The course has been set: the first Altomünster art symposium can take place in the second week of August. At its January meeting, the market town council gave its approval and appointed the initiator Susanne Allers, treasurer of the Altomünster museum and local history association, as “symposium speaker”. The municipality acts as organizer.
The working title of the event is: “Artist friends work in Altomünster”. Because the four creative people, who let you look over their shoulders in Altomünster, have known each other for many years: the Berlin painter Bernd Schwarting (born 1964) had already exhibited works in Altomünster two years ago, on the initiative of Allers. He spoke to the Munich painter Ingrid Floss (born in 1970), who received the Bavarian Art Promotion Prize in 2006 and has already worked in Australia, China, the USA and Switzerland. Most recently, she made a name for herself with two major music-painting projects.
Also in Altomünster: the Berlin sculptor Friedemann Grieshaber (born 1968), who often works with materials such as concrete and iron. Works by the native of Ravensburg can be seen in the German Bundestag, in the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg and in various museums. The wood sculptor Clemens Heinl (born 1959) creates life-size and larger-than-life figures. He has won numerous prizes and regularly exhibits nationally and internationally. In the summer of last year he showed his works in Metz, France; it was one of the first artistic events in France back then after the lockdown.
According to Allers, the Bavarian Minister of Arts and Science Bernd Sibler (CSU) has also confirmed his attendance, and CSU member of the state parliament Bernhard Seidenath drew Sibler’s attention to the event.
Daily tours are planned
The opening of the symposium is scheduled for Monday, August 8, in the morning. The creatives can be seen until August 12th. Where exactly is still open. The four definitely want to work in the open air, right in Altomünster or in the hilly area. Allers plans daily guided tours to the creation sites. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the painter and her three colleagues will move to the Altomünster Museum. Interested parties can not only observe the creation of the works, but also discuss them with Floss, Grieshaber, Heinl and Schwarting. Allers also wants to offer separate tours for young people, in cooperation with the Altomünster youth center. The political prominence – in addition to Sibler, the district president Josef Mederer, district administrator Stefan Löwl and Seidenath – also get their own tour. An evening lecture on the situation and importance of contemporary art, which Allers wants to set up together with the Altomünster adult education center, is still being planned. From August 13th, an exhibition with (finished) works by the art quartet can be seen in the museum, probably for a period of two weeks.
Allers wants to finance the event entirely through donations. Some commitments have already been made, reports the art manager, who otherwise works as deputy press officer at Sparkasse Dachau. She will present her financing concept to the municipal council, as the organizer the municipality would have to step in for a possible deficit.