— 5 week online course
Make a living from your cultural work — without
selling out
An online course for people building cultural projects, programmes and practices who want them to be fair, sustainable and truly their own. Self-paced learning plus live weekly sessions, practical tools and a cohort of peers from around the world.
Enrol Now — 499€ →5 weeks · 4h per week · Live sessions Mondays · Guest speakers included
— Who it's for
Made for practitioners
No business background needed. It's made for people already working in arts, culture and creative practice who want to put their work on solid, fair and sustainable foundations.
Cultural Managers
Professionals working in museums, cultural institutions, festivals, and creative organisations developing sustainable cultural ecosystems.
Creative Entrepreneurs
Founders and freelancers building cultural or creative projects with a focus on cooperation, impact, and sustainability.
Artists & Creatives
Visual artists, performers, musicians, and creative practitioners looking to turn their practice into sustainable cooperative projects.
Educators & Researchers
Teachers, academics, and researchers exploring cultural education, collaborative learning, and social innovation in the arts.
Community Organisers
People leading grassroots initiatives, collectives, and community-based projects focused on social and cultural transformation.
Social Innovators
Changemakers working at the intersection of culture, innovation, and social impact who want to design cooperative solutions.
— Participants have come from
A truly international cohort
…and cultural organisations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
— What they build
“This course provided me with the blueprint and tools to build a cooperative—but it did so much more, delivering beyond what I had imagined. The workshop offered invaluable guidance and inspiration, thanks to the amazing people who spearheaded the course and their incredible projects, the invited speakers who shared insights from their own co-ops, and the thoughtful activities and exercises in the worksheets. Equally inspiring were the connections I made with the other participants, whose ideas and experiences enriched the entire learning experience.”
“Through the course, I have been massively inspired through the subjects covered as well as the lecturers and the guest speakers. The information has also been really insightful but laid out in such a way that it was easy to digest and understand. The structure of the course has been great, especially when fitting it around many other projects it has meant that I could do everything in my own time and the assignments were not too overbearing but all directly relevant with practical application for my future projects.”
“Thanks to the course, I was able to be a part of a cohort of individuals from around the world, whose drive and passion to create businesses that had the solidarity economy at their heart was inspiring. This pushed me to develop my ideas further and see how I can use this knowledge to develop my project further.”
“A key outcome of the course was the creation of an actual project, which resulted from my work throughout the programme. The course offered effective tools for developing a cultural project based on cooperative principles, with both economic and social potential.”
— MORE INFORMATION
We'll answer your questions.
Want the full picture? Leave your details and we'll send you the complete brochure — dates, syllabus, fees and everything else you need to decide.
— The journey
From idea to pitch in just 5 weeks
The whole course can be completed at your own pace, except for the face-to-face online meetings, which will be pre-scheduled. To successfully complete the course, participants are required to attend a minimum of 80% of these online meetings. The readings, weekly assignments and final assignments will be self-paced by each learner, and the weekly online meeting will be facilitated by the team of educators.
- 1st WEEKIntroduction to the programme, team & concept of Cooperative Entrepreneurship in the Arts
Cooperative and solidarity economy values - 2nd WEEKSpeculative brainstorming for creating business ideas respecting planetary boundaries
- 3rd WEEKCustomer profile analysis
Customer validation
- 4th WEEKIntroducing a Cooperative Business Model Plan
Cooperative governance & leadership
Case study analysis - 5th WEEKBranding and communication
Pitching and presentation
Final project presentation
Providing feedback
— How it works
Learn in your own time, together
Self-paced content
Each topic comes with an introduction, learning objectives, an assignment, and a curated list of articles, books and videos.
Live weekly sessions
90-minute synchronous meetings every Monday to apply what you've learned with the group.
A cross-cultural cohort
Team-oriented pedagogy that fosters self-leadership and critical thinking alongside peers from diverse backgrounds.
Guest speakers
Live sessions with international practitioners working in art, cooperativism and the solidarity economy.
— Guest speakers
Learn from people building it
Caroline Woolard
Artist, educator & technologist
Works at the intersection of art and the solidarity economy. Creative director at Pollinator.coop and co-founder of Art.coop, OurGoods.org and TradeSchool.coop.
