The Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University opened the Ústí nad Labem House of Arts after a comprehensive reconstruction — an unique institution focused on art research, presentation and production of art with a range of activities between contemporary art creation and educational, scientific and socially engaged activities, using the university’s background.
The Ústí nad Labem House of Arts provides almost 700 m2 of exhibition space, a multifunctional hall for 80 spectators intended for experimental, audiovisual, performative and music performances, a residential studio, workshops specializing in new media and graphic techniques serving students and the public, and last but not least extensive facilities for arts education and diverse social activities.
The Ústí nad Labem House of Arts represents a high-quality institutional background that meets demanding international standards for the presentation of exhibitions and works of art. Its spatial and technological potential allows full participation in prestigious grant schemes and demanding international productions.
How will this institution contribute to the cultural potential of the faculty and the university it is a part of, the city voluntarily represented in its name, and overall reconstruction of the region, which belongs among one of the essential goals of Ústí nad Labem House of Arts long-term aims?
For the Faculty of Art and Design, the new House of Arts seat represents the direction of new development, which leads to strengthening of educational processes on the border of acquiring field knowledge or skills and authentic creation with aspects of artistic as well as theoretical research and rich socialization potential.
In the context of the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, it will become not only a space for multidisciplinary cooperation connecting artistic creativity with stimuli coming from the humanities, social sciences, as well as science or technology, but also a ground for community responsibility growth embedded in the institution’s DNA.
Within the Ústí nad Labem context, the institution can be perceived as an impulse for the local cultural emancipation continuity, as its opening and development follow the rich tradition of the authentic and valued local contemporary art scene, which places this city among lively and significant art centers.
In the middle of the Ústí Region, it is a symbolic signal of the path to the necessary deep transformation arising from an environmental and social responsibility within which cultural and creative industries will undoubtedly play an irreplaceable role as a tool for strengthening general sustainability and quality of life.
The visitors will enter the Ústí nad Labem House of Arts on a new bridge, while such an institution might be perceived as a solid bridge itself. It combines the diverse and often seemingly opposite worlds of art and science, emotions and rationality, endless creative freedom and empathic responsibility. It bridges the gaps of growing indifference and misunderstanding through respect for everyone in the community. It is a tool for achieving ambitious cultural goals or realizing research plans, and at the same time offers space for friendly meetings and community gatherings. The House of Art mirrors the sense of unity which surrounds it, permeates it and breathes life into it through common desires, stimuli, activities and meetings.
prof. Mgr. Michal Koleček, Ph.D.
Director of the Ústí nad Labem House of Arts
History
The Ústí nad Labem’s House of Arts is a newly established exhibition institution whose operations and program are provided by the Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. The House of Arts’ exhibition concept is focused on the presentation of the important artists and key artistic trends and themes currently shaping Central European art. The program of this institution combines artistic, research, education and publication activities, which are consistently implemented in an international context and in collaboration with a number of Czech and international partners.
The House of Arts’ key objectives include the professional production and presentation of current artistic outputs; the promotion of international collaboration by organizing joint exhibition projects; creative research work in the area of contemporary art, carried out in collaboration with institutions of higher learning with a similar focus; the development of educational activities within the study programs implemented at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University; the support of educational strategies focused on working with visitors to the gallery; and the implementation of social responsibility with respect to the socio-cultural development of the local community.
The House of Arts’ main curator is prof. Mgr. Michal Koleček, Ph.D., who collaborates on individual exhibition projects with curators representing local professional departments (in particular the Department of History and Theory of Art of the Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University), and also with partner institutions, mainly international ones, as well as invited freelance curators. The House of Arts’ overall curatorial concept is focused on the analysis and presentation of current artistic expressions, with a particular focus on themes that are shaping the socio-cultural situation in Central Europe in the national context while also reflecting the specific situation in the local region and community. The House of Arts is located on the renovated premises of the former university canteen in the residential neighborhood of Klíše near the city center and the university campus. It offers 500 m2 of exhibition space and other premises suitable for the realization of artistic, educational and social programs. The House of Arts has a significant development potential connected with the planned expansion of its activities into the other premises of the building, which are gradually being made accessible.
The exhibition and research activities of the House of Arts significantly contribute to the presentation of a wide variety of contemporary visual cultural forms in the city of Ústí nad Labem and the surrounding region. Together with the Emil Filla Gallery, the Cultural Factory Armaturka, and the Public Hall Hraničář, the House of Arts has a striking potential for creative activities that are unique in the Czech context of regional centers and public universities.
The Ústí nad Labem House of Arts is, therefore, the expression of the self-confident potential of the local art scene. It wants to be a gateway to the dynamic structures of contemporary art, mening itself up to the diverse impulses of the international art scene. It also accelerates the interconnection between education, research and their practical use and represents an open, creative space between the University and the local community.