Karelian Art-Residency Network and Art Tourism (KA3002)
Funded by Karelia CBC 2014-2020

Objective of the project

Improving contemporary culture services and products through the resources of art-residency network and cross-sectoral approach.

Main activities

• Technological - Strengthening a platform for international cooperation includes technical equipment of the branches of the Karelian art-residency network (to open 3 new art-apartments and a media studio for artist work) that will improve the conditions of work of local and visiting artists and leisure and entertainment opportunities for the local residents. • Sociocultural activities - Establishment a coordinative body of the network and launching a joint residential program. • Education and communication Experience and knowledge exchange between cultural and tourism professionals as well as strengthening competences and direct contacts on both sides of the border.  a seminar on art-residencies,  a study tour for the residency specialists to border art-residencies of Finland,  and a seminar on art-tourism. . • Creating and Marketing of art-tours  Creation of new cross-sectoral initiatives and increase accessibility of the services.  Creation of 4 new cross-border contemporary cultural services and products (art tours of different kind and genres, techniques of art) in cooperation between local artists and visiting artists, and tourist professionals for Petrozavodsk, Sortavala, Kostomuksha and Joensuu region/North Karelia. These products will be based at local culture and cultural heritage and present them in a contemporary way.  Marketing and promotion actions imply to package and market cross-border art-tours and services through presentation of art tours and launching their pilot versions on the international market, followed by their presentation at international tourist exhibition.

Achievements

Karelian art-residency network and art-tourism project improved the system of production of contemporary culture services and products in cross-border region through the resources of art-residency network and cross-sectoral approach. As project result, new art-residency premises were created in Republic of Karelia - in Petrozavodsk (Lenin sq., 2a), Sortavala (Karelskaya st., 22) and Kostomuksha (territory of the State Nature Reserve “Kostomukshsky”). The renovation of premises was carried out on the basis of the developed design projects. Equipment and furniture are purchased and installed. The Karelian art residency network Coordinative council was established. The Council`s work will continue its work in post project period. New cross-sectoral initiatives were created and accessibility of the services was increased. The experience of holding open call for residents from over the world was successfully tested. The creative projects of visiting artist and their work were presented to local communities and artists. The local residents were involved to contemporary culture processes participating in artist-talks, workshops, performances. Four art-tours have been developed, offering to combine in one trip visiting both Finnish Karelia and Russian Karelia and options for tourists to create their own creative projects with professional art curator. These routes were successfully presented to European travel companies at the international tourist exhibition "Matka" in January 2020 in Helsinki, and also received expert evaluation from European tour operators working in the German-speaking tourist market. New tourist products were included in tourist packages of 2 tour operators in Finland and in Russian.