The Goethe-Institut, Berlin
June 23–29, 2023

Polish Cultural Institute New York announces participation of Izabela Gola, the Visual Arts and Design Curator, in ‘Climate Culture(s) Creative Lab’, as part of the Goethe-Institut’s in Berlin presidency of EUNIC Global in 2022-2023. Izabela will present ECO Solidarity, the lead PCINY project since 2020, successfully implemented within the EUNIC NYC Cluster structure.

Climate Culture(s) encourages more collaboration among EUNIC members on environment, climate and culture and supports emerging leaderships in these topics. To increase collaboration among EUNIC members and strengthen capacities, the hybrid and interactive program of the ‘Climate Culture(s) Creative Lab’ brings together 34 colleagues from EUNIC member headquarters as well as local branches across Europe and beyond. 

In a 5-day physical meeting in Berlin from June 23-29 2023, preceded with a several online working sessions, participants will come together to learn about, exchange and produce work on the topic of environment, climate and culture.

The conference program addresses cultural dimension in climate policy making, how to measure the sustainability impact of culture work on the ground, making project management processes more environmentally friendly, finding ethical approaches to integrate AI into cultural work and climate issues, and much more.

Our employee, Izabela Gola, will lead one of the eight participant-lead sessions on Sunday June 25 entitled, ECO Solidarity: Activist Curating and Cultural Programming in times of humanitarian and environmental crises, which will present on ECO Solidarity, which this year took place between May 21-23, 2023, as an example of a project that expands on issues of sustainability in design, and fosters sensitivity on ethical issues surrounding public wellbeing in public spaces in times of crises.

To influence climate change policies, we need to change the way of thinking, we need to think holistically and engage all sectors of social activities including creative sectors like arts, architecture, design, as well as the way cultural programming network is structured and how it engages and affects the young generation. 

ECO Solidarity is an EUNIC NYC Cluster project which addresses issues of sustainability and ethics surrounding design and architecture. Echoing the social and political movement Solidarity from the 80s, this project brings together many different disciplines into a democratic movement to upend the status quo. This year’s focus is on redefining the roles of architects and designers, also in connection with a fundraiser for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ukraine, to address the alarming needs for reconstruction, recuperation, and healing. 

“It is important that we, as policy-makers or cultural organizations, can feel that we are both respecting the unique value that culture has in all our lives and that the culture sector continues to grow at a sustainable rate that respects planetary boundaries.”

Rebecca Ryder, Culture Ireland

EUNIC member organizations were able to put forward staff members with solid experience and expertise on either culture work or on the topic of climate and environment and with interest in the other.

With EUNIC’s long-term interest in shaping the evolution of cultural relations practice and its contribution to sustainable development issues such as climate action, we need to address the global challenges of the climate crisis collectively. While many EUNIC members are already equipped with knowledge and expertise on culture work and the topic of climate and environment, the ‘Climate Culture(s) Creative Lab’ is an opportunity to strengthen the capacity of EUNIC staff members and make their voices heard more on these topics. Additionally, it will allow participants to build an internal network of changemakers.

“One of the great benefits of the project is the network we will build across the institutions and European countries, which can be used in the long term for future projects.”

Simona Binko, Czech Centre in Berlin

“My ultimate goal is to see concrete outputs from this project, such as the transfer of best practices and innovative approaches to using culture to address environmental challenges, and I am confident that our collective efforts will lead to a brighter future for the environment and for our planet.”

Marc Mouarkech, British Council Lebanon & Syria

Since its founding in 2020, ECO Solidarity is co-curated by Odile Hainaut, Brand director of ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan, and Izabela Gola, Visual Arts and Design Curator at the Polish Cultural Institute NY.

ECO Solidarity 2023 was presented between May 21-23, in partnership with EUNIC NY, the European Union National Institutes for Culture, including Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, Czech Center New York, Goethe-Institut New York, Consulate General of Lithuania in New York, Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Architecture Fund, Polish Cultural Institute New York, Romanian Cultural Institute New York, Consulate General of Slovak Republic in New York, Consulate General of Spain New York, Consulate General of Portugal New York, and the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. ECO Solidarity had been fueled for two consecutive years by the EUNIC Cluster Grant Award granted by the EUNIC Global cultural organization, European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). 

European Union National Institutes for Culture

EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations. Together with our partners, we bring to life European cultural collaboration in more than 100 countries worldwide with a network of 136 clusters, drawing on the broad experience of our members from all EU Member States and associate countries. 

EUNIC advocates a prominent role of culture in international relations and is a strategic partner of the EU, actively involved in the further definition of European cultural policy. EUNIC is a platform for knowledge sharing and for capacity building amongst its members and partners.

Photo courtesy of EUNIC Global 2023.