The cultural sector in Moldova is facing many challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, such as the lack of working spaces, funds, and training programmes for cultural professionals, the inadequate infrastructure and the lack of visibility and recognition. MoldArte aimed to build solidarity among cultural professionals and develop resources to engage internationally, thus creating an awareness of being part of a larger social ecosystem, where we depend on each-other to thrive.

By bringing together independent and institutional stakeholders in the Republic of Moldova and abroad, the MoldArte project developed a new public cultural scene of the Republic of Moldova that is capable of addressing the current social and political issues, to increase the degree of participation of cultural actors to the cultural landscape, leading to a more inclusive understanding of public culture.

To acheive this, the project includes a series of events, public talks and workshops to develop new partnerships and joint initiatives. At the same time, the project creates a digital platform, a networking tool for professionals, artists, cultural managers and organisations. The creation of the digital platform addresses the need for visibility, which will facilitate direct contacts between artists and organisations in order to develop new local and international partnerships.

Building an offline and online public cultural ecosystem

Running from March to October 2022, in both online and in physical formats, the project included a series of events, public talks and workshops to develop new partnerships and joint initiatives with the aim to further develop the local public cultural ecosystem. These talks addressed a variety of topics, including the solidarity between artists and organisations, the social status of cultural professionals, or the multilevel governance of public culture.

A special place in the MoldArte project was occupied by courses and workshops on topics such as cultural management, financing/sustainability/advocacy in culture, participatory budgeting and portfolio creation in the fields of performing arts, visual arts, literature and music. Specialists from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and partner countries were present in Chișinău to support these workshops.

In September and October, research visits took place in Soroca, Bălți and Chișinău with the aim of developing collaborations and joint initiatives. Moldovan and international experts as well as journalists participated in these visits.

In order to support local needs for inclusion and participation and starting from the lack of visibility and weak dynamics among institutional and independent actors, MoldArte has created and developed an integrated online and on-site platform, offering a viable and sustainable networking tool for professionals (artists, cultural managers, public or private organizations). The online platform can be accessed on www.moldarte.eu.