According to a study by the “Professional Association of Fine Artists in Munich and Upper Bavaria”, Munich’s fine artists lived on an average of 962 euros a month in 2019. The visual arts are of course only part of the free art scene. Their financial situation was recently the subject of a panel discussion in the Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus.
Moderated by Lara Wüster, Head of the Turtle Magazine(s).the visual artist Gabi Blum, the author Dana von Suffrin and the freelance author and dramaturge Raphaela Bardutzky discussed the lack of funding, difficult fee demands and networking opportunities together with the audience.
According to Blum, one problem of the independent scene in Munich is the creative economy. The city mainly promotes its high culture, although many more people use the subculture. The city must support the latter more continuously. In Blum’s opinion, the two years in which young companies are supported in the Ruffinihaus would not be enough for them to establish themselves on the market. “The city adorns itself with its artists,” agrees von Suffrin, while Bardutzky adds that promoting the cultural scene serves in particular to attract companies and employees to Munich.
Blum sees support, scholarships and advice from umbrella organizations as tips for financial security so that you don’t have to adapt yourself and your work to the capitalist market. The trained graphic designer also recommends a completed apprenticeship that you can fall back on in financially difficult times – caused by illness or starting a family, for example.
Young professionals, especially women, must also be taught not to undersell themselves. “You should always keep a record of what you work for whom,” recommends one author from the audience. Because a big problem for freelance artists is unpaid working hours. So Bardutzky would “somehow always work” and many badly paid additional services would be expected of her as a playwright. A Rhineland-Palatinate theater offered her a fee of 100 euros for a panel discussion and a reading. “They felt very accommodating,” said Bardutzky. In order not to annoy potential employers, however, renegotiations were difficult for her and other freelance artists.
In order to counteract this, there should be fees for additional services set by umbrella organizations. She herself founded a network for Munich theater copywriters in 2016. This cooperation has changed a lot in recent years, together they have set higher author fees. So is networking the solution? Exchange is helpful, all those discussing agree on that. Even if the actual artistic work continues to take place alone.