{"id":11681,"date":"2026-02-10T10:47:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T07:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bienale.lt\/2025\/?p=11681"},"modified":"2026-02-10T10:47:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T07:47:50","slug":"european-community-award-2025-dainava-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bienale.lt\/2025\/en\/news\/european-community-award-2025-dainava-community\/","title":{"rendered":"European Community Award 2025: Dainava Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Community Award: Co-create & Comprehend is a long-standing annual award within the Magic Carpets platform, established to recognise and honour local communities rather than cultural institutions or individual artists. The Award acknowledges communities that actively engage in creative processes, co-creation, and intercultural exchange with international artists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Functioning as a long-term legacy of the Magic Carpets project, the Award ensures continuity beyond individual artistic residencies. It supports communities involved in Magic Carpets by enabling them to further develop their initiatives, strengthen local capacities, and sustain the social, emotional, and cultural impact generated through artistic collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the European Community Award 2025, five communities were nominated and awarded, sharing a total of \u20ac5,000 in recognition of their outstanding engagement in co-creative processes within the Magic Carpets framework.<\/span><\/p>\n

Community Centre \u201cResiliences Avots\u201d (Riga, Latvia)<\/b><\/p>\n

The community centre \u201cResiliences Avots\u201d focuses on improving quality of life through individual and group-based activities for teenagers and young people, as well as adults \u2013 including seniors, people with disabilities, and individuals facing social integration challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the 2025 Magic Carpets residency \u201cCONTACT. Children of the Universe\u201d, choreographer Laura Gorodko worked with young people using contemporary dance as a tool to explore movement, emotions, trust, and interpersonal contact. Approximately 19 young participants took part in the process, resulting in a stable core group of five young women. The project stands as both documentation of the residency and a testament to the transformative power of sustained artistic engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the awarded support, the community plans to fulfil shared dreams expressed by the young participants, including a collective horseback-riding experience that will strengthen trust, connection, and shared experience beyond everyday circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Family Centre \u201cLet\u2019s Be Together\u201d (Kaunas, Lithuania)<\/b><\/p>\n

The Family Centre \u201cLet\u2019s Be Together\u201d (\u201cB\u016bkime kartu\u201d in Lithuanian) provides preventive and comprehensive support to families, young or single parents, and individuals facing social and economic challenges. Located in the Dainava \u2013 one of the biggest districts distant from the city center \u2013 the organisation has nearly seven years of experience in community development and socio-cultural programming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through its collaboration with Kaunas Biennial and participation in the Magic Carpets project, the centre has expanded its community network and creative activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project \u201cPower of Kindness\u201d took place in 2025. During a two-month Magic Carpets residency, four artists met with the Dainava community twice a week, inviting participants to explore different ways of expressing creative kindness towards one another. Three artists were selected by community members \u2013 interdisciplinary artist Gudrita Lap\u0117 and contemporary clowning and movement theatre duo Barbora T\u00fcrkmen \u0160oganov\u00e1 and Orkun T\u00fcrkmen. Architect Al\u017eb\u011bta P. Br\u016fhov\u00e1 (Czech Republic) was selected by the project\u2019s curatorial team.<\/span><\/p>\n

As noted by Inga Brad\u016bnien\u0117, leader of the community: \u201cSince the community consists of creative people who want to communicate, and the organisation is always looking for new activities, we gladly accepted the offer of the Kaunas Biennial to collaborate and have been involved in the Magic Carpets project for two years now. Thanks to this collaboration, we have met inspiring people and expanded our community. We enjoy being part of this project because it responds to community needs and invites warm, engaging artists who bring participants together and create meaningful outcomes. We would love to continue participating in Magic Carpets projects and look forward to what the future may bring.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The awarded support will be used to create further opportunities for collective creative activities, while also strengthening participants\u2019 motivation and capacity to create and sell handcrafted goods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blokhaus (Novi Sad, Serbia)<\/b><\/p>\n

Blokhaus is a student-initiated platform that emerged at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad during a period of student blockade and civic mobilisation. It operates as an open, collective structure in which students, graduates, and collaborators explore artistic practices as tools for social engagement, collective organisation, and mutual support.<\/span><\/p>\n

The awarded funds will support the formal establishment of Blokhaus as an organisation within the Academy of Arts, enabling the continuation of collaborative artistic practices, participatory programmes, and shared resources. This support contributes to the sustainability of a platform rooted in collective experience and socially engaged cultural production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ung Arena \u2013 Kommunens aktivitetsansvar (KAA) (\u00d6rebro, Sweden)<\/b><\/p>\n

Ung Arena (KAA) works with young people who have interrupted their education due to mental health challenges, social vulnerability, or unstable living conditions. The organisation supports young people in rebuilding confidence, developing a sense of belonging, and finding pathways back to education through inclusive, group-based activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on their participation in Magic Carpets and the collaboration with OpenArt, the organisation emphasised the importance of cultural exchange and accessibility: \u201cThrough OpenArt and Magic Carpets, Ung Arena gained insight into OpenArt\u2019s organisational work while becoming part of a broader cultural context. The collaboration created a welcoming environment in which young participants experienced inclusion, meaningful encounters with artists, and recognition of their voices. During the project, a familiar and supportive atmosphere emerged. Participants became part of something larger \u2013 their voices were listened to with genuine interest and, in many cases, recognised by the artists. The project offered our young people a meaningful exchange that complemented our activities in a wonderful way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the conclusion of the residency, Ung Arena sought to sustain the sense of community created during the project. With the support of volunteers, the group continued independently, maintaining conversations and creative practices through an ongoing initiative titled \u201cCreative Corner\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cultural activities and group-based practices play a central role in Ung Arena\u2019s work. The awarded funding will enable the organisation to further expand cultural exchanges, acquire materials, and organise day trips \u2013 resources that are currently unavailable but essential for participants\u2019 well-being and development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Artisans of B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han (\u0130stanbul, Turkey)<\/b><\/p>\n

The artisans of B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han represent a living community where craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and contemporary artistic practice intersect. As hosts of Magic Carpets artist residencies and the Mahalla Festival, the Han has developed into a collaborative ecosystem grounded in sustainability, education, and community well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on the collaboration, industrial designer Mert Onur stated: \u201cThrough the Mahalla Festival and the Magic Carpets residencies, we have discovered new ways to share our craft as a living cultural practice. The awarded support allows us to expand workshops, artist\u2013artisan collaborations, and community activities that sustain our crafts and reinforce B\u00fcy\u00fck Valide Han as a shared cultural space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The European Community Award: Co-create & Comprehend reaffirms Magic Carpets\u2019 long-term commitment to communities as co-authors of culture. By functioning as an annual legacy mechanism, the Award ensures that the relationships, knowledge, and social impact generated through artistic collaboration continue to grow well beyond the duration of individual projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

This project is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and Lithuanian Culture Institute.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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