House of the Four Muses

Within the framework of this joint project of the Foundation Charter 77, the Foundation “Nadace život umělce” and the Schock Agency, we looked into suitable properties that could serve as a sanctuary in which artists (actors, singers, dancers, musicians) may spend their old age in an active way. In cooperation with the vice-dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical College (ČVUT), lecturer and accredited architect Irena Šestáková, we successfully commissioned the students of her class with producing a term paper on the topic “old-age homes for artists”. The students surveyed the sites “Branický dvůr” and “Waterworks Pump House” by Jan Kotěra in the fourth district and the Vokovice Farm in the sixth district.
Talks with the owners of all these properties are underway, and if any one of them can be secured for the project, then the Foundation, alongside its partners, will take steps in the course of 2009 towards making the project become reality, scheduling milestones, and raising the necessary funds. We intend to create public interest in the refurbishment of a specific property. The project has impressed a number of personalities on our cultural scene, and we count on the support we were promised by e.g. Dagmar Havlová, Zdeněk Svěrák, and Tomáš Töpfer, as well as by important cultural institutions. In cooperation with these contributors, the Foundation will organize a number of charity events to raise funds for the project.
A public fundraiser for the House of the Four Muses has also been announced and approved. The Foundation has opened an account for collecting donations with Česká spořitelna, account No. 55225522/0800.