The DCCC Social Hub
The Social Hub is a temporary educational, humanitarian, and cultural space that was operating at Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture (DCCC).
Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, DCCC functioned as a cultural center, focusing on international cooperation and working with the local contexts. Exhibitions, festivals, educational programs, residencies for artists, artistic and urban projects took place here. On February 24 2022, DCCC temporarily stopped its activities, and already in March, it turned into a social hub for local residents and internally displaced people.
Since then, we have been organizing events that promote relations between various communities in the city and integration of internally displaced people into the local contexts, as well as supporting Ukrainian artists, and providing space to research and understand Ukrainian culture and identity.
Areas of activity
Discussion program
Referring to the topics of historical legacy, solidarity, materiality, ethics, geography, geology, economics and law, various Ukrainian experts talked about language, images, memory, and the legacy of the war in the context of culture. Together we tried to characterize the new common experience that we acquire and share among each other.
Ukrainian speaking club
The speaking club was created for people who want to improve their communication skills in Ukrainian and find like-minded people. During meetings, we talked about different topics, including independent cinema, modern education, Ukrainian cities, traditions, and much more.
Film program Front-Line Geographies
Front-Line Geographies is a series of events that, through the experience of collective viewing and discussion of films, provided insights regarding issues of new community and emotional maturity in times of war. The program was created in cooperation with the Dovzhenko Center, and curated by film experts Alona Penzli and Oleksandr Teliuk. The structure of the program was built around themes that have gained special relevance after February 24, 2022.
Workshops for teenagers and adults
During a series of workshops in the social hub, teenagers and adults were able to acquire new skills and work with various techniques. In particular, workshops on DJing, graphics, linocut, mosaics, and animation were held.
Artsvit for Children program
Artsvit for children is a series of art classes for children held twice a week in the social hub. Here, children were able to master artistic techniques, learn to understand modern art, interact with others and freely express their own ideas. The purpose of the program was to show that the world of art is multifaceted and engaging, not boring or difficult to understand. The program was created for children between 6 and 13 years.
Community Kitchen
Through food and conversations about politics and everyday life and how they influence the cuisines of different countries and regions, Community Kitchen promoted the dialogue between different communities in Dnipro. Each meeting was dedicated to a specific dish. Ukrainian experts and guests of the events shared their thoughts on different cuisines, regional traditions related to food, their own eating habits, daily rituals, and, of course, practical experience.
Podcast series POMIZH
POMIZH is a podcast about culture during wartime. Conversations with Ukrainian cultural figures about wartime experiences, their new projects, and how Ukrainian identity is viewed. The podcast is an attempt to think about the role of culture in times of war, and how it responds to challenges and can influence society.
Charity musical events
A series of fundraising musical events aimed to support Ukrainian artists and contemporary Ukrainian music. During these events, we collected funds for urgent needs of cultural workers who are currently defending Ukraine.
The DCCC Social Hub was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Photos by Oleh Samoilenko, Oleksandr Ivannikov, Yulia Tsyban, Oleksandra Kutenko.
