Citizen initiatives for cultural participation in urban society
Enabling people with limited financial resources to participate in cultural events by personally addressing them; honouring civic engagement for independent art spaces; strengthening diversity through easily accessible local art offerings.
1- Kulturlogen (culture loges); Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Kulturelle Teilhabe (Federal Association for Cultural Participation); KulturLeben Berlin – Schlüssel zur Kultur e.V. (CulturalLife Berlin – key to culture)
2- Landesfonds Kommunale Galerien Berlin (State Fund for Municipal Galleries), since 2014; prizes for independent project spaces and initiatives, since 2012
Kulturlogen – KulturLeben – Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Kulturelle Teilhabe (culture loges)
- Providing respectful, free-of-cost access to cultural events through pro bono unsold tickets
- Experiencing events as a host: Inviting a companion along and/or experiencing culture together as a family
- Turning people who did not previously attend cultural events into event-goers
- Strengthening the importance of culture and volunteer work for social cohesion
- Raising awareness of the human right to participate in cultural life, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 27
Kommunale Galerien and independent project spaces and initiatives (municipal galleries)
- Strengthening diversity of programming and providing a “first showcase” for artists
- Enriching the diversity of artistic expressions through superb independent art spaces with experimental and original programming
1- Time commitment by volunteers; special software; tickets donated by cultural partners such as theatres, concert halls and event organisers as well as by donors
2- State fund 350,000 EUR annually (municipal galleries), prizes for project sites 30,000 EUR each (2016: 20 prizes, total amount 600,000 EUR)
1- Example of the Kulturloge Marburg (October 2009 to February 2015): 1700 guests at cultural events, including 600 children, cooperation with 50 event organisers, more than 10,000 tickets distributed
Example of KulturLeben Berlin (2010 to 2015): guests registered by the organisation: 15,500, of which 2,400 were children and 4,300 were guests from social partner institutions; 350 cultural partners; 260 social partners; in 2014: 41,000 cultural locations distributed; cumulatively since 2010: 145,000 tickets distributed
Evaluations of KulturLeben Berlin by the University of Hildesheim: 2014 and 2011: non-attendees of cultural events became attendees: 56 per cent of guests had not attended any cultural events in the 12 months before receiving “guest tickets”, while 44 per cent had attended two or more. http://www.kulturvermittlung-online.de/pdf/mandel,_renz_2014_-_mind_the_gap.pdf
2 - Active public participation, more than 150 free independent art spaces and initiatives http://kulturvermittlung-online.de/pdf/renz_mandel_die_evaluation_der_kulturloge_berlin_2011.pdf