Arts Lab 7.0: Eight Months of Art, Community and Learning in Târgu Frumos

Arts Lab 7.0 was an eight-month volunteering project implemented by Asociația Super Tineri ASIRYS in Târgu Frumos, Romania, and funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps.

Between September 2025 and May 2026, a group of international young artists lived in Târgu Frumos and worked with the local community. They facilitated workshops, developed personal and collective artworks, contributed to exhibitions and joined activities in schools, cultural spaces and villages.

The project connected art with local heritage, community learning and youth work. The volunteers explored Romanian folklore, Jewish memory, Roma culture, Cucuteni heritage and emotional education. At the same time, they learned how to live together, plan activities, work with young people and adapt to a new cultural context.

September: arriving in Romania and discovering Târgu Frumos

September was the beginning of the experience. The volunteers arrived in Romania, moved into the house and started to understand the place where they would live for the next months. For many of them, Târgu Frumos was very different from what they imagined. It was a small town, unfamiliar at first, but slowly it became part of their daily life.

The first weeks were dedicated to adaptation. The volunteers met the ASIRYS team, local volunteers and coordinators. They took part in team-building activities and started to know each other, not only as artists, but also as people who would share the same house, responsibilities and challenges.

They also started to discover the cultural life around them. They attended craft markets, the Cucuteni Jazz Festival, exhibitions in Iași and other local events. These first experiences helped them understand the context of the project and gave them a first contact with Romanian culture.

September was also the month when the group started discussing the folklore residency. The volunteers began to learn that folklore is also about people, gestures, stories, food, music, symbols and community life.

October: first residency, folklore and learning by doing

In October, the volunteers became more involved in the activities of the project. They worked on the folklore residency, facilitated workshops and participated in Folcloristica. They were involved in different roles: leading activities, performing, supporting the event and connecting with local people.

The folklore theme helped them look at Romanian traditions through direct experience. They participated in a folklore photoshoot in Ruginoasa, developed personal artworks and explored how traditional elements can be transformed into contemporary artistic ideas.

This month was also difficult. The first residency brought pressure, frustration and fatigue. The volunteers wanted to do many things at the same time, but they realised that this rhythm was not sustainable. They learned that involvement is important, but so are rest, planning and personal limits.

Language was another challenge. In workshops and local activities, they had to find ways to communicate when words were not enough. They used gestures, images, examples, humour and support from each other. This helped them understand facilitation in a very practical way.

November: exhibitions, schools and the beginning of JEMOM

In November, the volunteers continued the work started in the previous months and moved towards more complex artistic processes. They worked on the folklore exhibition, visited schools and continued to explore Iași and the local cultural environment.

A very important part of the month was the beginning of the JEMOM residency, focused on Jewish memory and local history. The volunteers learned about the Jewish history of Târgu Frumos, visited the cemetery and discussed how art can approach difficult subjects with care and respect.

They also started to work together on a collective performance. The process was challenging because it required research, rehearsals, planning, listening and many creative decisions. It was not only about having ideas, but about making those ideas work together.

November helped the group understand how an exhibition or a performance is developed in real conditions. They tested ideas, changed them, negotiated, made mistakes and improved the work step by step.

December: JEMOM exhibition, teamwork and the need for a break

In December, the volunteers presented the JEMOM exhibition and performance. After weeks of preparation, the work became visible to others. The group felt stress before the presentation, but also pride and relief after seeing the result.

This month also brought important lessons about teamwork. Living and working together every day is not simple. Different personalities, habits and expectations can create tension. The volunteers had to learn how to listen better, how to speak more clearly and how to manage conflict without losing the purpose of the work.

They also visited the Rroma Gallery and a pro-Roma organisation, which helped prepare the next stage of the project. At the same time, they joined Christmas events in schools, visited exhibitions in Iași and discovered Romanian Christmas traditions.

By the end of December, the group was tired. The Christmas break was needed. It gave the volunteers time to rest, reconnect with family or simply have space for themselves.

January: returning after the holidays and working with Roma culture

January started slowly. After the winter break, the volunteers needed time to return to the rhythm of the project. Some of them felt disconnected or less motivated at the beginning. It took patience to rebuild the routine.

The main focus of the month was the Rroma residency. The volunteers learned about Rroma history, customs, symbols, the Rroma anthem and personal stories. They visited a Rroma village and worked with Rroma children in local schools.

