Cultural Diplomacy
Re:Create Europe
The European Alliance of Academies launches the four-year project “The Art of Resilience and Resistance: Empowering artists and cultural professionals tackling new challenges in Europe”, in short: Re:Create Europe, supported by a large-scale grant under the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. The project will run from 2026 to 2029 and is implemented by a consortium of European art academies and cultural institutions.
Challenges and solutions
Re:Create Europe is not only a support programme built by 10 partners, but a clear institutional response to the growing pressures on artistic freedom and cultural autonomy across Europe. Artists and cultural professionals are increasingly working under conditions shaped by war and aggression, political instrumentalisation, economic precarity, ecological collapse, and shrinking civic space. In this context, resilience cannot be understood as adaptation alone, but as a cultural, ethical, and civic responsibility.
Through a combination of mobility programmes, blended learning formats, onsite residencies, digital mapping, and international conferences, Re:Create Europe aims to empower artists and cultural professionals across disciplines and regions. The project strengthens transnational solidarity, supports artistic practice under conditions of crisis, and fosters exchange between institutions, practitioners, and policy-oriented cultural actors.
Partners
The 10 partner institutions behind Re:Create Europe are:
- Arts Council Malta
- Croatian Association of Fine Artists
- Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava
- Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid
- National Academy of Arts Sofia
- National Academy of Arts of Ukraine
- Romanian Association of Contemporary Art
- Society of Hungarian Authors
- Villa Decius Kraków
- Akademie der Künste (Berlin)
Since its founding in 2020, the European Alliance of Academies has been actively advocating for artistic freedom through public events, declarations of solidarity, artistic cooperation, and cultural policy engagement. Today the alliance comprises 72 art academies and cultural institutions across Europe. Re:Create Europe builds on this shared commitment and translates it into long-term, practice-oriented collaboration.
Re:Create Europe marks an important next phase in the Alliance’s work to defend the conditions under which free artistic expression, critical reflection, and cultural exchange remain possible in Europe.
4-year plan
In response to these challenges, which in their own way place constraints on artistic freedom, each project year is dedicated to a specific thematic focus:
2026: Transformation of Cultural Policies
Europe is a continent shaped by ongoing political change. What can we learn from institutional and individual artistic strategies for navigating transformations in cultural policy? We aim to examine both historical developments and countries that have already experienced significant challenges in the arts and culture sector, and ultimately to draw informed conclusions from these experiences.
2027: Recovery from War and Aggression
This year focuses in particular on Ukraine and raises key questions: How can cultural institutions continue to operate in a country threatened by war and aggression? How can other countries support societal and cultural recovery? What do artists and cultural professionals need in order to restore and rebuild their practice? This year, as well as others within the project, will also address issues of mental health that arise in times of extreme crisis.
2028: Economic Threats
Art requires not only freedom, but also resources. Financial cuts to the budgets of cultural institutions and to artistic funding are occurring across Europe and are significantly impacting artistic creation processes. What changes in cultural policy are needed at both local and European levels to ensure fair and equitable access to resources?
2029: Climate and Environmental Change
This thematic focus takes a twofold approach: first, to examine the impact of the climate crisis on the arts and culture sector—and ultimately on democracy itself. How is climate change reshaping artistic production? And conversely, how can the arts and culture sector actively contribute to more sustainable futures, balancing ecological responsibility with artistic freedom?
From a more practical perspective, this year also explores green practices within the arts and culture sector: How can we rethink production methods and artistic infrastructures to implement sustainable approaches? What knowledge, tools, and resources are needed—and which already exist—to support this transformation?
Partners
