CAST Capacity Building Academy II.

The Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) from Budapest hosted the second capacity-building session in June. Beside the wide range of art and design courses which the university offers, they also run research projects coordinated by the Society and Action Research Lab. For these initiatives, MOME often works together with the Hungarian Catholic Charity Network (Magyar Máltai Szeretetszolgálat), local municipalities and other NGOs.

The research team has clear goals: they aim to achieve long-term social impact, believing in co-creation and working to develop resilience in the field, rather than conducting purely theoretical research.

MOME presented a recent project that focused on disadvantaged communities in the rural areas of Hungary, in this case Zalakomár, a small village in the southern part of the country. As part of the project, the university organises workshops, which sometimes last only 2–3 hours or a day, but there are also opportunities to spend an entire week together as part of a summer camp. Art activities for the children include ceramic, sculpting and painting.

The main focus is on creating something sustainable together. Ethnographic methodologies are applied during the process to reveal how to create a long-term social impact by giving underprivileged children the chance to develop creative competencies.

By the end of the week, researchers and locals have created something tangible together: a joint exhibition this time.