Header: Grafisch dargestellte bunte Menschen, die nebeneinander stehen und über ein angedeutetes Netzwerk miteinander verbunden sind.

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South Westphalia Cultural Conference

ALL FOR CULTURE!

Taking responsibility for culture together

Schematischer Umriss von Südwestfalen in der Farbe Orange. Darin in Kreisen Symbole für Theater, Netzwerk, Hände, Menschengruppen, Kunst und Musik.

"ALL FOR CULTURE - Taking responsibility for culture together." Here you will find the results of our cultural conference from April 3 at the 8Giebel cultural venue in Schalksmühle, along with the opportunity to participate.

Page content:

  • Review of the cultural conference
  • Our culture needs you all!
  • Help shape the culture of the future!
  • Result of the culture laboratories and your
  • Cultural Support and Documentation Team
  • Contact

Organizers

A cooperative event of the Cultural Council of the South Westphalia Cultural Region and the South Westphalia Agency GmbH as part of the 2025-26 presentation year of Regionale 2025.

Our culture needs you all!

Culture in South Westphalia faces major challenges: shrinking resources due to the poor state of the economy and municipal budgets, as well as social, societal, and demographic change, are also transforming cultural work. We must take action together now so that culture can help shape this change.

The Cultural Conference offers a platform for encounters, exchange, and experimentation. We discuss the importance of cultural work, society, and cohesion. Using the medium of art, we jointly develop new ideas and alliances for the future of culture.

Help shape the culture of the future!

Join us and discuss solutions for a diverse cultural society and a sustainable cultural infrastructure: experts in their own fields (e.g., for inclusion and participation), specialists from culture, administration, regional development, politics, social affairs, and business, freelance artists and civically engaged individuals, representatives of a collective, association, group, or community: LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer people, and other gender identities), youth scene, immigration history, and others...

Laboratories with culture for culture: results and participation

Grafische Darstellung von Menschen in verschiedenen Farben, die über ein angedeutetes Netzwerk miteinander verbunden sind.

Join our cultural labs and discuss the current state of cultural work and urgent changes with us. Develop solutions for contemporary collaboration and a sustainable cultural infrastructure with us. Collaborate with others to consider how we can strengthen social cohesion and leverage culture as a driver of regional development. Let's shape culture (m/f/d, multicultural and inclusive) together and initiate new narratives for our diverse cultural society. Because only together can we create momentum for a strong and broadly based cultural region!

You can still contribute to the culture labs in the following ways:

  • Send us a text message via email to: allefuerkultur@kulturregion-swf.de Please state in the subject line which cultural laboratory your message refers to.
  • Send us a voice message on Signal: or WhatsApp: or to Gmail: kulturregionswf@gmail.com.
  • Send us a text message on Signal: or WhatsApp:
  • Send us an SMS to: o
  • Leave us a text or voice message via Facebook or Instagram.
  • Please use the comment field below each cultural lab. We will then receive your message and will collect and publish your concerns.

Culture Lab 1: Dream Team Culture and Democracy

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Ixxxxx.

Culture Lab 2: Diversity as a Superpower

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Culture Lab 3: Culture Cake for All

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Ixxxxx.

Culture Lab 4: Culture in Transition

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Culture Lab 1: Dream Team Culture and Democracy

Catalina Rojas Hauser, Managing Director of the Cultural Council of North Rhine-Westphalia

Heike Herold, Managing Director of LAG Sociocultural Centers NRW eV

Catalina Rojas Hauser sitzt lächeln an einem Konferenztisch.
Heike Herold gestikulierend in einer Podiumsdiskussion.

What contribution can art and culture make to a functioning democracy, and vice versa? Are they two sides of the same coin? And where are the limits of their interaction? In the Culture Lab, we discuss the importance of democracy for artistic freedom. But it's also about the social framework created for participation and co-creation of culture at the political level. In both cultural and democratic processes, it's important to continually value self-efficacy and negotiation. This also requires lobbying for culture that is based on a fundamental democratic approach.

