Mobility Spaces

On the Move was selected for the European Union funding (Creative Europe 2021–2027 – Network Strand) with the project Mobility Spaces (MxS) for the period 2022–2024. Below you can find a summary of objectives for the Mobility Spaces project, as well as its activities and projects, and an outline of the spaces of exchange, thinking and interaction created with it.

The objectives at a glance

Through the Mobility Spaces project, On the Move aimed to:

Contribute to the recovery and resilience of OTM members and the culture sector in the light of the COVID-19 crisis that has had such a deep impact on European and international mobility and on the lives of arts professionals.
Support mobility stakeholders to build responsiveness in relation to global interdependencies and challenges, whether individual or societal, and to reverse harmful trends reinforced by the pandemic.
Propose to the culture sector ways to adopt more environmentally friendly practices and explore new forms of digital mobility to continue bringing cultural experiences to European and international communities.
Continue to be a unique and ever more needed knowledge platform by enhancing access to mobility opportunities and funding schemes, monitoring information, analysing trends, and sharing research findings, influencing policymaking and strategic thinking.
Create diverse spaces for interaction on mobility-related issues at national, European and international levels, to accompany innovation and improve experiences.

The ‘spaces’ in a nutshell

In 2022–2024, On the Move arranged, facilitated and/or co-organised multiple spaces of exchange:

Networking activities involving all members and thematic working groups, as well as welcoming external organisations and individuals wishing to contribute to and benefit from the knowledge exchange taking place online and on-site.
Capacity building activities targeting different stakeholder profiles within and beyond On the Move’s membership, particularly in less covered regions and countries. Addressing everyone from artists to governmental agencies, the goal was to develop strong intercultural competencies and a solid understanding of the various international contexts, as well as to adopt forward-looking practices in relation to environmental sustainability and principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
Research and data analysis activities in collaboration with key experts and international players, to collect and analyse data in order to study cross-border mobility flows and obstacles within Europe and between Europe and other continents.
Information activities to create and/or circulate mobility-related information to artists, culture professionals, and all stakeholders active in the creative value chain, making opportunities, funding sources, literature and innovative projects visible and accessible.
Advocacy activities together with other European cultural networks and international organisations to inform and influence policymakers at national, European and international levels, as well as to support the capacity of On the Move members to tackle social, societal, economic and political issues.

The activities in focus

MxS objectives translated into an ambitious multi-annual programme:

Spaces of encounters with a series of three Yearly Cultural Mobility Fora, 45 Working Group meetings, 6 Mobility Webinars, 3 Cultural Mobility Developers’ workshops supporting 30 new mobility multipliers, 1 Green Network Certification programme, and at least 72 Advocacy and Representation events.
Digital Spaces of Information with a multifunctional, accessible website featuring over 500 funded opportunities a year and an enriched online library, 3 Cultural Mobility Yearbooks, 3 new Mobility Funding Guides, 13 Briefings and Reports with experiences and learning from the MxS project.

A bit more about these spaces:

Spaces of encounters

3 annual Cultural Mobility Forums welcoming all arts professionals online (in collaboration with Howlround) and on-site:
- Cultural Mobility Forum 2022, on digital mobility in Helsinki, Finland, co-hosted by Nordic Culture Point (25 May 2022).
- Cultural Mobility Forum 2023, on environmental sustainability in Tunis, Tunisia, co-hosted by Culture Funding Watch (9-10 May 2023).
- Cultural Mobility Forum 2024, on international professional development programmes in Caernarfon, North Wales, co-hosted by Wales Arts International (May 2024).
15 Working group sessions per year gathering members to develop information and initiatives on pressing issues: Mobility Info Points, Mobility Funding, (En)forced mobility, and – new from 2022 – Green context-specific Mobility, and International professional development programmes. (More information on all the working groups.) Check the Perspectives Report 2022, 2023 and 2024 for more information.
2 Mobility Webinars a year, in collaboration with Howlround, on topics related to cultural mobility issues: 1) Cultural Mobility in European Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries & Territories, 2) UK & EU Mobility Flows in the Visual Arts, 3) Parenting, Care and Cultural Mobility; 4) Mobility Webinar: Mental Health, Well-Being and International Cultural Mobility, 5) Mobility Webinar: The International Mobility of Disabled Artists and Culture Professionals and 6) Mobility Webinar: Internationalisation and the Caribbean.
At least 24 events a year organised by On the Move’s members, advocacy stakeholders at European and international levels, etc. See the engagement and advocacy reports for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
3 cultural mobility developers’ workshops connected to regions less covered by On the Move’s membership.
- For the Balkan region in Ljubljana and Kranj, Slovenia on 26-28 September 2022, co-hosted by Motovila. More information on the Balkan region mobility developers’ workshop.
- For the South Mediterranean countries and territories in Tunis, Tunisia on 11-12 May 2023, co-hosted by Culture Funding Watch. More information on the South Mediterranean region mobility developers’ workshop.
- For the Eastern partnership countries in Tbilisi, Goergiaon 12-14 June 2024, in collaboration with the Culture and Management Lab. More information on the Eastern European and Caucasus countries’ focused workshop. You will also find a report on the three years’ experiences of this series of these workshops.
The Eco-guidelines for networks, developing information and guidance together with other European cultural networks to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices (based on the SHIFT eco-guidelines for networks). See the report and the lessons learnt in this report (2023–2024).

Digital Spaces of Information

Cultural Mobility Yearbooks: annual report on latest cultural mobility trends with an in-depth approach on a key issue. Edition 2022 with a focus on Digital Mobility, edition 2023 focused on Environment and Sustainability and edition 2024 focused on training and professional development programmes
Mobility Funding Guides: Focus on Balkan region (September 2022), Focus on South-Mediterranean countries and contexts (March 2023), and Focus on the Caribbean region (September 2024).
A multifunctional, accessible website with over 500 funded opportunities a year and an enriched online library. A targeted communication strategy with recognisable visuals.
13 Briefings and Reports reflecting the progresses, experiences and takeaways from the MxS project throughout the period 2022–2024, including the OTM website survey (2023) and the GROW report (2022–2024).

Last but not least webinars were followed by in-depth reports, including policy recommendations

Co-funded by the European Union