RuralArtConnect

RuralArtConnect is a program initiated by technological art farm Maajaam and Latvian art space Savvaļa to develop art communities in rural areas through skills development residency camps, interdisciplinary artists and an art network for artists in Southern Estonia and Vidzeme/Kurzeme region in Latvia. Over the course of 2025, in total 4 residency camps and workshops – each with different focus, will take place in both Latvia and Estonia.

Each residency and workshop will take place in two sessions – one of them being a phase for introducing new skills and the second one, implementing new skills. For every theme of the residency, there will be a new open call to find new participants in the region. In addition, one joint event will be organised for all the participants during the year and one joint event after completing the program.

Main organisers

This project is organised by Maajaam (EE) and Savvaļa (LV).

Maajaam is a farm for art and tech located in South of Estonia. Maajaam is situated in an old farmhouse, but is nonetheless operated as a media art experimentation residency. It lies on the frontier of these overlapping normalities, extending an invitation to contemplate, question and explore the aspects of a technological society, its influence on our behaviour, perception and thinking as well as on our surrounding environments.

Open-air art space Savvaļa in North Latvia is a place, an art exhibition in forests and meadows, a music and poetry events in a close-to-nature situations as long as diverse residencies for creatives. It has become a place for merging art, ideas, experiments and friendships.

Estonia-Latvia cross-border regional cooperation

This project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (Interreg) through the Interreg VI-A Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027 (EST-LAT). The project falls under the priority ‘More cooperating cross-border regions and development of joint services,’ with a specific focus on ‘Building up mutual trust, in particular by encouraging people-to-people actions’.

Project duration: 01.12.2024 - 30.11.2025

Project partners: Maajaam (Wild Bits MTÜ) and Savvaļa (Biedrība “SAVĀ VAĻĀ”).

Project’s aim: The aim of the project is to share knowledge, learn new skills and to extend and strengthen the community and network of artists in Southern Estonia and Vidzeme/Kurzeme region. As a result, professional artists from rural areas have participated in several residency camps/workshops through cross-border cooperation and learned new artistic skills through experienced mentors who are experts in their field in 2 locations at different art spaces in the Est-Lat border region.

Total budget: 84.542,50 €
ERDF contribution: 67.634,00€

Additional co-funder of the project is Estonian Cultural Endowment.