Art in Progress

Art in Progress is a non-profit organization based in Patras, Greece with cultural objectives. It was founded in July 2011 and focuses on the design, development and implementation of artistic, cultural and educational events.

At Art in Progress we believe that the crisis is not only economic but also social and cultural. The recovery of modern Greek culture's prestige through properly structured international partnerships and collaborations which aim in the education, social integration and aid of vulnerable groups, cultural innovation, cultural tourism and the extroversion of Greece, constitutes our response to the crisis.

RE-culture is the result of a dynamic course of three highly successful international festivals organized by Art in Progress in the previous recent years with a great citizen response and participation: 8.700 visitors in 2012, 10.000 in 2013 and 12.000 in 2014.

The work of Art in Progress
The International Visual Arts Festival | RE-culture that is organized and implemented by Art in Progress aims at bringing the public in contact with contemporary art but more importantly to create the conditions for the cultural enhancement of the city that will contribute to the educational, social and economic development of the wider region. In this manner, it welcomes both the Greek and the European public by connecting the international artistic scene of contemporary art with Western Greece. The achievement is the integration of Patras in the cultural map of Greece and Europe.

Great importance and priority is always given to education, intercultural mobility, extroversion through international cultural relations, the development of cultural tourism in the region and the creation of innovative cultural structures for vulnerable social groups in Patras and Greece.

The success of Art in Progress is due to its core which is none other than the people involved with it. We managed to inspire and create a network of people with a common vision and the disposition of their volunteer services for the public benefit. For this reason admission to the Art in Progress actions is free for the public.

The International Visual Arts Festival | RE-culture cooperates with many different cultural organizations in Greece and abroad, oriented to the intercultural relations of our country.

Art in Progress has organized till now:
1. 2rd Street Art Festival Patras │ ArtWalk 2
Art Non Art
May 13th – June 13th 2016
Thematic exhibition 1
Street Art
Thematic 2
Graffiti Art | Paradox Mural Festival
Thematic 3
r2, architecture meets visual arts
Archaeological Museum of Patras.

2. 3rd INTERNATIONAL VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL | RE-culture 3
«RISK»
November 8th - December 28rd 2014 at the Skagiopouleio Institution, Agora Argyri and the Former Municipal Baths
More than 12.000 people visited the festival.

3. 1rd Street Art Festival Patras │ ArtWalk 1
«RISK»
11-12 and 18-19 October 2014

4. 2nd INTERNATIONAL VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL | RE-culture 2
«Visual Arts and Diversity in a reflecting Europe»
Poverty | Solidarity | Way out
September 1st – October 31st 2013 at the Skagiopouleio Institution, Agora Argyri and the Former Municipal Baths
More than 10.000 people visited the festival.

5. Educational Program «NOTHING IS WASTED»
Visual Art project on recycling – April 2013
The participation in the project exceeded the number of 400 students.

6. 1st INTERNATIONAL VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL | RE-culture 1
«Contemporary art as a way of perception of European identity»
October 21st – November 25th 2012
The festival had more than 8.700 visitors.

7. EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO PAPADIAMANDIS
February 9th – March 18th 2012 at the Archaeological Museum of Patras
The work of 113 artists from all over Greece was presented. The exhibition had more than 4.500 visitors.

More information about previous events and activities can be found on the official website of Art in Progress www.artinprogress.eu.

The collaborations of Art in Progress
Art in Progress has collaborated with the following organizations during the whole course of its activities:

the Ministry of Culture
the Municipality of Patras
the University of Patras
the Athens School of Fine Arts
the Skagiopouleio Center
the Organization of Culture and Development NEON
the Cinema Club of Patras
the Association of Architects Achaia (S.A.N.A)
the Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council
the Office for Contemporary Art, Norway
the German Embassy in Greece
the Norwegian Embassy in Greece
the Swedish Embassy in Greece
the Swiss Embassy in Greece and
the Austrian Embassy in Greece.

International Artists who participated came from:
• Greece,
• Cyprus,
• England,
• Germany,
• Norway,
• Sweden,
• Switzerland,
• Holland,
• Austria,
• Spain,
• France,
• Ireland,
• Portugal,
• Belgium,
• Taiwan,
• Egypt,
• Canada,
• United States of America.

Most artistic missions were officially supported by their corresponding states or their embassies in Greece.

