Art community project Art For Action (ART4A) arose out of the need for the development of empathy and solidarity among citizens, especially among the young generation. Through artistic actions, ART4A supports the citizens to reclaim responsibility for common space and life.

Can a single citizen affect the life of society? Society is not an abstract construct. Our society is our next-door neighbor, or in the building next to ours, our grocer downstairs, the children in the park behind our building ... This is our community. That's us.

 

Could art change society by changing the community? Artists think that it can. Project ART4A is exactly what its name says - Art for Action. This art form is called a community art, because the artists together with community members create an artistic activity. In this type of work, the emphasis is on action, not a work of art, because action leads to change. The project encourages citizens to reclaim responsibility for common space and life.

Four activistic groups - in Belgrade, Zrenjanin , Niš and Smederevo, recognized the problems in their communities where they think they can make a positive move. Belgrade group BAZAART opposed to alienation in the big cities by encouraging tenants of one skyscraper in the neighborhood Banjica to meet, socialize and develop solidarity. CEKOM (Zrenjanin) encouraged young people to get involved in society through their creative potential and provided them a support through the establishment of a youth club. PATOS (Smederevo) revealed how the people who moved in Smederevo, because of economic migration, and how they contributed to the development of the cultural identity of the city. CRCR (Niš) was committed to the revival of spiritual values ​​among the youth of their identity associated with the occurrence of social networks. The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, Divac Foundation and the Municipality Pantelej in Niš supported the project.

Street of memories is an artistic activity that is developed through the project ART4A by PATOS. The project resulted with an exhibition, performance Memories in the Night and Smederevo Cookbook.

"A book that is in front of you is a kind of intimate history of Smederevo made ​​up of family photographs, personal stories, and town and culinary traditions of Smederevo homemakers."

Many of today's inhabitants of Smederevo were not born in this city. Migrated in search of work, at the request of the service, school, out of love, many have found refuge from war and suffering. All these people have voluntarily chosen to stay in Smederevo and be its citizens.

Every citizen of Smederevo carries a story that often does not resemble the story of his neighbors. Their grandparents often did not wear the same hats, shoes, clothes, did not live in the same or similar houses, and were not accustomed to same skills, sometimes not even speaking the same language. They brought in Smederevo new concepts of what is beautiful, valuable and dignified.

Thanks to its residents, Smederevo has one of the richest cuisines in Serbia; beautiful and vivid language, many young people on the streets than many other cities, there are clubs, associations, events, public and cultural life.

The fate of Smederevo was constantly followed by the stroke of history of the area. Multiple symbol of the independence of Serbia, the tragic victim of the Second World War, the pride of advanced Yugoslavian industry. Inhabitants of Smederevo, each individually make up the history of our society, and because of that, they deserve to be heard and recorded.