40 Years of the Youth Art School

The Erlangen Youth Art School is celebrating its 40th anniversary and invites you to an anniversary event on Saturday, June 27, at the Frankenhof kubic Culture and Education Campus (Südliche Stadtmauerstraße 35). Under the theme “A Place for Experimentation with a Vision for the Future,” visitors can look forward to a varied program featuring hands-on activities, exhibitions, and performances from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

From the program

The inner courtyard will serve as the creative hub of the anniversary celebration: Here, the “Kunsthaltestelle” and an FSJ project invite visitors to participate and get creative. Inside, the “Held*innen” art project and the interactive “FühlBAR” offer a variety of opportunities to explore and experiment. Dance performances, the “Happy Birthday” hands-on activity, and a magic show round out the diverse program. The anniversary program is rounded out by a building block station with a photo booth, a time collage, and a postcard activity. Welcoming remarks will be given by Erlangen’s Cultural Affairs Officer Anke Steinert-Neuwirth and Stefan Frank from the Bavarian State Association of Youth Art Schools and Cultural Education Institutions.

To mark the anniversary: Flag-raising ceremony at kubic by Mayor Jörg Volleth and representatives from the cultural sector (Photo: cz Press Office)

Participation, Diverse Methods, and Action-Oriented Learning

Since its founding in 1986 as Bavaria’s first municipal youth art school, JuKS has provided children, young people, and families with spaces for creative experimentation and expression. Based on the principles of the State Association of Youth Art Schools, the following are central to its mission:

• participation
• diversity of methods, and
• action-oriented learning

are at the heart of its work. Here, not only do paintings and sculptures take shape, but also ideas, new perspectives, and self-confidence.

In addition to traditional offerings such as painting, drawing, and pottery, the program now includes numerous experimental formats—ranging from “mini-worlds” and “painting machines” to dance, magic, and textile design, all the way to creative exploration of artificial intelligence. At the same time, the Youth Art School is active throughout the city with art projects in public spaces as well as collaborations with schools, community centers, and other partners.

Experimenting, discovering, tinkering

JuKS looks back on an eventful history: from the Frankenhof to the Apotheke and on to its current location at kubic. Throughout this time, it has always seen itself as a place where the future is shaped. Here, people experiment, discover, tinker, and reinvent. Children and young people develop creative skills and find their own forms of expression—in keeping with the idea, valid for 40 years now, that creativity can be cultivated in this city.

Learn more about the Youth Art School: www.juks-erlangen.de. The summer program is also available there.

Youth Art School with students from Eichendorff Middle School in August 2025 (Photo: JuKS/Eichendorff School)