This week, the Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi announced the creation of the first Art and Innovation Hub in Georgia.

At a press conference at Rooms Hotel on Monday, May 13, the Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi explained that the new Hub is being established in large part thanks to a new cooperation agreement with Adjara Group Hospitality, who agreed to a long-term transfer of property to CCA-Tbilisi to serve as the Center’s new home base. The press conference featured several presenters: Vato Tsereteli, founder of the Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi, Valeria Chekheria – CEO of Adjara Group Hospitality, Ana Riaboshenko – Director of Creative Georgia, and Levan Kharatishvili – Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia. The speakers discussed the importance of supporting the development of creativity and the arts in Georgia.

The Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi is an independent, non-profit, community-based institution that serves as a station for people working in international, regional and local art scenes to connect and collaborate. The center aims to promote sharing and knowledge production among diverse populations, including art curators, artists, students and people simply interested in art. While the center emphasizes that education remains at the core of its work, they are also active in other realms: exhibition practice, research, residence programs and consulting.

2019 marks 10 years of the Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi, which implements public projects related to arts, culture, and education. During the press conference, the center took the opportunity to summarize their key projects from the last decade, and presented their plan for the future of the institution, including a reshaped strategy.

The creation of the Hub is financed in part with funds disbursed from a competition held by Creative Georgia titled “Developing Creative Industries.” The competition was run under the purview of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport. The funds will support the long-term development of the Art and Innovation Hub, which includes the creation of several clusters which will promote the sustainable development of creative industries, and innovative ideas and projects in the long-term. The Hub’s physical space, donated by Adjara Group, is a 650 m2 building on Dodo Abashidze St., near Marjanishvili metro station. The interdisciplinary project brings together leading innovators and bright young startups from various creative industries: fine arts, digital technologies, architecture, design, handicraft, gastronomy, and others.

Creative Georgia is a legal entity of public law within the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, tasked with creating an appropriate environment for creative industries to develop, via relevant programs, projects and grants. Their work is predicated on the concept that creative industries create jobs, and generate economic growth and social well-being. Creative Georgia works to raise awareness of creative industries; build the capacity of creative entrepreneurs though training programs, seminars and other activities; establish networking platforms; create funding opportunities and spread information about existing funding opportunities; support the export of creative goods and the internationalization of the sector; support the development of research activities in the creative industries sector.

Source: Georgiatoday.ge, By Samantha Guthrie

Image: Center of Contemporary Art – Tbilisi