Culture Lab 2: Diversity as a Superpower

Murat Isboga, theatre educator, director of Theater Halber Apfel

Cansu Karagöz, actress at the Halber Apfel Theater

Murat Isboga lacht offen in die Kamera.

A diverse society can contribute to a resilient and multifaceted culture. To achieve this, the process of institutional and cultural openness must be driven forward in both directions. In cultural practice, this means new ways of addressing target groups and encouraging participation. This cultural laboratory will use theater-pedagogical tools and methods to explore the potential of a diverse and multifaceted cultural society.

Culture Lab 3: Culture Cake for All Annette Ziegert, Organizational Developer for Culture in Diversity

Annette Ziegert vor einer weißen Mauer stehend und in die Kamera schauend.

Only when everyone has the opportunity to participate in culture and actively contribute can equal opportunities and the willingness to assume shared responsibility for culture emerge. This requires a reorientation of cultural organizations and a new attitude among their stakeholders. But what ingredients do we need to create a cultural cake that appeals to as many people as possible? Is there even such a cake? In the Culture Lab, we are developing a common recipe.

Culture Lab 4: Culture in Transition - a Real-Time Protest Lab

Stefan Bünnig, Qulturwerkstatt Netphen eVEnna Hoyer, director, dramaturge, performer

Anne von Deckert steht in den Wolken, bekleidet mit einem gelben Friesennerz.

We're really doing it: For 1.5 hours, we'll be the (still) fictional Agency for Cultural Consulting* (*deliberately boring name for camouflage purposes) – full of concerns, wishes, and ideas – and we want to find out what we can push forward in the shortest possible time in various action groups and how far we can go with it. In our four departments:

1) …we are planning the next protest ALL FOR CULTURE.

2) …we prepare you for your conversation with your politician.

3) ...we gather your trusted contacts and call them! And 4) ...we hold the long-awaited press conference for your cultural office! Our goal is to find feasible solutions to make structures and frameworks more effective, accessible, less bureaucratic, and fairer.

Your additions, opinions, concerns, ideas

Other members of the team

Cultural guides

Our cultural guides will be happy to help you if you need support.

Sina Kraus steht vor Herbstblättern und lächelt in die Kamera.

Sina Kraus works at the Integrative Cultural Workshop Alte Schule (MK Residential Association, part of the Protestant Johanneswerk gGmbH) in Lüdenscheid. As an administrative specialist, she helps organize the inclusive projects "Workshops Inclusive (Reloaded)" and the "Cultural Weeks: A Feast for the Eyes and Ears." Sina Kraus also supports the inclusive artists of the Theaterwerkstatt during their travels and performances.

Porträtaufnahme von Mika Schäfer vor schwarzem Hintergrund.

Mika Schäfer has been completing a voluntary social year (FSJ) at the Alte Schule Integrative Cultural Workshop in Lüdenscheid since September 2024. His interests lie in theater and sound technology. His responsibilities include the technical support of events and the development of a reservation program.

Documentation of the conference

The conference results will be published as openly as possible. Interviews, original sound recordings, film recordings, and photos will be compiled into an audio piece, podcast, and video contribution.

Porträtfoto von Lea Schnalke

Lea Schnalke is responsible for conducting interviews with participants and capturing original sound bites and quotes. The actress and theater educator leads inclusive projects with people with and without disabilities at the Alte Schule Integrative Cultural Workshop in Lüdenscheid. Among other things, she co-created the podcast hörbar.inklusiv. Lea Schnalke also works with the Alliance for Democracy and is an advocate for feminism and LGBTIQ rights.

Contact for inquiries

Cultural Region of South Westphalia - Service Office

Susanne Boecking

Tel.: 023529667066

South Westphalia Agency

Cynthia Krell

Tel.: 0151 27728005

E-Mail: allefuerkultur@kulturregion-swf.de

organizer

RKP-Logo
Logo der Kulturregion Südwestfalen
Logo Regionale 2025