Artists – Ambassadors for Social Change

The artists are on move!

Since March 2020, the lives of all of us have changed. The situation of emergency and forced social isolation created a feeling of helplessness and growing fears. But there were also examples of empathy and common action. Whether we remained awake to our rights during the crisis and whether it was through them that we were able to find solutions are questions that we need to ask ourselves more than ever. Therefore, in times like today, when communication takes place in an unusual way, it is important to support socially engaged artists who have the talent to send messages through their art about how vital our civil rights and freedoms are. That is why it is important to trust the power of art, which can bring about change.

The main goal of the project "Artists – Ambassadors for Social Change" is to increase the involvement of young artists by activating their participation in socially important topics of the civil sector, with a focus on human rights and freedoms, and creating an environment for connecting with CSOs.

Through a series of "laboratory" workshops for artists, we will awaken the civic activity of young talents to create art with social added value, which conveys socially engaged messages, speaks of rights and changes the environment. The initiatives of the Civic Cultural Week 2020 will create a virtual space for interaction of civil society organizations with artists in a situation at a physical distance, where they can find new supporters and ambassadors of causes. A digital training ground for the artistic creative process of the workshops and thematic webinars will be the online space of the NGO House.

The third edition of the Civic Alarm Clock competition will give a renewed charge for the creative reproduction of our rights and freedoms during the pandemic. The authors will be able to share their form of solidarity with what has been happening since the beginning of the state of emergency and the restrictive measures to combat COVID-19 by sending messages about the importance of our civil rights and freedoms. The awarded works will be presented in an open-air exhibition in Sofia and promoted through an online exhibition. The works will also be available for download from the online bank on the BCNL website for visualization of civic initiatives and campaigns.

The NGO Portal will be the place where we will publish a series of stories about the distinguished works and their authors, who expressed their artistic view on the importance of civil rights for modern society.

Project implementation period: From 01.05.2020 to 30.11.2020

Partner: Association "Creative Street for Painters and Artists" (TUHART)

Funding: The project is funded by the Culture Program of Sofia Municipality for 2020

Budget: BGN 6,000 funding from Sofia Municipality and BGN 1,200 co-financing from BCNL