WHAT:

On 22 June 2026, The Impact Lab‘s Advisor, cultural strategist and curator, Yasemin Elçi, led a full day of professional training as part of the U-Woman Summer School in Kraków, Poland — a landmark event within the U-Woman project, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

The Summer School, held on 18-22 June 2026, brought together carefully selected Ukrainian women artists for an intensive programme of learning, exchange, and professional development.

With over fifteen years of experience shaping creative ecosystems across Europe, Turkey, and Brazil — and as former Director of Leica Gallery Istanbul and Gallery x-ist — The Impact Lab’s Yasemin brought both institutional depth and hands-on curatorial practice to the room. Her recent project Climate Elders (2025–2026), presented at the Museu de Arte Sacra do Pará in Belém in parallel with COP30, exemplifies the kind of internationally resonant, socially engaged work she champions.

The U-Woman project, in which The Impact Lab is a partner, unites six Ukrainian and European organisations in a shared commitment to supporting Ukraine’s cultural identity — upscaling the skills of women artists, fostering international artistic collaboration, and integrating innovative digital tools to amplify impactful creative work.

HOW:

The day led by The Impact Lab was structured across three sessions, each addressing a distinct but interconnected layer of professional competence for artists seeking to build international careers.

Session 1 — European Priorities in Arts and Culture

We opened the day by helping participants decode the EU cultural funding landscape, from Creative Europe to Horizon Europe. Rather than presenting the framework in abstract terms, the session focused on how EU priorities — cultural, social, and environmental — shape funding criteria in practice, and what good EU-aligned projects actually look like. Participants worked to draft a concrete project idea with potential European partners, leaving with a clearer sense of where their work belongs on the European stage.

Session 2 — AI in Art and Creativity: Ethics, IP & Risk

The second session addressed one of the most pressing conversations in the creative sector today. We guided participants through the major ethical challenges AI poses for artistic work — from economic displacement and authorship questions to bias and societal trust — before introducing the intellectual property concepts artists need to protect and manage their rights in an AI-assisted practice. A practical risk management framework covering legal, reputational, and data-related risks was presented alongside EU policy context and real-world examples from both cultural institutions and individual artists. The emphasis throughout was on building the knowledge and confidence to use AI responsibly and transparently.

Session 3 — A Practical Introduction to the Contemporary Art World

To close the day, Yasemin walked artists through the architecture of the contemporary art world — from concept to exhibition, from studio to institution. Drawing on her extensive curatorial experience, she explored how artistic ideas move through the system, the roles of different art world actors, and the skills artists need to sustain and communicate their practice today. Participants were introduced to key platforms, publications, and resources that support visibility, networking, and access to opportunities within the international art world.

RESULTS:

The first U-Woman Summer School has received 220 applications for just 20 places, demonstrating the extraordinary appetite among Ukrainian women artists for this kind of structured, high-level professional support. The three sessions delivered by Yasemin Elci on behalf of The Impact Lab equipped participants with a concrete and actionable toolkit: from drafting their first EU-aligned project idea, to navigating the legal landscape of AI in creative practice, to understanding how the international contemporary art world operates.

The Summer School is one strand within the broader U-Woman project, which aims to involve 900 female artists, produce 10 exhibitions, and reach more than 100,000 visitors over its 36-month duration — ultimately contributing to a lasting Cultural Cooperation Community that keeps Ukrainian artistic voices visible on the global stage.

A second Summer School is planned for 10–14 July 2026 in Kraków.

#urbaninnovation #icapital #eic