ARS BALTICA

05/10/2026

One workshop down, so much inspiration gained! 🔴

On 1 October, municipal representatives, cultural professionals, NGOs and community leaders gathered at Dux Cultural Centre in Kristinestad for the first Culture Connect workshop, under the theme: Where neighbours become a community.

The discussions focused on working together across sectors, planning activities with the community rather than for it, and what real participation looks like.

The insights from Kristinestad are now being reviewed and will shape the next steps of Culture Connect. We can't wait to see the Kristinestad team again at InnoCulture Conference in Hamburg! 🤝

Many thanks to the City of Kristinestad for hosting, and to everyone who took part!

Culture Connect is a collaboration between ARS BALTICA, the Baltic Sea Culture Centre, the City of Kristinestad and the Danish Cultural Institute, supported by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).

29/09/2026

Deadline this Thursday! ⏳

Until 1 October, artists of all disciplines can apply for one of two three-week residencies at Atelier Josepha in Ahrenshoop, Germany, in autumn/winter 2027.

The artist residency studio itself is worth a closer look. Designed by Berlin-based architects gorinistreck architekten and opened in 2018, it stands on stilts among the trees to keep its footprint on the landscape as small as possible. Apart from the clay tile cladding, the building is made entirely of wood, and it was selected by the Berlin Chamber of Architects as one of the 50 most noteworthy buildings of 2018. 🏛️

Located between the Bodden lagoon and the Baltic Sea, Atelier Josepha takes the sea as its central theme. Resident artists are encouraged to reflect on the history and present of the Baltic Sea Region, and on the sea as both a powerful natural force and an increasingly vulnerable ecosystem. 🌊

Painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, dancers, writers, performers: if the Baltic Sea plays a role in your work, this could be your place for three focused weeks.

👉 Read the call and apply: https://www.josepha.org/call/
👉 About Atelier Josepha: https://www.josepha.org
👉 About the architecture: https://www.gorinistreckarchitekten.com/arbeiten/atelier-josepha/

📸 Photo: © gorinistreck architekten

28/09/2026

From Local Initiative to Lasting Connections: Culture Connect Comes to Rūjiena 🟡

After kicking off in Kristinestad this Thursday, 1 October, the Culture Connect workshop series travels to Rūjiena, Latvia, on 14 October 2026.

The series' shared theme, Creating Spaces of Belonging, now meets a new local question in Rūjiena: how can local initiatives grow into lasting connections? In an interactive afternoon workshop, participants will explore how culture and community engagement can build more resilient, connected and inclusive communities, drawing on insights from the BSR Cultural Pearls project, local Culture Resilience Action Plans and experiences from across the Baltic Sea Region.

The workshop welcomes 20–30 participants, including decision-makers, cultural and creative professionals, NGOs, project initiators and community leaders from Rūjiena and neighbouring municipalities. Whether you're launching your first initiative or have years of experience, come share what works, learn from others and build connections across sectors.

📍 Rūjiena Culture Centre, Upes iela 9, Rūjiena

🗓️ 14 October 2026, 13:00–17:00

✍️ Registration is open until 5 October: https://forms.gle/TnSGsL8Sx3FLF9D79

Culture Connect is a collaboration between ARS BALTICA, the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk and the Danish Cultural Institute, supported by the CBSS. Hosted by Rūjiena town.
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No vietējas iniciatīvas līdz ilgstošām saiknēm: Culture Connect ierodas Rūjienā 🟡

Pēc atklāšanas Kristīnestadē šo ceturtdien, 1. oktobrī, Culture Connect darbnīcu cikls 2026. gada 14. oktobrī dodas uz Rūjienu, Latvijā.

