OASis

OASis is a Creative Europe project whose main aim is to support the creation of 13 International Residence programs for artists, in some cases in existing cultural centres, and in other cases supporting the creation of new cultural spaces.

OASis – Open Art Spaces in Synergy will build a network of free and open creative spaces throughout Europe, with the goal of reducing the barriers to entry that exist in the art world. The project aim to have a positive impact on both artists who want to turn their talent into a job and citizens, who are often reluctant to approach a sector they consider too distant from themselves. The project is created by the unique consortium of almost 20 diverse institutions – including NGOs, culture institutions, municipalities and university and consist of two key modules:

1. Open Art Spaces (OASis) in Action – creating 13 interdisciplinary art venues in 10 countries (Armenia, Belgium, France, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia) that reflect the modern model of the open art center which merge local context with international art exchange and are based on the participatory planning and management format. The module includes both: creating OASis based on existing art venues and in the locations that are never used for any art purposes.
2. OASis Program Initiatives – the 39 art residencies programs in 13 OASis that will be concluded with at least 99 art realizations based on the concept of co-creation – where professional international and local artists work together with local communities and groups at risk of cultural exclusion.

Tesserae‘s role is to support the participatory planning process of the 13 Oasis spaces collaborating with the project coordinator Other Space Foundation. Specifically, we employ urban reconnaissance to reflect with concerned communities on the territory surrounding the cultural centres, imagining the possible impacts of the resident programs and OASis project activities on them.

Duration: November 2024 – October 2027 (36 Months)