Iwona Preis is Director and CEO of Intercult (Sweden) and Governing Chair of Smart Coop Sweden, bringing over 15 years of expertise in international cultural collaboration and European project leadership. As President of the European network River//Cities Platform Foundation until 2024, she has been instrumental in shaping cultural policy and urban development strategies across Europe.
With deep expertise in EU cultural funding mechanisms and international partnership development, Iwona leads transformative projects at the intersection of culture, urban planning, and social sustainability. Her portfolio spans Creative Europe and Horizon 2020 initiatives, including the groundbreaking “Memory of Water” project (2018-2020) exploring post-industrial waterfront heritage across six European cities, and “Turning the Tide,” addressing climate change through artistic interventions in coastal communities.
Iwona’s work focuses on leveraging socially engaged artistic practices as catalysts for community development and urban transformation, particularly around contested cultural heritage and climate adaptation in waterfront zones. She champions methodologies that bridge cultural organizations, municipal authorities, researchers, and local communities, facilitating transdisciplinary dialogue platforms—”urban labs”—that integrate artistic vision with policy-making.
Her leadership extends to advocating for social economy models benefiting creative freelancers through Smart Coop, a solidarity-based cooperative providing sustainable employment structures for artists and cultural professionals. As Manager of Europa Direkt Stockholm since 2011, she serves as a vital conduit for European cultural policy information and communication.
Educated in Cultural Management (University of Stockholm), Scandinavian Studies (University of Gdańsk), and Adult Pedagogy (University of Linköping), Iwona combines academic rigor with practical experience from the IT sector and exhibition management. Her multilingual capabilities (Swedish, Polish, English) and extensive international networks position her as a leading voice in European cultural diplomacy, creative industries development, and the strategic role of culture in addressing 21st-century urban and environmental challenges.
(foto Intercult FB)
