What does it mean to practice care together in the arts, health, and social spaces? How do we sustain solidarity collectively?
Organized by Cluj Cultural Centre, the Culture and Well-being Forum brings forward the need for care – where care is seen not as an instrument to do “better”, but as an integrative part of how we envision our world. A world in which we care for the communities around us. A world in which we care for the ones who take care. A world in which care is a collective act. To bridge the gap towards this vision, we need to make room for different languages of care to emerge from our daily practices and move towards a more solidary and sustainable collective dynamic.
The event takes shape at the intersection of two projects that we have been developing in the past couple of years: Re:form, an experimental initiative that questions and explores different approaches to work in the cultural sector, and CARE: Culture for mental health, a project that continues our research on the impact of culture on the health and well-being of people and communities. Throughout this edition, we will try to explore the concept of care, solidarity and sustainability from two angles:
- One that looks at cultural work and considers the needs and struggles of artists and culture professionals in their practices and experiences;
- One that tackles structures of support for professionals working at the intersection of arts, health and social well-being.
These spaces of conversation, encounter, and collective reflection might help us come closer in imagining a desirable future, where softness and nourishment become gestures of resistance against an otherwise rushed and restless world.
Provisional agenda
Day 1 | October 29, 2025
@Youth Pavilion, Cluj-Napoca (The Railway Workers’ Park)
09:00 – 09:30 | Coffe and welcome
09:30 – 11:00 | Panel discussion: State of the art. Working conditions and systemic factors impacting cultural work
A reflection on the structural realities shaping cultural work and the ways in which policy, governance, and collective action can address them.
Introduction: A survey on the socio-economic and health conditions of cultural workers in Romania. Research Findings
- Cristian Pop, Scientific researcher and Lecturer at the “Babeș-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca
- Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
Dialogue with:
- Andras Demeter, Minister of Culture of Romania (TBC)
- Monica Urian, Policy Officer at the European Commission (TBC)
- Carmen Croitoru, Manager of Culturadata – The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (TBC)
- Lars Ebert, Secretary General of Culture Action Europe
Moderators: Lorena Copil, Project Manager & Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
09:00 – 09:30 |
Coffee and welcome
09:30 – 11:00 |
Panel discussion: State/Status of the art. Working conditions and systemic factors impacting cultural work
A reflection on the structural realities shaping cultural work and the ways in which policy, governance, and collective action can address them.
Introduction: A survey on the socio-economic and health conditions of cultural workers in Romania. Research Findings
- Cristian Pop, Scientific researcher and Lecturer at the “Babeș-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca
- Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
Dialogue with:
- Andras Demeter, Minister of Culture of Romania (TBC)
- Monica Urian, Policy Officer at the European Commission (TBC)
- Carmen Croitoru, Manager of Culturadata – The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (TBC)
- Lars Ebert, Secretary General of Culture Action Europe
Moderators: Lorena Copil, Project Manager & Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
11:00 – 11:30 | Break
11:00 – 11:30 |
Break
11:30 – 13:00 | Group discussions: Sustainability of care in the cultural sector
A participatory session inviting cultural workers to reflect on their daily work, sharing experiences of well-being, working conditions, power dynamics, governance, and questions of meaning, security, and collective responsibility, while exploring patterns and gaps that influence the sustainability of care in the sector.
11:30 – 13:00 |
Group discussions: Sustainability of care in the cultural sector
A participatory session inviting cultural workers to reflect on their daily work, sharing experiences of well-being, working conditions, power dynamics, governance, and questions of meaning, security, and collective responsibility, while exploring patterns and gaps that influence the sustainability of care in the sector.
13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch
13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 | Introducing Re:form
A dialogue with the community of the Re:form project, reflecting on the experiences, formats and learnings of a two years long process of addressing working conditions, perspectives and alternatives in the cultural sector
14:00 – 15:30 |
Introducing Re:form
A dialogue with the community of the Re:form project, reflecting on the experiences, formats and learnings of a two years long process of addressing working conditions, perspectives and alternatives in the cultural sector
15:30 – 16:00 | Break (and changing the space)
15:30 – 16:00 |
Break (and changing the space)
16:00 – 17:30 | Workshops of the day (soon to be announced)
16:00 – 17:30 |
Workshops of the day (soon to be announced)
16:00 – 19:00 | Visiting the local arts scene
16:00 – 19:00 |
Visiting the local arts scene
19:00 – 20:00 | Dinner
19:00 – 20:00 |
Dinner
Day 2 | October 30, 2025
@Youth Pavilion, Cluj-Napoca (The Railway Workers’ Park)
09:00 – 09:30 | Coffee and welcome
09:30 – 11:00 | Policy dialogue: Time to act: What are the policy priorities for culture and health?
