Networks
Kulturland Brandenburg has established a wide range of networks, thereby directing and coordinating numerous activities that extend beyond the scope of the Theme Year projects. Its goals are to generate synergy between various partners in the cultural sector and to pool resources.
Cooperative Projects
1. Arbeitskreis der Kulturverwaltungen im Land Brandenburg (“Council of Departments for Cultural Affairs in Brandenburg”)
Kulturland Brandenburg advises the Arbeitskreis der Kulturverwaltungen (AKK) on conceptual and organizational levels. The AKK is an informal task force in Brandenburg that has established itself as one of the most important sites of exchange and cooperation between the cultural administrative offices.
The AKK offers conferences on a regular basis. These shed light on experiences from other federal states as well as on the perspectives of the different state associations and cultural agencies. Attendees also discuss current cultural-political topics, which are placed in the context of municipal cultural management.
2. Tage der Offenen Ateliers (“Open House Days at the Ateliers”)
The Tage der Offenen Ateliers is a regional cooperative project between Kulturland Brandenburg and the municipal departments for cultural affairs. Brandenburg’s artists invite art enthusiasts to watch as artists work, to talk with the artists, and to purchase art. In addition, in certain regions, the artists’ open house days are incorporated into a larger cultural program designed for tourists.
3. Cultural Portal of the State of Brandenburg
Kulturland Brandenburg is the responsible body for the cultural portal of the State of Brandenburg, which was jointly developed with HavelcomOnline and the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research, and Culture. The cultural portal offers current information on cultural politics and practice, up-to-date event announcements, information about regional artists, and much more: www.kulturportal-brandenburg.de
4. Gartenland Brandenburg e.V.
This registered association of gardens, which came into being as a result of the 2004 Theme Year Landschaft und Gärten (“Landscape and Gardens”), is intended to raise awareness in the general public about the value of gardens and parks. This association’s goals are to foster the development of the culture of gardens in the State of Brandenburg and, with its umbrella brand name, to make Brandenburg known as a first-rate Gartenland (“Garden State”). The forum, which had previously been active on an informal basis, was formally institutionalized in 2006 with the association’s founding. It is the founding member of the Gartennetz Deutschland e.V.: www.gartenland-brandenburg.de
5. Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr in der Kultur im Land Brandenburg (“Voluntary Year for Culture in the State of Brandenburg”)
Kulturland Brandenburg helped kick off the initiative FSJ Kultur (“Volunteer Year for Culture”) in Brandenburg. In the FSJ Kultur, young people between the ages of 16 and 27 get involved and volunteer for twelve months at cultural institutions. In this way, Kulturland Brandenburg acts as a “meeting point” in the State of Brandenburg and a platform for individuals and associations in Brandenburg: www.fsjkultur.de
6. Kulturland Brandenburg - Netzwerk Kultur und Tourismus (“Network of Culture and Tourism”)
Culture and tourism are interdependent. For this reason, a close working relationship between Kulturland Brandenburg and Tourismus Marketing Brandenburg GmbH (TMB) has emerged. This cooperation has made it possible to coordinate conceptual and/or content-based and organizational processes in both branches and to integrate cultural projects into the marketing efforts of TMB. The TMB is represented in the committees of Kulturland Brandenburg and vice-versa. In 2005, they signed a cooperative agreement that takes effect yearly via concrete measures within the framework of a coordinated marketing plan.
The project “Cultural Travel in the State of Brandenburg” has been particularly successful in recent years in defining criteria for the marketability of cultural products to tourists. These products serve as the basis upon which suitable event formats and cultural-touristic packages can be developed. In this process, Kulturland Brandenburg has taken on the task of strengthening and moderating between regional and local networks of partners in cultural administration and tourism.
Temporary Projects
INNOPUNKT 14 „Allianzen zwischen Kultur und Wirtschaft“
Under the motto “Alliances between Culture and Economy,” Kulturland Brandenburg submitted a proposal in 2005 to the so-called “Innopunkt-Campaign 14.” It developed a project for the further development of cultural tourism in Brandenburg. The two-year project primarily dealt with opening communication between cultural and economic agencies as well as with assessing and coaching with an eye on needs and practical experience.
What resulted were concrete projects, products, and packages in cultural tourism that can be marketed together in accordance with the focal points of State tourism. Local networks betweens individuals and institutions were created and structures of communication and cooperation were developed: these remained active even after the project was concluded.
The project Qualifizierungsoffensive und regionale Netzwerkbildung – Kulturreisen im Land Brandenburg (“Qualifications Initiatives and Regional Networking—Cultural Tours in Brandenburg”) was carried out together with Lorenz Tourismusberatung GmbH. The Ministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit und Frauen des Landes Brandenburg (“Brandenburg Ministry for Work, Social Issues, Health, and Women”) played a leading role via the Landesagentur für Struktur und Arbeit (“State Agency for Structure and Labor”):
www.kultur-wirtschaft-brandenburg.de
Conducted in the framework of INNOPUNKT14, the project received financial support from the European Social Fund (ESF) and the State of Brandenburg.
