Street Art Museum Amsterdam is always looking for new ways to expand its impact, reach new audiences, empower urban communities, and explore new technologies. And, if it can be done in a bottom-up manner that recalls graffiti’s DIY ethic, all the better.
As the result of the Creative Museums EU program -- designed by digital transformation and community leadership consultant, Jasper Visser -- SAMA was lucky to meet Radiona Zagreb Makerspace in 2018, a Zagreb, Croatia-based association merging science, art, technology, and DIY empowerment.
We have been trying to plan a collaboration ever since.
Finally, after a first strategy meeting finally held in late January 2020, we are pleased to announce that we are in process of planning a large collaborative project to be launched in May 2020, and furthermore, that Radiona has won close to €2,000 from Kultura Nova Foundation to contribute toward realizing the project, tentatively titled “The Other One Percent,” through 2021.
Radiona was founded in Zagreb in 2011 by Deborah Hustic. Radiona identifies itself as a bottom-up association defined by the objectives of enhancing visibility and access to “Do-It-Yourself”/”Do-It-With-Others” (DIY/DIWO) cultures, self-sustainable production, and connecting all possible fields of art, science and technology. Radiona strives to develop interdisciplinary and innovative projects that emphasize community building, direct participation, collaborative creation and knowledge-transfer. As they were already connected to Visser and the culture sharing and education initiative MOCCA Amsterdam [link], Radiona Zagreb is a natural collaborator for SAMA. Moreover, they will be a fascinating partner to learn from, as despite our fields of street art and technology being only loosely connected, we share common goals of building inter-community connections and creating barrier-free grassroots access to education, art, culture, and activism. Through this partnership, SAMA and Radiona are both very excited to collaboratively expand their reach into new fields, build relationships through new media, and increase social impact in their respective communities through peer-to-peer learning.
In the first strategy meetings in January, SAMA and Radiona founders, Anna Stolyarova and Deborah Hustic, respectively, worked collaboratively for one week to define the scope of the project and begin planning, including sourcing funding and reaching out to partners, MOCCA Amsterdam and Jasper Visser to confirm their support. With an extra funding boost confirmed to help carry the project ahead, SAMA and Radiona are now able to commit to two more strategy meetings in Amsterdam through spring 2020. By the end of March, a detailed project description will be finalized, and by the end of May, we will be prepared to host and participate in a series of lectures, trainings, presentations, and art and technology workshops -- in addition to launching a collaborative programming plan and funding applications to carry the project through 2021.
SAMA and Radiona’s aim with “The Other One Percent” is to build inter-sectoral connections between SAMA, Radiona Zagreb, the wider circle of creative and cultural industries, and support ongoing development of future projects at the intersections of urban street art culture, hybrid arts, and maker culture. In so doing, SAMA and Radiona aim to inspire and empower urban communities’ DIY and DIWO initiatives, as motivated by their own local and grassroots needs, innovations, products, and methodologies. As both SAMA and Radiona value empowerment, education, and direct action, we hope to help provide the tools, expertise, and inspiration to help individuals overcome barriers to realizing projects in their urban spaces.
As 2020 is set to be an exciting year that kicks off a series of international partnerships, SAMA is thrilled to continue developing this project with Radiona Zagreb as just one part of a broader international expansion than we have ever previously participated in. More announcements including new developments and finalized venues are on the horizon! Be sure to check back through March and May to stay informed about new developments and announcements. And, of course, follow us on Instagram to get the latest updates about SAMA events and programming!