The cultural, social and developmental benefits of Art in Progress actions for culture and public benefit

Social | educational benefits
• We have organized the visit, the tour and experiential contact of children with contemporary arts in more than 35 schools (7,000 students) in the wider region. All services were offered free of charge.
• Art in Progress designed and carried out 15 innovative educational art therapy programs for socially vulnerable groups without any charge.
• We organized more than 60 two-day thematic, experiential, educational programs - seminars in relation to the visual arts, theater, dance, dance therapy, animation, circus techniques and balancing techniques, scenography and costume design. Trainers - artists who were selected from across the country and abroad.
• Contact and incorporation of socially vulnerable groups and bodies such as: KETHEA, OKANA the Skagiopouleio childcare center in the prefecture of Achaia, etc.
• Design of creative tours for children based on the game of hidden treasure.
• We worked with local volunteer groups in different activities (Citizens in Action, Life by the wheel - night bike ride, scout groups etc.).
• Fulfilled free guided tours for the public.

Cultural benefits
• Presented to the Peloponnese and the Western Greece, more than 25 visual art curatorials | exhibitions from Greece and abroad.
• Presented, for the first time in Patras, 161 works from the collection of Mr. Sotiris Fellios, one of the most important Greek collectors.
• Invited and presented the work of 350 artists with more than 800 works of contemporary art from around the world.
• Creation of the first Street Art Festival Patras | Artwalk.
• Collaborated with cultural institutions from the rest of the country and presented their work thus creating, for the first time, the conditions for a network of communication between cultural institutions in Greece.

Development and enhancement of the local community
• Utilized specialized scientific staff from universities and technological institutions within the area which gave the opportunity to young people to work in the subject of their studies and the potential to create new jobs.
• RE-culture attracted many visitors from the rest of Greece and abroad, resulting in a large number of visitors to local archaeological sites and museums which also led to the full booking of local hotels, restaurants and cafés of the city, contributing to the strengthen of local economy.
• Art in Progress has accomplished until now the influx of more than 180.000€ to the local economy.

The Art in Progress has achieved a large and important extent of promoting its events and the culture of Patras.
Specifically:
• Promotion of the event on national television networks (MEGA, NERIT), portals, radio broadcasting networks, newspapers, leaflets, websites. We promoted the city of Patras through the activities of RE-culture in Patras, Athens, Thessaloniki, in European and American publications, websites, portals and embassies.
• We received very positive reviews from art experts. RE-culture is now considered one of the most important artistic events in the country.
• We organized the opening ceremony concert with the Plucked Strings Orchestra «Thanasis Tsipinakis» of the Municipality of Patras with contemporary art works in Skagiopouleio Centre with free entrance for the public.
• Impulsed our guests and visitors from the rest of Greece and abroad to visit important local cultural monuments.

Objective - expected results
Driven by the progressive society, visual arts offer substantial knowledge but can also be a powerful tool for cultivating creative and active citizens-individuals using the visual language, people with aesthetic judgment and thinking skills, with ingenuity and sensitivity capable to communicate, express themselves and to address local and global challenges of the present and the future.

Our aim is to sensitize and mobilize the civil society of Patras and Greece.

The most important aim is to broaden artistic-cultural education in the region, an education sector that lacks both in initiatives and at interest. Our goal is to invite and offer guided tours by experts to primary and secondary education students. We look forward to the good use of public buildings and spaces for the benefit of the citizens and culture, highlighting forgotten spaces for the residents in the best possible way. At the same time we aim to revitalize the optimism of our citizens for the local heritage. Furthermore, we expect results through the proper information-publicity provided in the areas of cultural tourism, economic development of the local community as well as the benefits offered by the promotion of the region in Greece and abroad.

It is worth to mention that he program of Art in Progress is open to all citizens and potential visitors of the festival. Socially vulnerable groups, adults of every social and cultural level, with great attention and sensitivity we work with groups of children and young people by organizing educational programs in schools (which will come not only from Achaia, but also from neighboring prefectures), in families that all their members can acquire an important cultural experience and foreign visitors that will either pass by or will reside in the area.

RE-culture 4 will serve as an important part of society in regards to education, participation and the expected benefits from the implementation of this proposal will be the economic development through cultural tourism for the city of Patras and the surrounding area. Furthermore, it is considered as a benefit the integration of the region into the global cultural map, the public awareness in diversity issues, public awareness in contemporary visual arts and the art education of students and socially vulnerable groups of the city. The access for people with disabilities in exhibition places has been accommodated and also tours with special audio and visual means have been planned. There is also a provision for the use of Braille writing.

Viability
We believe that the festival has been institutionally fabricated in the city and the country. For this reason, already efforts have been initiated by Art in Progress with the Municipality of Patras, the Athens School of Fine Arts, the University of Patras and the European council (intercultural cities of Europe) for the integration of the International Visual Arts Festival of Patras into European programs.