Gregory Castera
Curator, educator & editor
Works across visual arts, performing arts and political ecology. Curator-at-large and chief of "Learning from the Commons" at Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Brussels.
Oihane Amurrio
Programme coordinator & co-designer
Artist, educator and cultural entrepreneur specialised in cooperative entrepreneurship in the arts. Lead Programme Developer in Cultural Entrepreneurship at Travelling U.
Guerrilla Media Collective
Guest speaker
A feminist translation cooperative with a strong focus on the commons — an international group of professionals dedicated to preserving the art of translation, providing sustainable, dignified and ethical work to those in the knowledge sector.
— Free webinar
Not ready for the full course? Start free.
Join our free 45-minute webinar and discover the 4 ethical business models for cultural work — live, with a Q&A.
— Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cooperative Cultural Entrepreneurship (CCE) course?
The CCE course is an online programme designed for artists, cultural professionals, creative entrepreneurs, and community leaders who want to build sustainable cultural projects through cooperation, social innovation, and entrepreneurial thinking. Participants learn how to develop viable initiatives that create both cultural value and social impact.
Who is the course for?
CCE is ideal for artists, creatives, cultural managers, producers, social innovators, community organisers, and entrepreneurs working in the cultural and creative sectors. Whether you are launching a new initiative or strengthening an existing project, the course provides practical tools for cooperative and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
Do I need previous experience in entrepreneurship?
No previous entrepreneurial experience is required. The course is designed for both beginners and experienced professionals. Participants are guided through key concepts, methodologies, and tools that can be applied directly to cultural, social, and creative projects.
What will I learn during the course?
Participants learn how to develop sustainable cultural projects, understand cooperative business models, design and validate value propositions, build strategic partnerships, strengthen collaboration practices, and create social, cultural, and economic impact through entrepreneurship.
How long is the course?
The course runs over five weeks and requires approximately four hours of study per week. Learning activities combine self-paced online content, collaborative exercises, and live sessions with facilitators and peers.
Is the course fully online?
Yes. The entire programme is delivered online, allowing participants from anywhere in the world to join. The course combines flexible asynchronous learning with interactive live sessions.
Will I receive a certificate after completing the course?
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the course requirements receive a certificate of completion recognising their participation and learning achievements in cooperative cultural entrepreneurship.
Can I develop my own project during the course?
Yes. The course follows a project-based learning approach. Participants are encouraged to work on their own cultural, creative, or social initiative and apply the course tools and methodologies directly to their project.
What makes CCE different from other entrepreneurship courses?
Unlike traditional entrepreneurship programmes focused primarily on business growth, CCE emphasises cooperation, democratic governance, collective value creation, and social impact. The course explores how cultural initiatives can become economically sustainable while remaining community-centred and purpose-driven.
Will I connect with participants from different countries?
Yes. The course brings together an international community of artists, cultural professionals, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. Participants benefit from global perspectives, peer learning, networking opportunities, and potential future collaborations.
How much time should I dedicate each week?
Most participants dedicate around four hours per week to course materials, assignments, discussions, and live sessions. The flexible structure makes it possible to combine the programme with professional and personal commitments.
What language is the course taught in?
The course is delivered entirely in English and welcomes participants from diverse cultural and geographic backgrounds.
How do I enrol?
You can enrol by completing the online payment form on the course website. As places are limited, early registration is recommended. You can enrol here.
What outcomes can I expect from the course?
By the end of the course, participants gain a practical understanding of cooperative cultural entrepreneurship, a stronger professional network, actionable tools for project development, greater confidence in leading collaborative initiatives, and a roadmap for future growth and impact.
Network
The participants joining the online course in Cooperative Cultural Entrepreneurship will be part of:
About
Travelling U
Travelling U is an educational cooperative that designs cross-cultural learning experiences based on three main pillars: collaborative learning, human-centred leadership and cooperative entrepreneurship. Travelling U co-founded and is an active collaborator in the Mondragon Team Academy World (MTA), an international network gathering currently 2500 team entrepreneurs and young change leaders all over the world.
About
Art.coop
Art.coop is a collective that exists to grow an arts/culture movement rooted in solidarity by centering artists and cultural workers making systems-change irresistible.