16.03.: The following open letter was sent on March 16 and has so far (as of March 19) been signed by 1122 people.
Dear Provincial Councillor Dr. Karlheinz Kornhäusl,
With this letter, we would like to express our deep concern regarding the development of the Styrian cultural landscape. The reason for this is the very surprising new appointment to the Cultural Board of Trustees.There is great resentment among Styrian artists and cultural professionals – both about the composition of the new Board of Trustees and about the hand-made appointment process. We do not recognize any professional competence in contemporary art – or in the cultural field in general – among some representatives of the board of trustees. To all appearances, political affiliation and not the relevant expertise was the decisive factor in some appointments. This approach is therefore clearly contrary to the 2030 Cultural Strategy adopted by the state parliament and the State Cultural Promotion Act, according to which party political influence must be repressed and independent expertise given priority. A cultural board of trustees that is not professionally but purely party-politically staffed will have incalculable negative consequences for the vibrant cultural region of Styria and the artistic diversity of our province.
In its new composition, the Board of Trustees also in no way reflects the complexity of the cultural field: virtually no one has experience in the independent scene, only a few are based in the regions, we are missing people from multilingual or ethnic cultural work, there are hardly any experts from contemporary and experimental art and hardly any supra-regional expertise. In addition, the gender ratio is once again seriously imbalanced. Such a one-sided board of trustees certainly does not do justice to the diversity of the cultural field.
Some representatives of the Board of Trustees have close ties to the far-right scene. Through their actions, they actively support the strengthening and dissemination of historical revisionist and right-wing extremist ideas. Having such personalities in central advisory positions is tantamount to breaking a cultural-political dam. The appointment is a serious blow to Styrian cultural policy, which has the proven aim of strengthening democracy, cooperation and the free, critical reflection and further development of society – values to which you have publicly committed yourself on several occasions.
The cuts that have already been made, which affect a considerable number of initiatives and artists, should also not go unmentioned. Some of these cuts are serious and threaten renowned initiatives that have been built up over many years and are now facing extinction. The decision as to who will be cut and by how much also appears arbitrary and lacking in transparency. Their public statements regarding the budgetary situation have so far been reassuring. This discrepancy is causing a serious loss of trust, which we would like to overcome.
We ask you to clarify: Do you stand by your promise to work for the preservation of Styria as a cultural region in all its diversity? Then this must also be reflected in the composition of the relevant bodies. Are you still in favor of the principles formulated in the Cultural Strategy 2030? Then appropriate decisions must also be made in this direction. Are you committed to cultural policy as a building block for the democratic development of society? Then representatives of the extreme right cannot sit on central committees. Do you oppose a clear-cutting of the cultural scene in Styria? Then we expect you, as a representative of our sector in the Styrian provincial government, to achieve an adequate budget situation for the sector that is so important for Styria and to free up funds for art and culture through reallocations.
Mit aller Dringlichkeit fordern wir als ersten Schritt die neuerliche Umbesetzung des Kulturkuratoriums. Es ist in seiner derzeitigen Form nicht tragbar. Für einen offenen Gesprächsprozess, in dem all diese Fragen besprochen werden können, stellen wir unsere Expertise sehr gerne zur Verfügung.
With kind regards,
The letter can be downloaded here (in german).
Media reports: Der Standard (17.3.), gat.news (17.3.)
Es ist seeehr traurig, dass Kürzungen und Einsparungen IMMER in erster Linie über die Bildung(!!!!]) laufen. Musikunterricht in Schulen und Musikschulen sowie freie Theaterszene und die Förderung der Kulturschaffenden scheinen der Politik kein Anliegen zu sein. Sind kompetente Personen mit diesen Agenden betraut? Ich fürchte: nein!!!! Und das im KULTURLAND Österreich!!😪😪😪😪
Ich gestalte seit knapp 10 Jahren eine Radiosendung auf einem freien Radiosender und habe in dieser Zeit viele Kulturschaffende kennen und schätzen gelernt. Deren ökonomische Lebensrealitäten waren schon immer schwierig. Durch die aktuellen Entwicklungen gelangen sie aus finanziellen Gründen an die Grenze ihrer künstlerischen Überlebensfähigkeit. Selbiges gilt für all die vielen verschiedenen Kulturinitiativen, die mit ihrem vielfältigen Programm seit Jahrzehnten alle Regionen der Steiermark bespielen und für die dort lebende Bevölkerung aber auch den Tourismus wichtige Strukturen und Angebote geschaffen haben, die jetzt bedroht sind. Die Steiermark braucht eine lebendige und vielfältige Kulturszene!