Cikla kopīgā tēma "Veidojot piederības telpas" Rūjienā sastopas ar jaunu vietēju jautājumu: kā vietējās iniciatīvas var izaugt par ilgstošām saiknēm? Interaktīvā pēcpusdienas darbnīcā dalībnieki pētīs, kā kultūra un kopienas iesaiste var palīdzēt veidot noturīgākas, saliedētākas un iekļaujošākas kopienas, balstoties uz projekta BSR Cultural Pearls atziņām, vietējiem rīcības plāniem "Culture Resilience Action Plan" ("Kultūras noturības rīcības plāns") un pieredzi no visa Baltijas jūras reģiona.

Darbnīcā aicināti piedalīties 20–30 dalībnieki, tostarp lēmumu pieņēmēji, kultūras un radošo nozaru profesionāļi, NVO, projektu iniciatori un kopienu līderi no Rūjienas un kaimiņu pašvaldībām. Neatkarīgi no tā, vai jūs uzsākat savu pirmo iniciatīvu vai jums ir gadiem ilga pieredze, nāciet dalīties ar to, kas darbojas, mācīties no citiem un veidot saiknes starp dažādām nozarēm.

📍 Rūjienas Kultūras centrs, Upes iela 9, Rūjiena

🗓️ 2026. gada 14. oktobris, 13:00–17:00

✍️ Reģistrācija atvērta līdz 5. oktobrim: https://forms.gle/TnSGsL8Sx3FLF9D79

Culture Connect ir ARS BALTICA, Baltijas jūras kultūras centra Gdaņskā un Dānijas Kultūras institūta sadarbības projekts, ko atbalsta Baltijas jūras valstu padome (CBSS). Norisi uzņem Rūjienas pilsēta.

15/09/2026

The Culture Connect Workshop Series Opens in Kristinestad — Where Neighbours Become a Community 🔴

How can culture create stronger communities? That's the question opening the Culture Connect workshop series, which begins in Kristinestad on 1 October 2026.

All Culture Connect workshops share the same overarching theme: Creating Spaces of Belonging. Each host city then sets its own local focus and Kristinestad takes on "Where Neighbours Become a Community" for a full day of participatory workshopping. Building on the BSR Cultural Pearls project and local Culture Resilience Action Plans, the day brings local knowledge and experience into dialogue with perspectives from across the Baltic Sea Region.

It's designed for local and regional changemakers, from municipal representatives and cultural professionals to NGOs, community leaders and neighbouring municipalities, as a space for cross-sector dialogue and peer learning.

📍 Dux Cultural Centre, Kristinestad · 🗓️ 1 October 2026, 13:00–17:00

Culture Connect Project is collaboration between: ARS BALTICA, Baltic Sea Culture Centre, Kristinestad, Danish Cultural Institute, supported by the CBSS. Hosted by Kristinestad.

11/09/2026

🧭 InnoCulture 2026: New Spaces for Culture

18–19 November 2026 · Design Zentrum Hamburg

Across the Baltic Sea Region, culture is navigating real change — technological, social, and political. InnoCulture 2026 asks how we create the spaces where culture and creativity can flourish, and how culture can open new spaces of its own.

ARS BALTICA, together with Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, Baltic Sea Cultural Centre, and the Goethe-Institut CCI Contact Desk organized by PA Culture, invites you to join the discussion.

Now in its 3rd edition, the conference gathers cultural institutions, NGOs, policymakers, educators, and creative-sector leaders for two days of exchange in Hamburg — built around creating, sharing, and securing spaces for culture.

Save the dates and register here👇

🔗 Registration is open now until 4th of November: https://forms.gle/Bn8yzayG6WfWS8J59

08/09/2026

Throwback to July, and news from the Atelier Josepha's artists-in-residence.

The exhibition BIRDS, FISH, NETS, SKY was shown at SUB TEI gallery, Berlin, as part of 48 Stunden Neukölln 2026.

It all began on the Baltic coast, at the Atelier Josepha’s residency in Ahrenshoop, where Simone Kessler, Isabella Martin, Bärbel Praun and Oksana Yushko first met.

Atelier Josepha’s residency is a place for artistic research and exchange; artists arrive from different disciplines, and the connections made there keep evolving long after they leave.