- Monica Urian, Policy Officer at the European Commission (TBC)
- Andras Demeter, Minister of Culture of Romania (TBC)
- Edith Wolf-Perez, Co-founder of Arts for Health Austria
Panel discussion: How do we take care of others and ourselves when working with arts in health and social environments?
- Ioana Hirișcău, Assistant Professor and Trainer, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (TBC)
- Julia Puebla Fortier, DrPH, Research and Professional learning lead for Arts & Health South West, The United Kingdom (TBC)
- Dace Resele, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture
Moderator: Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
09:00 – 09:30 |
Coffee and welcome
09:30 – 11:00 |
Policy dialogue: Time to act: What are the policy priorities for culture and health?
- Monica Urian, Policy Officer at the European Commission (TBC)
- Andras Demeter, Minister of Culture of Romania (TBC)
- Edith Wolf-Perez, Co-founder of Arts for Health Austria
Panel discussion: How do we take care of others and ourselves when working with arts in health and social environments?
- Ioana Hirișcău, Assistant Professor and Trainer, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy (TBC)
- Julia Puebla Fortier, DrPH, Research and Professional learning lead for Arts & Health South West, The United Kingdom (TBC)
- Dace Resele, Acting Head of the Secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture
Moderator: Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
11:00 – 11:30 | Break
11:30 – 12:30 | Desirable futures and possible actions
How can we shift from the precarious conditions of cultural work toward a more sustainable and fulfilling future? How can we ensure sustainable care for arts practitioners engaged with health and social work?
This session invites a collective exploration of actions, support systems, and policies that can help us imagine a world better attuned to the needs of cultural workers, while drawing inspiration from existing initiatives that have already taken small steps in that direction.
11:00 – 11:30 |
Break
11:30 – 12:30 |
Desirable futures and possible actions
How can we shift from the precarious conditions of cultural work toward a more sustainable and fulfilling future? How can we ensure sustainable care for arts practitioners engaged with health and social work?
This session invites a collective exploration of actions, support systems, and policies that can help us imagine a world better attuned to the needs of cultural workers, while drawing inspiration from existing initiatives that have already taken small steps in that direction.
12:30 – 13:30 | Wrap-up and takeaways
12:30 – 13:30 |
Wrap-up and takeaways
13:30 – 14:30 | Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 |
Lunch
15:00 – 16:30 | Exploration circles: Steps towards collective action (location TBC)
#1 Self-care and safeguarding when working with vulnerable audiences in arts and health
Facilitated by: Katy Geertsen, Artist and Co-founder of Arts for Health Austria and Ana Benavides Otero, Project manager at European Festivals Association
#2 Building a community of practice in the cultural sector: the need for solidarity and continuity
Facilitated by: Lorena Copil, Project coordinator & Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
15:00 – 16:30 |
Exploration circles: Steps towards collective action (location TBC)
#1 Self-care and safeguarding when working with vulnerable audiences in arts and health
Facilitated by: Katy Geertsen, Artist and Co-founder of Arts for Health Austria and Ana Benavides Otero, Project manager at European Festivals Association
#2 Building a community of practice in the cultural sector: the need for solidarity and continuity
Facilitated by: Lorena Copil, Project coordinator & Rarița Zbranca, Programme Director of Cluj Cultural Centre
Don't miss out!
Re:form is a programme developed by the Cluj Cultural Centre to explore, design, and test new ways of working in the cultural sector. It focuses on individual and collective care, the health and well-being of cultural workers, and equity as a guiding principle. The programme responds to the fragility of cultural work and the vulnerabilities faced by many professionals in the sector. Re:form is co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund and the Cluj-Napoca City Hall.
The CARE – Culture for Mental Health project is funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and brings together experts from across Europe to explore the intersection between arts, culture and mental health for a healthier future. CARE explores structural solutions for mental health and well-being through cultural engagement, with a special focus on youth mental health, work-related well-being, culture on prescription models, as well as developing principles and acts of care towards artists and cultural workers. The project is carried out by Cluj Cultural Centre (RO), European Festivals Association, Društvo Asociacija (SI), Culture Action Europe, Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, Arts for Health Austria (AT), Bozar Center for Fine Arts (BE).