The aim of the project “Culture for Climate" ” is to organise series of socio-artistic interventions in 5 chosen communes of Lower Silesia (towns and rural), that will tackle environmental issues at the local level. Collaboration with artists shall increase civic engagement and participation in activities aiming to protect nature protection and support sustainable development. The target group are citizens of communes, who usually do not have access to culture and community centres.

Lower Silesia - south-west region of Poland - chosen communes (rural and towns)

Lower Silesia is a region with unique nature (Nature 2000), at the same time communes are struggling with environmental problems such as littering of forest and nature areas, air pollution caused by usage of low quality fuel for heating, insufficient rubbish segregation and recycling. Consultations carried out in preparation for this project indicated a growing need of civic and education and strengthening ecological attitudes. Interviewed inhabitants indicated that the last 15 years have brough deterioration of natural environment and they see a strong need for increasing ecological awareness in the region. Village councils and mayors emphasise that solutions should be tailored for a given place and developed in partnership with inhabitants, to make them more efficient and owned.

The broad target group are inhabitants of Lower Silesia in all generations, artists, cultural audiences, local activists and members of local NGOs. According to consultations, ecological attitudes are mainly missing within the older generation, who in rural areas have a huge impact on children and youth. Important target group is youth, with limited access to culture (lacking local cultural centres, distance and insufficient public transport) and also excluded form online presence, due to lack of computers, internet ect. Another target group are people with disabilities, so created projects should be inclusive be accessible. As Culture for Climate is a socio-artistic project, target group are artists, cooperating with citizens.

Based on the methodology of Embedding Artists the first step of the project is an open call for artists and representatives of local civic organisations/informal groups, interested in acting for environment protection and sustainable development locally.
Following the call Art Transparent will organise a 5 days-long workshop for 30 people (15 artists and 15 representatives of local groups) with such themes as: methods of artistic work with local communities, planning and project management, networking, fundraising, communication, nature protection and sustainable development. Participants will connect into tandems 1 artist - 1 local activist.
Each chosen artist will work together with hosting local organisation/informal group to diagnose the specific challenges that the commune is facing. Their cooperation will be supported experts and activists. The aim is to find out as much as possible about the local situation, stakeholders and the interconnections between inhabitants.
Based on diagnoses teams will prepare possible strategies of action.
During the second meeting findings will be presented and discussed. Then tandems will develop their action plans to activate broader local communities and implement projects with support of Art Transparent team.
The projects finishes with presentation of the filming documentation and final evaluation.

The results of the project will be 5 socio-artistic projects, dealing with environment protection and sustainable development, created together with artists and local community. These interventions will be an answer to a local diagnose that is being posed by the tandems of artist and representative of local organisation/group and are concerning a specific local problem and challenge, that is clear and relevant to the citizens of this commune. Citizens will be invited to contribute to discussion and realisation of the project and hence contribute to the change to a common good – benefiting them and nature. As a result their ecological awareness will grow. The project will also counter exclusion form culture that inhabitants of rural communes experience, as it is going to take place locally.

Open calls form will give a chance for anyone interested to apply and express their willingness to participate. Chosen representatives will be trained about local development and will be “guides” for the artists within the local community. Inhabitants are invited to express their concerns and contribute to the artistic creation. The process will be transparent and open for any interested sides, involving already existing structures. Participation in this projects may be for inhabitants beginning of their civic engagement, as they will experience that their voice matters and can change local situation. Diagnosis will express challenges, different opinions and use creativity to solve them. The process of artistic co-creation aims at strengthening social cohesion and ecological agency.

Dr Karolina Bieniek - Ph.D. in social sciences [political science, African studies], scientific interests involve research on peace, foreign policy and culture in international relations. Posseses over 17 years of experience in non-profit sector in Lower Silesia. Coordinated over 30 national or international projects including Wasteland: Culture for Climate during Survival Art Review.
Dr Malgorzata Misniakiewicz is an independent curator and art historian focusing on contemporary art and the neo-avant-garde. Her recent projects concern the themes of nationalism and far right politics; ecology of art and its discontents; counter-cultural networks.
Paweł Rogowski - Producer and coordinator of artistic and cultural events for regional civic NGOs and cultural institutions.

1. Fee for specialists preparing the open call for applications - 2500
2. Promotion of the open call and final results - 3500
3. Fee Workshops facilitators - 4000
4. Travel costs – 1000
5. Accommodation participants – 1500
6. Artistic fees for artists – 5000
7. Specialistic trainings for local groups – 3000
8. Expert fee – consulting and evaluation– 2500
9. Projects production – 4250
10. Preparing of film documentation– 2000
11. Project co-ordination and accounting– 5750