BIRDS, FISH, NETS, SKY is one of them: photography, installation, drawing and research tracing the ties between humans, animals and the more-than-human world: four artists who met on the shore and carried the encounter forward into a shared body of work.

The next round for artists-in-residence is open now:
Open Call: Atelier Josepha Residencies 2027�
🗓 Ahrenshoop, in partnership with ARS BALTICA�
Deadline: 1 October 2026�🔗 More info: 👉 josepha.org/call

Thank you to everyone who made this possible: AtelierJosepha, Subtei_berlin ,48stundennk, �Lotte_traveling, Evgenija Wassilew, Helen Adkins, Natalia Pruefer, buchczyliksiazka

07/09/2026

📢 Open Call — Atelier Josepha Artist Residencies 2027
Applications are now open! Atelier Josepha invites artists from all disciplines — painting, sculpture, installation, photography, sound, music, dance, literature, and performance: to apply for one of two three-week residencies in Ahrenshoop, Germany, in autumn/winter 2027.

Set on the Baltic Sea coast, the residency connects art and nature while encouraging critical engagement with the region's past and present. Rooted in a tradition of cultural exchange across the Baltic Sea, it offers time and space to reflect on our shared environment, the sea as a powerful natural force, and its growing ecological vulnerability.

🌊 Application deadline: 1 October 2026
🌊 Guidelines & more info: 👉 https://www.josepha.org/call/
We look forward to receiving your applications!
Photo: Martin Meyer

04/09/2026

🗳️The public vote for the REGIOSTARS 2026 Awards is now open!

The REGIOSTARS Awards, run by the European Commission's DG REGIO since 2008, recognise EU-funded projects with real regional impact. Most categories are decided by an expert jury; the Public Choice Award is the exception, decided entirely by public vote. For a project rooted in community work, recognition that comes directly from the public carries particular weight.

BSR Cultural Pearls is a finalist in Category 5, A Europe Closer to the Citizens. The project supports smaller cities across the Baltic Sea Region as they develop culture-based action plans to strengthen local resilience and cohesion, work that depends on the communities it serves.

How to cast your vote:
1. Click the website link
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/projects/regio-stars-awards_en
2. Select Category 5: A Europe Closer to the Citizens
3. Select Vote for this project
4. Confirm your vote

The vote is open until 14 October (midday CET).




Baltic Sea Region

de

EuropeanCommission – Regional Policy - Inforegio

22/01/2026

📄

🌱 We want to share with you the CYCLE UP! project's newest resource 'Sustaining Creativity: The honest guide to sustainable residencies' which is a practical toolkit for artist residencies wanting to work more sustainably.

💡🎨 It covers real experiences and ideas for:
• Considering environmental impacts
• Building lasting partnerships
• Supporting artist wellbeing
• Maintaining financial viability

🌍 Born from the CYCLE UP! project, this guide brings together honest lessons from residencies worldwide. It recognises that progress beats perfection, especially when you're working with limited resources.

ℹ️ Available in English, German and Czech

📥 Download the guide here: https://www.goethe.de/prj/cyc/en/res.html

Images and Content provided by CYCLE UP! - Goethe-Institut Tschechien Česká centra/Czech Centres

14/01/2026

👉

💡 Are you inspired by international cultural cooperation, strong storytelling, and making creative work visible across borders? ARS BALTICA is looking for a Media & Project Assistant to join the team.

🔍 ARS BALTICA, an international cultural initiative for the Baltic Sea Region is seeking for an assistant within the ARS BALTICA Secretariat as early as possible, latest by April 1st 2026.

✨ The position offers an inspiring international working environment at the crossroads of culture, communication, and European cooperation.

📅 APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 February 2026

👩‍💻 MORE INFORMATION: https://www.ars-baltica.net/aktuelles/details/news/ars-baltica-job-opportunity-media-project-assistant-deadline-15-february-2026