LIBERTY is an ambitious and innovative creative response to current challenges facing the European Union. At a time of significant change for Europe – with substantial movement of people and arrival into Europe of refugees; disturbing breakdown in community cohesion, focused by the terrorist threat; and the implications of BREXIT (and other possible EU structural change), ArtReach and European collaborative partners want to focus on the positive impact of creative integration through art and culture, helping to forge new sense of identity and place (both locally and Europe-wide) with strong engagement from young people. The project also wants to significantly develop and enhance a process of artist and artistic collaboration and audience development that previous ArtReach-led Creative Europe projects have initiated.

Swinging Europe is collaborative partner together with: ALTONALE GMH (GER), Museo dei Bambini (ITA), CESIE (ITA), Teatru National Radu Stanca Sibiu (ROM), Aalborg Karneval (DK), Center Za Promociju Zdavnh Stilova Zivota (SER), CNC Danse (FR), Pionirski dom – Center za kulturo mladih (SLO), Trafo House of Contemporary Arts (UNG) and European Educational Exchanges – Youth for Understanding (BEL).

LIBERTY brings together 12 cultural partners from 10 European countries, partners with shared values, passions and commitment to engage young artists under 30 and young audiences. LIBERTY will forge a vibrant curatorial and development team, enabling artists and cultural professionals to work together over three years, commissioning at least 75 new collaborative works from 750 young artists that are presented as free access events across Europe and with transnational circulation.

Inside Out Performance, Processional Theatre, Liberty Wall-Art, Outdoor Digital Arts projects, workshops and seminars will together explore our theme of creative integration and identity, encompassing festivals, venues, interdisciplinary arts, training and conferences. Embedded in the project is commitment to audience development and education/training, prioritising culturally diverse and disadvantaged communities, including refugees, those from deprived socio-economic backgrounds and disabled people. LIBERTY will conclude with a five month pan-European programme from May to September 2022, maximising new technology to share works and ideas as widely as possible.