The Center for Culture and Creativity (CBA) in Irun celebrated its first anniversary on Friday, September 11th, marking twelve months since its inauguration. During this period, the center has established its own identity, serving not only as a venue for cultural programming but also as a space for creation, experimentation, encounter, and participation in culture.
Nuria Alzaga, the deputy mayor and delegate for Culture, stated, "A year later, it's hard to imagine Irun without the CBA. I believe that is perhaps the best way to explain what its opening has meant for the city." Alzaga emphasized that the CBA was conceived not merely as "a building to program activities," but as "a living space where culture can be shown, but also created, thought about, experimented with, and shared, because culture is much more than entertainment: it is identity, encounter, thought, creativity, and also a way of building a city."
Throughout its inaugural year, the CBA hosted a total of 66 events: 26 live arts performances, 25 concerts, 7 film screenings, 2 major exhibitions, and 6 more linked to KEOA, its contemporary culture and creation line. Additionally, the center featured encounters from the Geltoki program, Jam Sessions with local musicians, and various actions aligned with its work strategies.
A key characteristic of this first year has been the significant presence of creators from Irun. A total of 26 local artists and groups participated in the programming, reinforcing the CBA's mission to provide a space for visibility, encounter, and projection for the city's artistic talent. Alzaga noted, "The figures allow us to take stock, but they don't solely explain what is happening here. As important as the number of activities we've held is how many people are finding in the CBA a space to showcase their work, create, connect with other artists, or reach new audiences."
The CBA's first year has facilitated the development of various spaces and formats based on the idea that culture begins long before a work reaches a stage or exhibition hall, originating in the research, experimentation, creation, and encounter processes behind it. The year's two main exhibitions were ‘Jonbismo-Reencuentro’ by Jon Benet and ‘Vía Irun’. Alongside these, KEOA workshops and the Ribera Grants have introduced new creative processes and exhibition proposals.
Among these experiences are ‘Urak Darama’ (a research project on the memory of women in the Bidasoa region), ‘Través’ (an exhibition of a community creation process), and ‘Denboraren Makina’ by photographer Estitxu Ortolaiz, which offered a glimpse into a potential future Irun through Artificial Intelligence. The collective UKKE organized a roundtable discussion on creative processes, and ‘Ertzetatik’, coinciding with Bitamine's 15th anniversary, brought together thought, contemporary practices, and professional experiences on sustaining cultural projects.
The ARTOTEKA platform, dedicated to disseminating contemporary art and artistic mediation, has featured works by ten artists and conducted mediation activities. Meanwhile, IrekiART has established itself as a space for experimentation and the development of cultural and creative proposals, particularly aimed at young audiences.
The CBA's opening has also allowed for experimentation with new programming formats. The Irun Zuzenean Hall has hosted specific music and live performance programs. Furthermore, Geltoki has offered intimate encounters with cultural figures such as Janus Lester, María Martín, Jabier Muguruza, and Zuhaitz Gurrutxaga. The center has also hosted the EKICC program, focused on fostering professional projects within the cultural and creative industries.
This first anniversary provides an opportunity to assess the project's progress. "This first year has allowed us to experiment, learn, and begin building a community around the CBA," explained Alzaga. "We have tested the spaces and formats, but also something much more important and less visible: how to generate relationships between audiences, creators, institutions, and cultural agents. And that is a direction we want to continue exploring."
Alzaga emphasized that "this is not to say the project is finished. On the contrary. The important thing is to see that it is alive, that it has a path forward, and that it still has many possibilities to develop." The center looks ahead to its second year with the goal of expanding its audience, supporting new creative processes, and strengthening connections between artists, citizens, and cultural agents.
"We want more and more residents of Irun to feel the CBA as a close and everyday place," Alzaga concluded. "A place to enjoy culture, but also a space where ideas, conversations, collaborations, and new projects can emerge. And we want to continue delving into what makes this space unique: that here, culture is not just shown; it is also created, thought about, and shared."