This part of the project was important because it moved the learning process from research to direct contact. The volunteers understood that working with a community means listening first. It is not enough to collect information; it is necessary to meet people, hear their stories and be careful with how those stories are represented.

In January, the group also organised intercultural events, performed the JEMOM/Jewish performance again at the House of Culture and continued preparing artworks and exhibitions. Slowly, they became more focused and more connected again.

February: Cucuteni residency and meeting other volunteers

In February, the volunteers continued the Cucuteni residency. They explored Cucuteni heritage and worked on artworks, catalogues and exhibition ideas. This theme helped them connect with one of the oldest cultural layers of the region and think about how ancient symbols can be interpreted today.

The volunteers also took part in the Mid-Term Evaluation in Bucharest, organised within the European Solidarity Corps. There, they met other volunteers from different organisations in Romania. They exchanged experiences, spoke about challenges and built new friendships.

For the group, this meeting was useful because it showed them that their difficulties were not unique. Other volunteers were also adapting, learning, struggling with motivation, discovering Romania and trying to understand their role in the community.

February also included cultural exchanges between volunteers, including Turkish, French and Spanish activities. These moments made the project lighter and more personal. They reminded the group that intercultural learning also happens through food, music, humour, stories and time spent together.

March: a very full month of exhibitions, schools and hub preparation

March was one of the busiest months of the project. The volunteers worked on the Cucuteni exhibition and interacted with students from different ages and backgrounds. They connected heritage with creative activities and used art as a way to make local history more accessible.

They also contributed to activities connected to emotions and supported the Rroma exhibition at Ion Creangă School. At the same time, they began to work more seriously on their personal artistic projects.

Another important task was preparing the Open HeART Hub. The volunteers helped arrange, paint and transform the space. It was practical work, not only artistic work. They cleaned, organised, painted, discussed, changed plans and spent many hours making the hub ready for young people.

The month was intense and sometimes overwhelming. There were many responsibilities and not enough time to do everything calmly. But the volunteers also felt more united. They saw that when the team supports each other, the work becomes easier and the results are better.

In March, they also joined caravans in Pașcani, where they facilitated artistic workshops about emotions with teenagers. These activities gave them direct contact with young people and helped them understand what adolescents think, feel and need.

April: final activities, Open HeART Hub and saying goodbye

April was the last month of the mobility. The volunteers worked on personal artworks, emotional education workshops, exhibitions, caravans in schools and villages, and the opening of the Open HeART Hub.

The opening of the hub was one of the most visible moments of the project. The volunteers were proud because they could see a concrete result of their work. The space was prepared for local youth and reflected many hours of effort, creativity and teamwork.

At the same time, April was stressful. There were many things to finish before leaving: artworks, activities, reports, exhibitions, final meetings and goodbyes. The volunteers had to plan their days better and manage their energy carefully.

They also took part in Erasmus+ activities, where they met international youth workers and helped the organisation to organize the local activities. This gave them the chance to use what they had learned during the project in a new context.

The end was emotional. Some people had already started to leave, and the group had to prepare for separation. For many volunteers, Târgu Frumos had become familiar. The house, the team, the schools, the hub and the local people were no longer just part of a project, but part of their personal experience. Six of the volunteers are still staying until 9-10 May, and the last three are in the project until 20 May. 

What the volunteers learned

During the eight months, the volunteers developed artistic, social and practical skills. They learned how to facilitate workshops, prepare exhibitions, work with children and teenagers, communicate in a multicultural team and adapt their ideas to real situations.

They also learned about themselves. They experienced independence, fatigue, conflict, friendship, homesickness, motivation, pride and uncertainty. Some moments were easy, others were not. But this is also part of a long-term volunteering experience.

Through Arts Lab 7.0, they discovered Romania from inside the community: through schools, villages, museums, local events, shared meals, conversations, celebrations and daily life.

For ASIRYS and Târgu Frumos, the project brought international volunteers who contributed with time, creativity and energy. They supported exhibitions, workshops, performances, caravans and the development of the Open HeART Hub. They worked with local youth, teachers, cultural partners and community members.

Arts Lab 7.0 showed how the European Solidarity Corps can support real community involvement. The project gave young artists the chance to learn and contribute at the same time. They came to Romania as volunteers, but they left with a deeper understanding of community work, cultural diversity and the role art can have in bringing people together.