The European Community Award: Co-create & Comprehend is a long-standing annual award within the Magic Carpets platform, established to recognise and honour local communities rather than cultural institutions or individual artists. The Award acknowledges communities that actively engage in creative processes, co-creation, and intercultural exchange with international artists.
Functioning as a long-term legacy of the Magic Carpets project, the Award ensures continuity beyond individual artistic residencies. It supports communities involved in Magic Carpets by enabling them to further develop their initiatives, strengthen local capacities, and sustain the social, emotional, and cultural impact generated through artistic collaboration.
For the European Community Award 2025, five communities were nominated and awarded, sharing a total of €5,000 in recognition of their outstanding engagement in co-creative processes within the Magic Carpets framework.
Community Centre “Resiliences Avots” (Riga, Latvia)
The community centre “Resiliences Avots” focuses on improving quality of life through individual and group-based activities for teenagers and young people, as well as adults – including seniors, people with disabilities, and individuals facing social integration challenges.
During the 2025 Magic Carpets residency “CONTACT. Children of the Universe”, choreographer Laura Gorodko worked with young people using contemporary dance as a tool to explore movement, emotions, trust, and interpersonal contact. Approximately 19 young participants took part in the process, resulting in a stable core group of five young women. The project stands as both documentation of the residency and a testament to the transformative power of sustained artistic engagement.
With the awarded support, the community plans to fulfil shared dreams expressed by the young participants, including a collective horseback-riding experience that will strengthen trust, connection, and shared experience beyond everyday circumstances.
Family Centre “Let’s Be Together” (Kaunas, Lithuania)
The Family Centre “Let’s Be Together” (“Būkime kartu” in Lithuanian) provides preventive and comprehensive support to families, young or single parents, and individuals facing social and economic challenges. Located in the Dainava – one of the biggest districts distant from the city center – the organisation has nearly seven years of experience in community development and socio-cultural programming.
Through its collaboration with Kaunas Biennial and participation in the Magic Carpets project, the centre has expanded its community network and creative activities.
The project “Power of Kindness” took place in 2025. During a two-month Magic Carpets residency, four artists met with the Dainava community twice a week, inviting participants to explore different ways of expressing creative kindness towards one another. Three artists were selected by community members – interdisciplinary artist Gudrita Lapė and contemporary clowning and movement theatre duo Barbora Türkmen Šoganová and Orkun Türkmen. Architect Alžběta P. Brůhová (Czech Republic) was selected by the project’s curatorial team.
As noted by Inga Bradūnienė, leader of the community: “Since the community consists of creative people who want to communicate, and the organisation is always looking for new activities, we gladly accepted the offer of the Kaunas Biennial to collaborate and have been involved in the Magic Carpets project for two years now. Thanks to this collaboration, we have met inspiring people and expanded our community. We enjoy being part of this project because it responds to community needs and invites warm, engaging artists who bring participants together and create meaningful outcomes. We would love to continue participating in Magic Carpets projects and look forward to what the future may bring.”
The awarded support will be used to create further opportunities for collective creative activities, while also strengthening participants’ motivation and capacity to create and sell handcrafted goods.
Blokhaus (Novi Sad, Serbia)
Blokhaus is a student-initiated platform that emerged at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad during a period of student blockade and civic mobilisation. It operates as an open, collective structure in which students, graduates, and collaborators explore artistic practices as tools for social engagement, collective organisation, and mutual support.
The awarded funds will support the formal establishment of Blokhaus as an organisation within the Academy of Arts, enabling the continuation of collaborative artistic practices, participatory programmes, and shared resources. This support contributes to the sustainability of a platform rooted in collective experience and socially engaged cultural production.
Ung Arena – Kommunens aktivitetsansvar (KAA) (Örebro, Sweden)
Ung Arena (KAA) works with young people who have interrupted their education due to mental health challenges, social vulnerability, or unstable living conditions. The organisation supports young people in rebuilding confidence, developing a sense of belonging, and finding pathways back to education through inclusive, group-based activities.
Reflecting on their participation in Magic Carpets and the collaboration with OpenArt, the organisation emphasised the importance of cultural exchange and accessibility: “Through OpenArt and Magic Carpets, Ung Arena gained insight into OpenArt’s organisational work while becoming part of a broader cultural context. The collaboration created a welcoming environment in which young participants experienced inclusion, meaningful encounters with artists, and recognition of their voices. During the project, a familiar and supportive atmosphere emerged. Participants became part of something larger – their voices were listened to with genuine interest and, in many cases, recognised by the artists. The project offered our young people a meaningful exchange that complemented our activities in a wonderful way.”
Following the conclusion of the residency, Ung Arena sought to sustain the sense of community created during the project. With the support of volunteers, the group continued independently, maintaining conversations and creative practices through an ongoing initiative titled “Creative Corner”.
Cultural activities and group-based practices play a central role in Ung Arena’s work. The awarded funding will enable the organisation to further expand cultural exchanges, acquire materials, and organise day trips – resources that are currently unavailable but essential for participants’ well-being and development.
The Artisans of Büyük Valide Han (İstanbul, Turkey)
The artisans of Büyük Valide Han represent a living community where craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and contemporary artistic practice intersect. As hosts of Magic Carpets artist residencies and the Mahalla Festival, the Han has developed into a collaborative ecosystem grounded in sustainability, education, and community well-being.
Reflecting on the collaboration, industrial designer Mert Onur stated: “Through the Mahalla Festival and the Magic Carpets residencies, we have discovered new ways to share our craft as a living cultural practice. The awarded support allows us to expand workshops, artist–artisan collaborations, and community activities that sustain our crafts and reinforce Büyük Valide Han as a shared cultural space.”
The European Community Award: Co-create & Comprehend reaffirms Magic Carpets’ long-term commitment to communities as co-authors of culture. By functioning as an annual legacy mechanism, the Award ensures that the relationships, knowledge, and social impact generated through artistic collaboration continue to grow well beyond the duration of individual projects.
This project is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.