1. TIRANA EKSPRES The alternative cultural center of Tirana

2. Who we are We are a non-profit organization formed of a collective of mixed backgrounds including art, civil society, environmentalists and social business. We are a self- financed and self-sustained inter-disciplinary cultural space.

3. Why Tirana Ekspres ? We feel an intuitive drive that comes from a city that is always in expansion. We want to give alternatives to the limited and often very exclusive nature of cultural life in town. We want to fill the lack of a continuous and sustainable alternative reality.

4. What are our immediate goals ? We aim at stimulating cultural life in the city of Tirana and creating community. We want to stimulate young artists to exhibit and perform through an open door and collaborative policy; as well as encourage well established or foreign artists to exhibit and perform at Tirana Ekspres making art accessible to all people. We intend to put Tirana on the map with other cities that have alternative & independent art/cultural spaces.

5. What we have achieved: Visual art From its inception in June 2011 until now, Tirana Ekspres presented numerous successful exhibitions (such as photography, paintings, installations, short films)…

7. What we have achieved: Music …as well as musical performances with national and international performers of different genres of music

9. What we have achieved: Performances …and extraordinary theatre plays and live performances

11. Media coverage & outreach: We received media coverage from all the main television & print media in the country on most of these occasions. We have been included in 4 documentaries of Italian, Swiss, Austrian and Spanish producers. Tirana Ekspres has been visited by more than 6000 people (of all ages and a broad range of nationalities).

12. What else? In 2012 Tirana Ekspres went green while launching the campaign “The Rodon Cape Guards”. The aim is to clean one of the most beautiful and most polluted areas in Albania. We organized fundraising events and 15 cleaning actions involving more than 600 volunteers.

13. EcoCenter Ishëm EcoCentre in Ishëm is the coordination point for environmental protection and regional promotion projects of Tirana Ekspres. We focus on ecology and environmental protection of Ishëm district, including Kepi i Rodonit, through regional promotion, scientific and cultural activities.

14. Atlantid Beach Atlantid Beach is part of Tirana Ekspres’ project to promote Regional Environment, Eco-Tourism and outdoor sports in the area of Ishëm.

15. Medium-Long term goals Tirana Ekspres aims at passing from being an innovation to becoming a solid standard for the city of Tirana. Tirana Ekspres aims at becoming a framework for the cultural development of our capital. Tirana Ekspres aims at making cultural life accessible to sub- urban areas and peripheries through building a cultural station in every neighborhood of the city. Tirana Ekspres aims at helping to create a cultural movement that emerges from bottom-up through building community.

16. Thank you for your attention