Culture barn

About this project

<p>Despite its cultural potential, the Curonian Lagoon region is perceived by locals and visitors as a wonderful corner of nature, but not as a place of cultural attraction. Local cultural resources are left unexplored for increasing the attractiveness of the place, developing its identity, creating new services and economic benefits, enpowering the community. In the project “Culture Barn” is using contemporary professional art and creative placemaking, in order to actualize the cultural resources of the region and create the local cultural attraction, connecting the community, nature, heritage with incoming artists, tourists and other cultural initiatives. This will be achieved in completeing these stages:</p> <p>- Restoring and adapting the existing infrastructure for active cultural use, cultural education and cultural entrepreneurship activities.<br> - Involving&nbsp;local community and artists in project activitiesfor further sustainable local development.<br> - Carrying out cultural education and cultural entrepreneurship trainings, improving skills, exchanging knowledge on local, regional and international levels and providing the necessary competence for the implementation of continuous activities.<br> - Implementing professional art residency programme for visual arts.<br> During the project, the former barn of the town will be adapted for the implementation of cultural activities, such as construction of traditional ships, production of weathervanes, loacl traditional food, handicraft products, cultural entrepreneurship activities. Parallel to the creation of “hard” infrastructure, the“soft” infrastructure will be introduced – development of competencies and skills required for implementation of sustainable activities. Cross-sectoral bilateral cooperation will connect different value chains, accelerate the diffusion of services and create added value for the place and its people.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The project was implemented in partnership with the Norwegian company Biotope, using their specific knowledge and expertise. The exchanges were implemented not only in the context of the Art Residencies, but also in the wider context of the installation of the Art Watching Site, cultural entrepreneurship training activities, and the construction of vintage ships. Partner Biotope designed and built, together with the local Kintai community partners - woodworking specialists, an Art Watching Site, which is used for nature observation by local residents, artists and nature specialists to find new inspiration for their creativity and activities. As a result, the Art Watching Site is becoming a tourist attraction in Kintai, attracting cultural tourists and visiting artists, and increasing the attractiveness of the place by incorporating natural resources.

Project partners

• Biotope AS Donor project partner· Norway