EU-Funded Cultural Project Showcased the Achievements at the Concluding Festival in Georgia
The EU4Culture Network Festival: City Stories, Diverse Voices—ACTION concluded the four-year EU-funded EU4Culture project at Art House Gori. This two-day celebration brought together diverse artists, cultural professionals, and audiences to showcase the project’s results and role in Georgia’s cultural and creative sectors.
The event was attended by Pawel Herczyński, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, who delivered a welcoming address.
The festival featured a dynamic program showcasing the artworks, performances, and collaborative projects of EU4Culture mobility grant recipients, civil society organisations, and cross-cultural initiatives between Georgia and other Eastern Partnership countries.
More than 25 Georgian artists, along with artists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Ukraine, participated in the festival. The lineup included exhibitions, audiovisual performances, dance shows, public talks, workshops, masterclasses, and film screenings, offering a rich and diverse artistic experience.
“It is a great honour to be here with you today as we celebrate the achievements of the EU4Culture project. The existence of the EU4Culture project represents a meaningful step toward Georgia’s closer integration with the European Union, as it fosters cultural dialogue and cooperation between Georgia, the Eastern Partnership countries, and the EU. We are building bridges of understanding and cooperation by creating a common space for cultural dialogue and artistic exchange. Looking ahead, we believe the work that we have done here will have a lasting impact. We are confident that Georgian arts, culture, and creative industries are ready to take their rightful place on the European stage”, stated Pawel Herczynski, The Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia.
Over the past four years, within the EU4Culture project, the EU supported cultural activities in the regional cities of Georgia, including:
For the first time in Georgia, the cities of Zugdidi, Poti, and Kutaisi have dedicated cultural development strategies. These strategies offer a clear roadmap for their cultural growth and position these cities as key players in Georgia’s creative landscape.
Mobility Grants: Nearly 70 Georgian artists and cultural professionals received mobility grants, enabling them to connect with international networks, exchange ideas, and realise creative projects on a global stage.
Cultural and Cross-Innovation Projects: Four innovative cultural projects were carried out in regional areas, fostering creativity and collaboration across Georgia.
Capacity-Building for Cultural Professionals: Up to 60 public officials and cultural professionals from regional cities across Georgia participated in specialised training programs that focused on key topics such as cultural enterprise, internationalisation, and the use of cultural indicators. These efforts have strengthened their professional skills and improved the execution of local cultural strategies.
Through these initiatives, the EU-funded EU4Culture project has been crucial in advancing cultural development across Georgia, empowering regional cities and facilitating international collaboration between Georgian cultural professionals and their counterparts in the EU and Eastern Partnership countries.
About the European Union
For more than 30 years, the European Union has built a close partnership with Georgia, supporting its development through knowledge and experience sharing, expertise, innovation, and financial support. The relationship between the EU and Georgia is based on shared values of peace, freedom, democracy, human rights, and inclusive economic growth. More information about the EU’s support in Georgia can be found at https://eu4georgia.eu/the-european-union-in-georgia/.
About the Project
With a budget of €7.85 million, EU4Culture is a four-year project funded by the European Union to support the culture and creative sector with a particular focus on non-capital cities and towns in the Eastern Partnership Countries. The project is implemented by Goethe-Institut (Lead), Czech Centers, Danish Cultural Institute, and Institut Français de Géorgie.
Media Contact: Marika Jabua, EU4Culture / National Coordinator for Georgia, +995593567445; Marika.Jabua@goethe.de