- Mudarte, La Sindicalista Estudio Cáceres and Ras de Terra have been selected
- The call for international artists opens on May 15th
The Cáceres European Capital of Culture 2031 Consortium has completed the first phase of the Rural Labs pilot project, an initiative included in the candidacy BidBook and conceived as a device for cultural activation in the territory, oriented towards artistic experimentation, citizen participation and the generation of cultural networks in the rural environment.
This first phase, which began in December 2025, consisted of a call for applications from spaces, collectives, and cultural agents interested in becoming venues for artistic residencies linked to the program. A total of fifteen applications were submitted from various parts of Extremadura, from which three venues were selected: Mudarte, promoted by the Mudarte Association for Training and Performing Arts Creation; La Sindicalista Estudio Cáceres, a space dedicated to contemporary visual arts; and Ras de Terra, a cultural project linked to the natural and rural environment.
The selection was made through an international committee composed of professionals with experience in European cultural projects, artistic mediation and territorial work, including representatives of national and international cultural initiatives, including Plataforma MAL and Italian professionals specializing in residency programs and community culture.
The second phase of the project will begin this Friday, May 15, with the opening of the international Open Call for artists, which will remain open until May 31. Through this call, the artists who will participate in residencies at the various venues between July and November 2026 will be selected.
The residencies will be aligned with the strategic approach of Transculture (Land, Path and Cycle), one of the conceptual axes of the Cáceres 2031 candidacy, and will combine contemporary creation processes, cultural mediation, work with local communities and public activities open to the territory.
From BidBook to action
With the launch of Rural Labs, Cáceres 2031 continues to develop projects included in its BidBook even before the final resolution of the title of European Capital of Culture, consolidating a working methodology based on the real implementation of cultural programs, the connection between territory and citizens and the European dimension of cultural processes.
Rural Labs is part of a cultural strategy that understands culture as a tool for territorial cohesion, social innovation and European construction from the margins, fostering new relationships between contemporary creation, citizenship and landscape.
