The best way to start a conversation is to bring people to the table and offer them tasty food. With Natalia Jerzak, our current resident, we have prepared a vegan feast based on the products partly found at the Turkish Market on its closing hour. To make the concept whole the food was served on recycled plates by Natura Jura.
We started slowly with an introduction of the project ‘SitoOgrodnicy’ / ‘ScreenPrint Gardeners’ and its future development scenarios. Questions which appeared where: How to support a socially engaged project working with and organized by people with a homelessness episode? Should it consider forming a social enterprise structure? If yes, what is a product and what are the production standards?
Among invited guests, we had a pleasure to host Tom Singier (SERIGRAFFEUR), who has an experience of more than 10 years of work as an artist and gallerist in Berlin. He also initiated numerous social projects and supported fundraising actions.
Cultural Design, a duo of thinkers and makers, brought a perspective of an experience design and important aspects of culture management in such projects. Noted that with the growth of the organization a division of roles and responsibilities is a must. The question that could come up in the future would be how ethically divide functions in the organization and adjust a gradation of salary.
Grant Writer, Ece Pazarabasi from Berlin Art Grant Clinic, suggested setting up an application calendar with open calls directing means towards the development of young social enterprises/organizations. Not only concentrating on the local level structures but setting up an international network and contacting similar cultural centers to exchange best practice examples and support.
The final thoughts oscillated around the difficult experiences connected with social-art practices and the obstacles that beautiful theories can meet in real life situations.
Collected inputs and questions will be further discussed and reorganized in the next steps during the residency.
The residency of Natalia Jerzak in Berlin is a result of cooperation between by Culture Zone Wrocław (Strefa Kultury Wrocław) and Berlin Sessions Residency within the framework of AIR Wro programme.