Nearly three and a half thousand events activating local communities, over four thousand engaged artists, and several hundred thousand applauding spectators – these are the key figures from the first two years of Przestrzenie Sztuki (Art Spaces) – interdisciplinary centers providing independent theater and dance artists with a permanent place for their professional activities. Dance Spaces are held in Białystok, Katowice, Kielce, Lublin, and Łódź, while theater spaces are held in Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Rzeszów, and Zielona Góra. What will this year’s edition of the Program bring?

The Program’s concept is based on four pillars – artistic, educational, social, and health-promoting (in the field of dance). The main task of the Program operators is to enable independent artists and local communities to present their projects, develop educational and entertainment offerings, and expand audience competencies.

– Art Spaces is a step towards fulfilling the dance community’s dream of having its own infrastructure, similar to that of music and theater. It is a response to his demands, particularly regarding creating opportunities for sustainable development for independent dance artists. It is also a tool for promoting dance in local communities through dance-related artistic, educational, social, and health-promoting activities. In 2020-2021, Art Spaces organized over 3,400 events activating local communities, involving nearly 4,400 artists. 240 partner institutions and entities also participated in the activities. These numbers demonstrate the deeply rooted need for the program and its impact on the lives of local communities – admits Karol Urbański, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Music and Dance.

What will the coming months bring? Above all, the achievement of the Program’s main goals – providing independent artists with a real space for action, highlighting their achievements and significance, and placing greater emphasis on what could be called ‘micro-heritage’. The past two years, which were extremely challenging for the cultural ecosystem worldwide due to the pandemic, have already demonstrated that with relatively small financial resources, it is possible not only to implement a wide variety of projects but also to effectively engage ever-growing groups of local artists and audiences. This is achieved, in part, by leveraging existing infrastructure (which significantly reduces the costs of operations) and effectively networking often dispersed individuals, creative organizations, and their audiences.

The scale and power of the Program’s grassroots impact is demonstrated by the number of people who assisted in the creation and implementation of projects: 2,450 (including nearly 650 volunteers). – We want to continue this path: strengthen local ties, develop relationships between operators, resulting in the crucial migration of projects, and expand the volunteer network. After the pilot period and the first year of operation of the Art Space, a vibrant community is forming around it – active, interested in the Program’s development, participating in its shaping, and enthusiastically receiving it. We managed to achieve all of this despite the pandemic’s challenging conditions for migration and social life. We hope that the coming, more favorable months will bring us – and, above all, audiences and creators – even more satisfaction –  notes Jadwiga Majewska, coordinator of the Art Spaces Theatre Program on behalf of the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute.

In 2022, Art Spaces will once again present performances, including premieres, undertake social and educational initiatives in the form of classes for various skill levels and ages, and implement activities supporting independent artists, such as creative residencies and opportunities to develop teaching skills.

The Art Spaces program is financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance and the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute.

OPERATORS:

Białystok
Operator: Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – European Art Centre in Białystok, Podlaskie Dance Association

Katowice
Operator: Katowice City of Gardens – Krystyna Bochenek Cultural Institution, Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music;
Partners: Imagination Space Center Association, Jazdaa Polska! Foundation, Teraz/Now Collective (Netherlands), informal artistic group Vagabond Physical Collective, Tera Ino Tera

Kielce
Operator: Kielce Dance Theatre (municipal artistic institution)

Lublin
Operator (dance and theatre): Lublin Cultural Centre

Łódź
Operator (dance): Materia
Partners: Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Theatre in Łódź, Polesie Art Centre, Łódź City Hall
Operator (theater): Fabryka Sztuki, Chorea Theatre Association

Olsztyn
Operator: Stefan Jaracz Theatre

Rzeszów
Operator: Stefan Jaracz Theatre Wanda Siemaszkowa

Zielona Góra
Operator: Lubuski Theatre in Zielona Góra

Contact persons:
Dr. Aleksandra Kleinrok, project coordinator (DANCE), email: aleksandra.kleinrok@nimit.pl
Jadwiga Majewska, project coordinator (THEATRE), email: jmajewska@instytut-teatralny.pl

Media contact:
Agata Szymczak, head of the Communications Office of the National Institute of Music and Dance, email: agata.szymczak@nimit.pl / +48 785 310 000
Łukasz Orłowski, head of the Communications and Promotion Department of the Theatre Institute, email: lukasz.orlowski@instytut-teatralny.pl / +48 604 102 721