HOIZ (הויז, home)

The aim of the HOIZ project is to implement a year-round programme of cultural and educational activities in two intimate spaces located in Kraków, functioning as affordable places for creative work, artistic presentation, and meetings devoted to minority and independent culture.

Our goal is to strengthen the grassroots cultural ecosystem by ensuring real access to space for individuals and initiatives that do not have their own institutional infrastructure or the financial resources needed to use commercial cultural venues.

Our offer is addressed in particular to creators working outside the mainstream institutional circuit: emerging and independent artists, as well as those representing cultural, ethnic, religious, and social minorities, including refugee cultures, with particular emphasis on contemporary Jewish culture.

The project responds to the difficulties involved in building an independent artistic scene and to the need to create conditions that support artists in remaining and developing their practice in Kraków.

An important element of the project is making the spaces available to other entities — in particular informal artistic groups and minority non-governmental organisations — as a base for implementing their own programme, workshop, and networking activities.

The project is being implemented in the year marking the 10th anniversary of FestivALT and constitutes the next stage in the organisation’s development, based on its experience and established programme practices.

As part of the HOIZ project, we offer two intimate spaces located in Kraków, which can serve as a programme base for cultural, educational, and networking activities addressed to local creative and minority communities.

The first location is the applicant’s headquarters at ul. Dietla 29/1, functioning as the historic Jewish apartment of Maurycy Finker. This space, referred to as Finker Hoiz, is a place of particular symbolic significance: it was here that FestivALT began its activity, and for many years a significant part of the festival programme was carried out in this location.

The key element of the space is a large living room of approximately 40 m², allowing for the organisation of intimate performative, theatrical, and audiovisual events for audiences of up to around 50 people.

Located on the first floor, the space has basic technical facilities enabling the implementation of artistic activities, including projection possibilities, installation of stage lighting, window blackout, and the organisation of events requiring concentration and appropriate acoustic conditions.

The apartment is soundproofed in a way that allows activities to be carried out without disturbing the peace of the neighbours. The space may also be used as a place of temporary stay for artists participating in residency activities.

The second location is the applicant’s space at ul. Józefińska 9 — Podgórze Hoiz — situated on the ground floor, with direct street access, in the historic area of Old Podgórze, at its central point, close to the footbridge connecting Podgórze with Kazimierz.

The space consists of two workshop rooms, allowing for the comfortable organisation of educational activities, workshops, and meetings for groups of up to around 30 people.

The layout of the space and its equipment allow for flexible adaptation to various working formats, including workshops, group meetings, and project-based activities, while the kitchen facilities make it possible to organise longer-term and integrative activities.

Both locations complement each other functionally and programmatically, creating an accessible and low-threshold base for the implementation of a year-round programme by minority non-governmental organisations, creative initiatives, and cultural and artistic projects.

Entities carrying out their own activities in the provided space are responsible for implementing accessibility solutions appropriate to the nature of the events they organise.

Please note: there is no lift/elevator.