the lab

A place to develop sustainable artistic projects and creative businesses

Our 12–month skills development program welcomes creators from all across the cultural and creative fields. The Lab is a place based & community driven initiative where you as a practitioner can receive the support you need for your professional development, as well as the chance to form and nurture relationships with fellow practitioners, the public and private sector. Interdisciplinary collaboration is commonplace and encouraged, spanning across art, music, dance, design, literature, podcasts, filmmaking, photography, performances, exhibition, architecture and much more. The Lab started 2022, as a (post-pandemic) response to increasingly precarious working conditions for creators and culture workers.

The Lab is not an initiative with revolving doors, meaning our ambition is that people are engaged in the community beyond the time as members of the Lab and use STPLNs premises as a launching pad for their creative endeavors. We aspire to create a regenerative and caring community that our alumni keep returning to and share new knowledge with, for example through showcases or even as lecturers themselves.

What’s in it for you?

Working in the cultural and creative sectors requires knowledge and skills beyond your individual creative practice. Our lecture and workshop program addresses bookkeeping, budgeting, applying for grants, building sustainable partnerships and time-management. Alongside that program, we strive to deepen understanding of national cultural politics, unionising, strategic communication and self-promotion, contracts and laws and negotiation tactics.

We offer a supportive environment that builds on community-based informal learning, where you can slow down and design a manageable, self-sustaining and focused strategy for your work. Explore new technologies while navigating tax systems and funding applications, develop your online presence while obtaining coping mechanisms for stress. Our lecture and workshop program is intertwined with members-only meetups that foster a sense of belonging and safety,  and evaluative discussions that prioritise community-based knowledge exchange.

 

Application closed

Application opens:
05 juni — 19 juni

Next program period starts 11 aug

We provide

  • A shared workspace with fellow Lab members & alumni

  • Access to workshops, media equipment, and tools

  • One-on-ones tailored to your needs and interests

  • A curated program of workshops and lectures focused on broadening your knowledge of economic, legal, sustainable, organizing, communicative, marketing, and digital aspects of your business

  • Access to the venue, event equipment and production guidance

Not interested in the program, but still want the workshops?

The STPLN Lab workshops and lectures are open to anyone active in the cultural and creative fields. And the best part? Attending them is 100% free of charge, regardless of whether you have a place in the incubator program or not. If you need a space to work, you’re welcome to STPLNs free and public co-working space. Read more here.