Who we are and our Mission

Arden2 is a nonprofit organization dedicated (since 1996) to expanding cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts through global exchanges and through encouraging interdisciplinary cooperation between artists, academia and activists. Arden2 is named after the Utopian art colony Arden established in the 19th Century by the Polish-born actress Helena Modjeska. We facilitate support and resources to individual artists and arts, heritage and creative organizations both in the United States as well as in Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, Czechia, Germany and Ukraine).

The initiative brings together global and local artists, activists, and researchers—through residency programs, workshops, public dialogues, and performances—to explore and stimulate contemporary aesthetic and expressive forms.

Our programs create opportunities for experimentation, the development, and realization of creative and activist projects, as well as immersion in rural communities of Eastern Europe.

Our work is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and generative. We engage with diverse communities—particularly those that are underserved, vulnerable, or disenfranchised. Our programs are intended to build capacities, and create opportunities for sustained creative practice that will enhance the lives of artists and communities.