Greening Practices in Culture: Artist-in-Residence (AiR) Programmes in Slovenia

Nika Mušič

Many artists and organisations from the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) have been reflecting on urgent environmental challenges with a particular sensitivity, confronting them in their artworks and activities or integrating greening practices into their day-to-day operations. You can read more about green festivals and other projects of Slovenian cultural organisations in our related Culture.si article. Perhaps you’ve discovered Slovenia as a potential destination for your artist-in-residence endeavours. Then you’ll be pleased to explore some of the green AiR programmes from which you can choose. Let’s have a look at a few!

Ljubljana’s Model for Sustainable AiR

If you’re looking for a green AiR programme in the capital, Švicarija Art Centre in Ljubljana’s Tivoli, Rožnik and Šiška Hill Landscape Park is an excellent choice. Managed by the International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, it offers various AiR programmes from the disciplines of literature, cultural heritage and visual arts, with participants selected through open calls, inter-residency exchanges and curator invitation. Within the project "Sustainability is in the AiR" (supported through the Creative Europe programme), they are developing a model for sustainable management of residency centres to encourage sustainable artistic practices and strengthen career opportunities for artists-in-residence. The project connects four AiR centres – in Ljubljana, Prague, Madrid and Athens – and strengthens their operational strategies.

Residency programmes at the Švicarija Art Centre, which is run by the International Centre of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana.

Community-Based and Environmentally Aware

GuestRoomMaribor, Maribor’s only continuous NGO AiR programme, is celebrating its 14th anniversary this year. Through its international artistic-educational residency platform, the Pekarna Magdalena Network mainly supports projects that are tied to the local context as well as ones that are socially engaged, community-based, hybrid and experimental – with an emphasis on contemporary visual and interdisciplinary artistic practices.

The programme’s sustainability focus is reflected in its sensible use of resources and energy, re-use of materials and choice of green mobility and vegan food, as well as more environmentally friendly paints and cleaning products. In addition, projects chosen for the AiR programme are often dedicated to greening themes, for instance the 2022 project "Can do more! Must do more!" by Gildo Bavčević from Croatia or Asja Trost's exhibition "Green Model", in which she examined “green models” as Trojan horses of neoliberal capitalism.

A Holistic Approach to Sustainability

Are Ljubljana and Maribor too urban to allow you to immerse yourself in your work? Then the Krušče Creative Center offers an AiR programme for artists from different disciplines: from architecture, music and cultural heritage to news media, performing and visual arts, just to name a few. This estate with six buildings located in a remote natural setting near the town of Cerknica guarantees quiet, space and time for artists to focus on their creative process. Krušče Creative Center operates in line with a holistic approach to sustainability – from the renovation of buildings to everyday practices that include the careful use of resources, recycling and reuse and encourage a lifestyle in sync with nature.

Artist-in-Residence programme at the Krušče Creative Center.

Reusing and Repurposing Heritage

If you’d prefer to create closer to the capital but still be in quieter surroundings, the Kamnik AiR Programme for Cultural Creators and Cultural Barutana at the Mekinje Monastery offer ideal conditions. The Kamnik AiR Programme, run by the Public Institute for Culture Kamnik, is intended for artists from the disciplines of music, performing arts and visual arts. Artists-in-residence are encouraged to use package-free food, grow their own produce in the orchard and garden, monitor their resource use and sort their waste for recycling.

One of the venues at the Kamnik Artist-in-Residence Programme for Cultural Creators

The Cultural Barutana programme, run by the Priden Možic Cultural Association, hosts artists from the disciplines of new media art, cultural heritage and performing arts. The programme’s purpose is to connect and use the infrastructure in the northern part of Kamnik: Kamnik Culture House, Kotlovnica Youth Centre, Mekinje Monastery and the area of the former gunpowder mill. All these spaces form part of the town’s cultural heritage, and reusing and repurposing the existing infrastructure is also in line with the principles of sustainability.

Cultural Barutana Artist-in-residence programme run by Priden možic.

Green Principles in the Literary Field

Alongside green AiR centres that open their doors to artists from different disciplines and programmes that integrate existing infrastructure to enable the creation of numerous forms of art, in Slovenia, we can also find green AiR programmes that focus on only one discipline or are specialised for particular types of creators.

One of the greener AiR programmes for literary artists is the Goga Literary Residency, hosted by Goga Publishing House in Novo Mesto. It offers authors a supportive and peaceful environment in which to work and research and provides them with opportunities to connect with the Slovenian literary community and participate in literary events and presentations.

With the aim of reducing environmental impact, Goga takes green principles into account when organising residencies. They include various sustainable practices for their artists-in-residences: from offering green mobility options, responsible use of resources and waste reduction, to encouraging them to buy from local suppliers and artisans and to visit events that support the cultural and economic life of this regional Slovenian city.

Goga literary residency space

Towards Green Animation Practices

Creators from the field of animated film can participate in the international AiR programme of the Slovene Animated Film Association. DSAF offers its members two- to four-week research and preproduction residencies in Angoulême, France, while in Slovenia, residencies for international animators are available in Nova Gorica, Ljubljana and Maribor. The programme gives animated film creators the opportunity to focus on the development and preproduction of their projects and also facilitates the exchange of knowledge and experience.

DSAF’s AiR programme promotes sustainable approaches to animated film production that are in line with the field’s latest endeavours towards green animation practices. With educational activities and awareness-raising about sustainable living practices, it also contributes to the responsible treatment of resources and to reducing the carbon footprint. Key measures include reducing energy use, using environmentally friendly materials and means of transport, and sorting and recycling waste.

Peer2peer meeting of the DSAF AiR programme, Slovenian animators with Špela Čadež.

AiR Programmes as Platforms for Sustainable Innovation

Throughout Slovenia, from urban centres to more remote areas, AiR programmes address environmental sustainability not only through basic measures such as green mobility, careful use of resources, reuse of materials and recycling but also through their programming choices, content and technical approaches. These residencies are not only spaces for artistic creation but also platforms for developing green practices. New concepts and methods can serve as models for other cultural organisations. Moreover, since several Slovenian AiR hosts are involved in European projects (e.g., under the Creative Europe programme), they are actively contributing to international discussions on our sustainable future.

Author bio

Nika Mušič has a background in comparative literature and many years of experience in publishing, where she worked as an editor in the field of contemporary and children’s literature, as well as a proofreader and literary critic. Since 2024, she has been employed at Motovila (CED Slovenia), fostering cooperation in the cultural and creative sectors.

The text was written in August 2025 in the framework of the public procurement "Development and upgrade of information portals of the Ministry of Culture for the transition to the eKultura platform" in which Motovila Institute collaborates as a partner with Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory.

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