GOVART officially kicks off in Martina Franca: culture as a bridge for cross-border governance
03/07/2026
The meeting opened with a strong symbolic message from the Lead Partner: in culture, “no man is an island.” This idea perfectly captures the spirit of GOVART, a project born from encounters, mutual trust and the willingness to connect institutions, theatres, artists, public authorities and communities across the Adriatic.
The partnership brings together four complementary organisations: Paolo Grassi Foundation as Lead Partner, Teatri di Bari, Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theatre Rijeka, and the City of Ploče. Each partner contributes a specific perspective: artistic production, cultural education, public governance, territorial development and long-standing experience in international cooperation.
During the meeting, the Joint Secretariat of the Interreg Italy–Croatia Programme presented the Programme framework, management rules and communication requirements, stressing the importance of visibility, target group engagement and effective dissemination. Communication was highlighted not as a simple promotional task, but as a strategic driver to make project results accessible, recognisable and reusable by wider cultural and institutional communities.
The Lead Partner then introduced the overall ambition of GOVART: to develop a shared model of cross-border cultural governance capable of addressing legal, administrative and organisational barriers that still limit cooperation between Italy and Croatia. Through benchmarking activities, stakeholder consultations, workshops, artistic residencies and a final Governance Toolkit, GOVART will test new ways to make cultural cooperation more structured, inclusive and sustainable.
A central part of the discussion focused on the role of the arts. Partners agreed that artistic activities should not be seen as isolated performances, but as spaces where social issues, governance challenges and public dialogue can meet. The planned residencies in Italy and Croatia will therefore act as real-life laboratories, involving young artists, cultural operators and public officials in a co-creative process.
The Kick-off Meeting also provided the opportunity to define the first operational steps, including the launch of stakeholder mapping, the organisation of consultations, the preparation of workshop activities and the establishment of the project’s management and coordination bodies.
The day closed with a shared commitment: GOVART will not only produce technical outputs, but will aim to show how performing arts and cultural cooperation can influence public discourse, strengthen institutions and create lasting cross-border connections.
From Martina Franca, GOVART begins its path across the Adriatic with a clear message: culture can do more than connect people. It can help them govern, imagine and build together.
