Ukrainian and foreign artists, curators and art managers, «said Yuliia Alenina, the manager of the “N.O.R.D.” program of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

Representatives of creative residencies from Ukraine who are interested in international cooperation and recognition can fill out the form available via the link. This must be done no later than September 10, 2020, 23:59 Kyiv time.

The received data will be processed and placed in the DutchCulture | TransArtists database. This international platform is designed to stimulate and enhance the mobility of artists, curators and other professionals in the cultural sector. In order for information about your residence to be posted on this platform, the residence must meet the following criteria:

• be sustainable (one-time residency programs cannot be added to a permanent database);
• to be a professional residence for specialists of the culture and arts sector (hotels, boarding houses, recreation complexes, etc. are not allowed to participate in the program);
• be ready to interact with foreign artists, curators, art managers, in particular to have at least one person who speaks English in the team;
• not to profit from the residency program.

Placing up-to-date information on Ukrainian residencies in an international database is only the first step in a joint initiative to support Gas Station residencies. In the future, the Gas Station initiative plans to:

• increase the international visibility of Ukrainian art residencies and inform the international community about the opportunities for artists that exist in Ukraine, curators and other professionals in the arts and culture sector;
• to raise the professional standards of residency programs in Ukraine in order to increase their competitiveness in the international art environment;
• to attract international experience through the participation of foreign artists, curators and art managers in Ukrainian residencies.

In addition, the initiative team will create articles about creative residencies in Ukraine, announce local residency programs, and share the experience of Ukrainian organizations that host artists, curators and art managers from other countries.

ZAPRAVKA initiative team:

Yuliia Alenina - Manager of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation of the N.O.R.D.

Kateryna Alymova is the program manager of House of Europe.

Oleksandr Vynohradov is the head of the Visual Arts Department of the Ukrainian Institute and the EXTER program of international art residencies.

Lina Romanuha is the House of Europe residency program manager.

Olga Tykhonova is an independent expert on artistic mobility.

For additional information, please contact Oleksandr Vynohradov at: [email protected]

DutchCulture | TransArtists is an international platform designed to stimulate and enhance the mobility of artists, curators and other professionals in the cultural sector. The organization shares its experience in international residency programs and related issues, encouraging participants to use residencies effectively, innovatively and independently. Currently, the DutchCulture | TransArtists database includes more than 1,500 institutions and organizations that have residency programs.

The Ukrainian Institute is a state institution that promotes Ukrainian culture in the world and develops cultural ties between Ukraine and other countries. The mission of the Ukrainian Institute is to promote better understanding and a dignified attitude towards Ukraine and to create opportunities for Ukrainians to interact with the world.

House of Europe is a program funded by the European Union, created to support professional and creative exchange and cooperation between Ukrainians and their colleagues in the EU. The program focuses, among other things, on culture and the creative industries. The program has a budget of 12.2 million euros to support the participation of Ukrainians in residencies, internships, study trips and networking in the EU. The program is managed by the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, and the British Council, the French Institute and the Czech Centres are a consortium of project partners.