He can name at least 20 successful cultural measures by the Bavarian state government in recent years. But, as Thomas Kreuzer from the CSU said at the von der Initiative Kulturzukunft Bayern organized panel discussion in the Audimax of the TU Munich: Unfortunately, there is no time for that. And yes, it’s true. For each of the questions, the two moderators only allowed the invited cultural policy spokespersons from the Bavarian parliamentary groups to make a two-minute statement. Despite it. Perhaps it would have been good if we had learned something about the cultural-political successes of the CSU and the Free Voters. Because the external perception is different. You only have to look at the newspapers for the past few months.
Renovation backlog: The Munich Music Academy is also considered to be extremely poor.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The Bavarian State Opera: in need of renovation. The Munich Music Academy and the Collection of Antiquities: in need of renovation. And will the planned concert hall ever be built? It was precisely this mixture of renovation backlog and standstill that led to the founding of the Kulturzukunft Bayern initiative last year. As an independent, civic association of meanwhile 36 culture-promoting groups of friends with around 16,000 members, it has made it its task to draw attention to abuses in the cultural and political establishment and to demand solutions. To this end, she organizes events like this one, which now took place as part of the program for the Kunstareal Festival.
“How do the parties in the state election campaign position themselves on the future of cultural infrastructure?” That was the title, which is estimated to have attracted around 200 listeners to the lecture hall. As for the positions that afternoon, which remained, to anticipate it, but quite general and vague. And those who had even expected cultural-political visions: There was almost no trace of that. That’s exactly what Sanne Kurz from Bündnis 90/Die Grünen accused in one of the few polemical moments of the CSU, which used to have someone like Minister of Education Hans Maier in its ranks: “What I miss are visions and people who fight for them. “
Instead, according to Kurz, the CSU only manages cultural policy. And if you heard Thomas Kreuzer say several times that the state can only promote, support and create the framework conditions, everything else has to be arranged by the cultural workers themselves: then that should be correct in some way. But as a cultural worker, don’t you want to hear something that inspires you a little? But stop! Didn’t the current Minister of Art, Markus Blume (CSU), recently speak of a “cultural cascade” that should serve as a strategy for the pending renovations? Well, Volkmar Halbleib from the SPD said: It’s just a “label”, a “dazzling term” and anything but a “master plan”.
Perhaps a Bavarian cultural council consisting of external experts could help. The parliamentary group leader of the Free Voters, Florian Streibl, brought this into play. He could then draft something like a “state development plan” for culture. A development plan? The Greens had already introduced it twice without success, according to Kurz. And one piece of advice that cannot simply be imposed on cultural workers. It was said of Wolfgang Heubisch from the FDP that he himself had already proposed a cultural council and that it worked well in North Rhine-Westphalia. But Heubisch did not say who should sit on the council. As a Liberal, he suggested that cultural institutions focus more on crowdfunding and sponsoring.
However, one of the demands of the Kulturzukunft initiative is not to leave the responsibility to civic engagement. On the other hand: There are many construction sites. Too many. According to Florian Streibl, ailing churches or castles also exist. Only, before the state elections there will not be much change. Which is why the last question to the participants was: why should we vote for you? Answer CSU: Because of their economic policy. The Greens: Because of their climate policy. The SPD and Free Voters said at least that culture promotes social developments. But: none of that sounded like a “culture issue for the boss”.