ARTCOR - Creative Industries Center is located in the historical center of Chisinau in the courtyard of the Art Academy (AMTAP). The center is set to become a place for developing the environment of creative industries of Moldova. Artcor was possible only with the support of the Moldova Competitiveness Project, funded by USAID, Sweden and UK aid.
We are the people, this is the place. We love Artcor and do everything we can for you to love it too. Because honestly, it is great!
- Andrei PatrașcuHostThe man of the house. Wherever you need to discuss the details of an upcoming event or just need to borrow a screwdriver, Andrei is the man to help you with almost everything.
- Oxana BerzanProject ManagerOxana loves everything to be at its own place. She handles the details of managing projects, events and spaces with great attention to excel files, style and order.
- Mișa ȚurcanuCommunity ManagerMișa is like Nokia, connecting people, since forever. If you want to be part of our creative community, you have to meet him.
- Cristina VelixarEducational ManagerThere is no bad time for learning or teaching. Cristina helps people of all ages to explore new areas of interest and develop creative skills.
- Veronica ȚurcanuCopywriterVeronica is a big dictator. She dictates the tone of voice and the messages we spread around. All communication materials, texts, ad campaigns are obeying her command.
- Veronica BelousGraphic DesignerBeautiful places need beautiful designs. Right? The creative mind and hands of this girl developed the graphical identity of Artcor and still handles all visual materials for our projects.
Viorica Cerbușca
Director
Meet our „lady boss”. She is fearless and brave, makes everything work and everyone feel welcomed at Artcor.
Artcor Creative Industries Center is a groundbreaking infrastructure and ecosystem hub for Moldova’s emerging creative sector.
The new (A2) building, created by moldovan architecture Maxim Calujac has been awarded 2nd place in the Archdaily & Strelka Awards 2019 competition and has been selected as BIG SEE Architecture Award 2020 - Winner.
The building is a modern architectural jewellery situated in a historical place. This specific courtyard is symbolic because it unites 3 different eras: the residential monument Cazimir-Keshco represents the late 19th century of the city, next to it stands the building that houses the faculty of Decorative Arts, and Design of AMTAP, built in the 1950s and right in the centre is the new Artcor building built in 2019.
The shape of the building was determined by the configuration of the courtyard and was built to get the most of this small but meaningful space.
Now, the centre consists of two parts: a new building (400 m²) and a part of the old Academy building (450 m²).
The accent in the interior is given by the building’s constructive structure – a caisson ceiling, internal auditorium staircases, and the surface of the walls made in tinted concrete. The furniture and part of ceiling lighting were designed by the author especially for this centre. In the creation of decorative elements for the centre, the architect worked closely with the students, artists and Academy’s professors. Moderate interior design allows visitors to focus their attention on the exhibited art-works.
A mixed use of cultural and business space has been designed in the new building, also the second floor is offering a space for workshops and startup collaborations.
The roof represents a terrace with access through the open-air auditorium stairs, which are oriented to the Cazimir-Keshco residential monument.
At the entrance from the driveway, you can see the sculpture “The Knowledge Tree” that shows the origin of creation. The courtyard plot has been cut by the “Stone rivers”, which are used as a sewer of the storm water.
The task was to preserve the historical background as much as possible, but also, on the other hand, the goal was to create a mixed space. The architect achieved an active urban space by transforming the courtyard into an active urban zone, accessible for all visitors, also making the building useful by making the roof exploitable.
My main goal is to change the way people interact with architecture.
Maxim Calujac
Architect of Artcor
Maxim Calujac, born in 1980, is the founder and the lead architect at “Calujac Architecture”. He studied architecture at the Technical University of Moldova and is a member of the Creative Industries Association of Moldova. His work combines architectural functionality and art details, both on the inside and the outside of his buildings. Since 2009, Maxim has been leading projects in Italy, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova and Romania.
Yes, we do have office hours, this is the time we expect official visits, work meetings and so on. But if you are interested in visiting the space or attending one of our events you are welcome to Artcor almost anytime of the day.
It is a great place to sip from your morning coffee, to come for lunch, to enjoy an exhibition or a live concert. Check our social media pages to find out what is happening at Artcor these days.
Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, MD-2004
09:00 - 18:00
for Success
The Future Technologies Activity funded by USAID and Sweden is providing continued support to expand the programs and services offered by Artcor including pre-acceleration programs for creative startups; industry conferences focused on urban development, creative exports, and documentary filmmaking; and learning programs for interactive storytelling, augmented reality installations, and motion graphics. Artcor is managed by COR, the Creative Industries Association, which generates industry-relevant content and ensures the long-term strategy and model for the center.