Jutempus [interdisciplinary art programmes] is non-profit, artist-run initiative (NGO), that was founded in 1993 and re-organized in 1997 on the initiative of Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas in collaboration with other artists and creative people at the former Cultural Palace of the Railway Workers in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Conceived as interdisciplinary art program it aims to explore the conflicts and contradictions posed by the economic, social and ecological conditions in the post Soviet era. Jutempus develops models for social, artistic and educational practice that merge art, culture, ecology and technology. Jutempus produces network based collaborative projects with partner organizations and artists facilitating connections between East and West, North and South.

Since 1993 Jutempus build ongoing exchange with several Baltic-Nordic artists organizations and educational platforms. For example, since 1995 jutempus with Helsinki based MUU ry artists’ organization involved more than 100 artists in Lithuania, Sweden and Finland, Lahti Art Institute, Vilnius Art Academy, and Contemporary Art Center resulting in Body Dimension – the first (in the Baltic states) international Performance art festival to address bio-power and ecology with more than 60 participants each year. Driven by the desire to build new media art discourse Jutempus builds ongoing collaboration with artists and cultural producers developing their own television project tvvv.plotas (1997-2000) and launching Balsas.cc (2005), online magazine for new media art and culture.

In 2001-2004 together with CRAC (Sweden), Atelier Nord (Norway), E-Media Centre (Estonia), Olento (Finland), and RIXC (Latvia) Jutempus co-organized RAM: Re-Approaching New Media – series of workshops that build sustained method for education in new media of the international network of artists, technicians, designers, media activists and cultural practitioners to engage with diversity of cultures using “media ecology” as tools to create civic values.

In 2010-2011 Jutempus developed ongoing collaborations with MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technologies, Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, department of Computer and system science at Stockholm University, Reykjavik University, Oxford Brookes University, NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, KUVA – Finish Art Academy and other academic institution, and building multi-annual research projects, that tackle areas of ecology, pedagogy and social activism, for example:

– Since 2010 Jutempus develops an exchange between Lithuanian, American and UK cultural producers and scholars to explore the role that rivers play in defining our sense of individual and collective belonging, to adapt to an environment with rising water levels, and why and how water is important to us. Working with writer Tracey Warr and architect Giacomo Castagnola they develop River Research that is conceived as a hybrid laboratory and playground for investigating and imagining future of rivers;

– Since 2010 jutempus builds an exchange between Lithuanian, British, Swedish, German and Norwegian cultural producers and educators researching the pedagogical turn and methods of radical pedagogy in artistic research. They develop series of workshops and conferences conceived by a networked group of partners in collaboration between the graduate programs in art at NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Finish Academy of Fine Arts, Malmo Art Academy, Goldsmiths University of London, Vilnius Academy of Arts;

– Since 2009 jutempus builds an exchange between Lithuanian, American and Italian artists, students, cultural producers and scholars to research the history of the Centri Sociali (community centers) in Milan’s Ticinese neighborhood, and its history in the 1970s of self-managed activities, counter-information magazines and publications, and an art gallery. In collaboration with MIT and NABA Milan, Italy.