News & Press // CreArt News

CreArt Kaunas and Kaunas Artists' House announce an open call for land/environmental art creators and invite them to create land/environmental art installations in public spaces along the river Nemunas in Kaunas. The artworks must be made of natural, biodegradable materials and integrate harmoniously into the local context and landscape.

The created works will be presented on Saturday, May 24, 2025, during the festival "Let's Celebrate the River!", which is part of the CreArt 3.0 program's "European Month of Creativity."

ABOUT THE RIVER AND LAND ART PLEIN AIR

The River and Land Art is a small-scale plein-air event taking place from 10 to 24 May 2025, as an introductory part of the festival “Let’s Celebrate the River!”. The festival is a community-based cultural initiative born during the period of Kaunas - European Capital of Culture 2022. Its goal is  to encourage the city's inhabitants to reconnect with Lithuania’s major rivers flowing through the city, to open them up for cultural events and community meetings, and to jointly search for the signs and expressions of the identity of the local communities that are located along the rivers. Once a year, on the birthday of Kaunas, a large-scale event called "Let's Celebrate the River" is organised, when the river and its banks become a space for cultural action.

The aim of the River and Land Art Plein Air is to create a land/environmental artwork that highlights the riverbank’s unique natural, geographical, cultural and historical context, turning it into a cultural attraction and meeting point. The completed artworks will be included into the overall programme and activity map of the "Let’s Celebrate the River" event.

For more details about the festival "Let’s Celebrate the River", check out the video

To learn more about the River and Land Art Plein Air, visit this link

OVERALL SCHEDULE AND ELIGIBLE ARTISTS

The portfolio search is open from January 24 to February 24, 2025. 

Artist and work selections will be made by March 3, 2025. 

2 land/environmental art artists from the CreArt network will be selected. The artist applying for the residency must have been born, resident or domiciled in one of the cities of the CreArt 3.0 network: Kaunas (Lithuania), Liepaja (Latvia), Skopje (Northern Macedonia), Aveiro (Portugal), Valladolid (Spain), Venice (Italy), Clermont-Ferrand and Rouen (France), Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic), Oulu (Finland), Regensburg (Germany), members of HDLU (Croatian Association of Visual Artists), Ukrainian artists through collaboration with Dialog from Lviv.

 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

- Implementation period: May 11–25, 2025. Location: Nemunas Riverbank (outdoor space), Kaunas. The exact site will be coordinated individually, considering the artwork's format.

- The completed artwork must be presented on May 24, 2025, during the "Celebrate the River!" event. Artists are expected to present their work (including its theme, format, and execution techniques) to event visitors in person. Duration: up to 4 hours.

- The work does not have to be directly related to the river, but it is encouraged to look for links to the themes of the festival „Let‘s Celebrate the River“: water, rivers, local stories and narratives, nature in the city or the city in nature, sustainability, community).

- The artwork must be created using natural materials found at the site, in public urban spaces, respecting local biodiversity and living trees (attachment to trees is not allowed).

- The artwork should be resistant to outdoor weather conditions and pose no danger to the public.

- Depending on the concept, after the festival "Let’s Celebrate the River", the artwork may be deconstructed or left to observe its process of decay, transformation, and interaction with nature (for no longer than 12 months).

WHAT WE OFFER

• A fee of €1,000 (including taxes) for two-week residency in Kaunas and the creation of a land/environmental art piece.
• Travel expenses from the artist's hometown to Kaunas and back (up to €400), and accommodation in Kaunas (up to 15 days).
• Materials budget capped at €1,000. The residency work plan must include a detailed amount of materials necessary for the implementation of the artwork. Preference is given to natural and biodegradable materials.
• Additional resources provided by the organizers, including technical equipment, inventory, and volunteers.
• Extensive promotion of the works and the creative process through the communication channels of CreArt, Kaunas Artists' House, and partners.
• Professional documentation of the event, including activities and artworks.

INTERESTED? APPLY NOW:

The following documentation is required: 

Please log in the CreArt website as artist and upload file here: https://creart2-eu.org/open-calls/

• A short version of your resume/CV and portfolio (including work samples in a suitable file format);
• A brief description of the work to be implemented (max length 2 A4 pages);
• The list of materials used and its technical requirements;
• ID or passport (scanned copy).

Only applications with complete information will be accepted. It must be submitted before  February 24, 2025.

 

If you have any questions, please contact: sveskime.upe@gmail.com, +370 611 17139 (Aiste).

---

Return to CreArt News