"FilmSight, Osvěta z.s., Czech Republic

Filmsight is a workshop for young people who are blind or visually impaired to develop their skills in the art of film making. In hands-on workshops in Europe. Participants will learn the approach of Assisted Filmmaking from a professional filmmaker and use it to realize their own film ideas. The short films that are produced will be screened in art and education venues, creating an opportunity for all to share their visions with a wider audience in Europe. All workshops will be reproducible and can later be conducted by the participants on their own.

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"Libraries on Prescription", Comicdom Press, Greece

Athens Comics Library has initiated the first social prescribing programme in Greece: “Libraries on Prescription”. The aim of the programme is to include more than 30 libraries and 200 library and psychosocial support professionals in Greece over a period of 24 months, and is a cross-sectoral collaboration of libraries, health professionals and cultural activities to improve mental health and well-being through culture. With the programme, Athens Comics Library aims to connect the health and creative sector through a collaborative approach in order to design a system that is more collaborative, open, innovative and people-centred and remove stigma around mental health particularly in rural and vulnerable communities. In this respect, they aim to define a social prescribing program for people who have long-term health problems, complex social needs, and mental health challenges.

"KORAL", Arts Convergences, France

KORAL is an application that converts the smartphone into a musical instrument for discovering, playing and creating in a group. Thanks to research at IRCAM and with the help of AI, simple, customisable gestures activate musical sounds and patterns without ‘false note’, for an intuitive relationship with musical creation and a (re)discovery of repertoires.

Developed for and by people with disabilities (psychological, mental or motor), the application brings the virtues of music to all, breaking down the barriers of acquisition and learning. KORAL has been designed in response to the needs and financial constraints of medical and social structures, and offers an innovative, simple, fun and free tool to facilitate the organisation of group musical discovery and creation workshops.

After a phase of validating the benefits of KORAL, tested with around a hundred participants in the first workshops held in the Paris region, the project is now focusing on rolling out the solution nationwide. The dissemination methodology is designed to be collaborative and progressive, and is based on 4 principles : spreading the word, sharing resources, individualised support and networking people with complementary skills.

"Objective: Independent Lives", Concomitentes, Spain

The project will promote independent living for individuals with diverse abilities through artistic participation. Aligning with institutional shifts towards inclusion and autonomy, participatory art acts as a catalyst for transforming the role of people with special needs. Located in Barbanza, region in Galicia, Spain, with over 65,000 inhabitants, the project partners with Asociación Ambar, which works with approximately 1,100 diverse individuals. We apply New Patrons’ established methodology: an expert mediator, Natalia Balseiro, will facilitate the participatory process, involving individuals with special needs and a broader local critical mass. The creative dynamic spans a year and a half, including at least 100 participants across a minimum of 20 participatory sessions aimed at unraveling shared concerns. Eventually, a suitable artist will be appointed to create artwork responding to community demands. Learnings will be shared with similar communities and entities, through (1) a toolkit, (2) two “Art & Diversity” forums: “Local contexts, diverse-abilities and cultural work” (local, onsite) and “Crip theory and European experiences” (international, online). The process, as a source of ideas, community cohesion, and artistic perspectives, and the resulting work (i.e.: performance, installation, digital art), as a materialization of these elements and legacy for the future, are equally transcendent.

"The Significance of Art at Work", Kunst På Arbejde, Denmark

KPA addresses a societal need that many museums and cultural institutions invest significant resources in reaching non-users. We engage people at their workplaces, creating encounters with art in everyday work environments and non-museum settings. With the project ”The Significance of Art at Work,” we aim to enable even more people to encounter art in their workplace - enhancing these encounters with specific interaction tools and bridging the gap between workplaces and artists. The project involves the development of a conversation kit, educational materials, and bridge-building events between the workplace and the art world. This initiative benefits society by enhancing cultural education, benefiting museums and art halls by expanding their audience base, improving workplace well-being, and fostering a more sustainable art scene that ensures broader access to the art world for citizens who might otherwise be excluded due to structural, economic, or cultural reasons. The project will benefit many parties and have a range of positive effects at multiple levels: More people will enjoy and benefit from art - strengthening their relationship, interaction, and experience with art - and thereby gaining access to cultural education. Research shows that when people have good cultural capital, they do better in many other aspects of life.

"Curating the Periphery", KRAK Center for Contemporary Culture, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Curating the Periphery is an informal but comprehensive project which aims to establish protocols and create tools for total engagement within which new values are formed in the socially neglected environment of the city of Bihać. Using curatorial practice with the intention of intervening in socially relevant processes, the project deals with the challenges of working in the field of contemporary culture and art in a context characterized by post-war, post-socialist and post-industrial trends. Respecting local characteristics and keeping in mind the urgency of the moment, project consciously avoids passive audiences and strives to establish and strengthen the community. It is a project which contemplates the distance between the artistic image and real life in the context of the European periphery and a marginalised environment such as Bihać. It initiates a discussion on present relevant issues in a traumatised, post-genocide society. Searching for possible answers to the questions ”how to articulate an artistic discourse on the European periphery” and ”how to motivate urban reinvention in a post-socialist and post-industrial spatial context”, the project focuses on the KRAK and its specific geography, which serves as a starting point for understanding the complex political, social and cultural layers within which it operates.

"Promoting universal access to art and well-being", Mindfulness Institute - Mindful Art, Belgium

Mindful Art ® x Tactile Reproductions is an innovative project that transcends the boundaries of art by offering a universal experience. This harmonious device is aimed at both sighted and visually impaired people, as well as art lovers and neophytes. By linking the collections of several museums through a common approach, the project integrates perfectly with the programme of the institutions and adapts to their diverse audiences.

The unique fusion of Mindful Art® meditation with tactile reproductions of works of art provides an enriching sensory exploration. Visitors discover art through touch, sound and meditation, transforming their relationship with the works. This sensitive and emotional experience, which requires no prior academic knowledge, fosters a deeper and more inclusive understanding of the world. It reminds us that humanity shares a common essence across cultural, linguistic, physical and temporal differences.

The sound capsule aims to slow visitors'pace, transforming the museum into a place of well-being, while tactile exploration encourages a more attentive presence during the visit.

The performance workshops help to raise awareness of these artistic proposals, while at the same time creating a deep commitment from participants through an enriching emotional connection.

"Diaries: Lindart and the Albanian Women Artists Association", Bulevard Art and Media Institute, Albania

Diaries is a way to create an archive as a commons through the lens of the Lindart Association - the first and only Women’s Artist Association in Albania after the end of the Communist Regime in 1991. Conceived in 1993 and founded in 1994 by 14 women artists working within the art scene at the time, Lindart responded to the need for creating new learning opportunities in a context in which old patriarchal traditions continued to shape the development of culture and visual art. The collective opened the Lindart Cultural Center in 2000, and between 2001 and 2010 they developed a program that produced exhibitions, workshops and events. The group also decentralized their activities from the capital city of Tirana, expanding participation in the association to other cities in the country. Despite the historical and international significance of Lindart’s program, their work and their struggle as artists and as women is barely known. Since 2022 Diaries has opened the possibility of creating an archive starting by public participation to the research. The nature of the project is intergenerational, participative with both local and international audiences and archives, embracing art and education as an ongoing methodology.