Artists Spaces Commons Transition: Emergency Continuity & Self-Governance Lab
Coalition of the Independent Cultural Sector of the Republic of Moldova
Moldova, Republic of
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For 15 years, the Zemstvei House has been Moldova’s only socio-cultural commons. It was free, accessible and educational, where culture acted as a civic and political actor, nurturing grassroots groups. With no support or alternative from the Ministry of Culture, we are being forced out. We are relocating and launching a Self-Governance Lab: facilitated assemblies to form Curatorial and Administrative Councils and adopt rules for access, ethics/safety, resource sharing and fundraising—toward a public–civic partnership for an Independent Cultural Center.
Casa Zemstvei has been a self-organised, non-commercial socio-cultural lab in Chișinău for 15 years, supporting independent artists, initiatives and NGOs. This ecosystem now faces an emergency relocation.
We will secure continuity by moving core activity to a new host space (Moldova-Film) and turning the transition into a participatory Self-Governance Lab. Through open Community Assemblies and facilitated working sessions we will: (1) build a horizontal governance structure shared by CSOs, initiatives and individual artists; (2) create two bodies—a Curatorial Council and an Administrative Council with clear roles; (3) adopt rules for transparent access to space (including for external initiatives), resource sharing, ethics/safety, and collective fundraising.
Outputs: councils established, core policies adopted, a 6-month sustainability plan, and a short toolkit (RO/EN). The process strengthens trust with the Ministry of Culture and can become the start of Chișinău’s first long-term public–civic partnership for an Independent Cultural Center.