The cultural policy guidelines of the city of Erlangen

The cultural institutions of the city of Erlangen live the values of the Basic Law in their daily work. All cultural events are fundamentally subject to the primacy of diversity: the participation of people of every nation, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity and faith is expressly desired. All of Erlangen's cultural work stands at all times for a diversity of culture that is worthy of protection and promotion and for the coexistence of all cultural actors. Racist and extremist attitudes and anti-democratic ideas and actions have no place in Erlangen's cultural life. The city of Erlangen's motto "open by tradition" is lived out in its cultural work.

Art irritates and causes offense. By dealing with worldly themes, art reveals different perspectives and invites discourse. Erlangen's cultural work therefore also promotes art that is not pleasing and does not meet with the approval of the majority. The administration practices and promotes tolerance of ambiguity - it encounters contradictions and new experiences in and through independent and committed art and culture openly and with curiosity.

3.1 Making participation and inclusion part of the program

The Department of Culture is committed to a democratic concept of culture and sees culture as a key opportunity to enable the social participation of all population groups living in the city. The concept of "culture for all" pursued in Erlangen is the guiding principle for Erlangen's cultural work and places people at the center. This therefore means designing diverse mediation work, creating the necessary free and creative spaces and enabling access - also in the sense of a liberal cultural life - at low cost, i.e. realizing accessibility in many respects. Achieving this is a task, an obligation and a challenge at the same time. Erlangen wants to involve all people in the planning of offers and mediation work and strengthen the self-efficacy of all citizens through inclusive action.

3.2 Supporting civic engagement

The City of Erlangen affirms the great importance of voluntary and civic engagement in associations for society. It offers performance and development opportunities for artistic and creative interests and talents. It creates a space for supportive cooperation, independent action and the exchange of cultural experiences. The cultural administration supports a lively and diverse club culture in Erlangen.

3.3 Expand decentralized cultural offerings in the city districts

The city of Erlangen provides places where citizens can get involved and become active themselves. Together with the citizens in the community centers close to their homes, the cultural work in Erlangen creates a wide range of high-quality cultural and educational offerings. Erlangen's cultural administration promotes such places for encounters, activation, experimentation and creativity, solidarity and learning - in the city center as well as in the districts. It also creates mobile offerings that bring art and culture to the districts.

3.4 Promoting cultural education

Art and culture have value in themselves, but so does cultural education. It is a prerequisite for understanding artistic forms of expression and content and opens the door to using the offerings of cultural institutions. At the same time, it is important for the development of socially relevant key competencies by strengthening social, communicative and creative skills. Personal development through cultural education is a prerequisite for the development of the city and society. Erlangen's cultural work sees this interrelationship as a central element of its remit and therefore creates a rich, accessible and high-quality cultural education program for all age groups. Cultural education is part of the remit of every cultural institution in Erlangen.

Digital techniques of cultural production and mediation open up scope for innovative formats and reception possibilities. They arouse curiosity and make an important contribution to strengthening digital skills. In virtual spaces of cultural production, but also in digital-analog formats, new and different art can be created, social aspects can be shed new light on and encounters and discourse can be made possible for all target groups in urban society. New and innovative connections between art and other technical, scientific and economic fields of activity can also be facilitated and created. In Erlangen, traditional formats of cultural mediation are usefully supplemented, expanded and rethought with digital formats.

Art always has the effect of transcending and changing boundaries of expression and perception. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Reflection on this is therefore intrinsic to the way Erlangen's cultural work thinks and acts. In conceptual and practical event work, innovative approaches are required that minimize the impact on the climate. Climate protection is therefore an integral part of project planning for cultural events. Artists and cultural professionals are important sources of inspiration and ideas.

The culture of a city is always shaped by its history. That is why collections in museums and archives must be made visible, accessible and communicated. Valuing traditions and keeping the past alive always means reflecting on experience and thinking about the present and future actions. Erlangen's cultural work takes this into account by actively maintaining and preserving its cultural heritage.

7.1 Reliable spaces: securing a cultural infrastructure

City libraries, museums, archives, theaters, community centers, music, youth art and adult education centers are places of encounter and communication, education, rest, presentation and aesthetic reception, stimulation for reflection, community, discovery, joy and discourse. These cultural institutions have an anchor function in Erlangen because they are able to change with the demands of the times. They maintain a stable, reliable infrastructure for urban society and its cultural assets. Their strong identifying factor is a valuable asset for the city.

7.2 Understanding and using public space as an artistic and cultural space

Through the actions of Erlangen's cultural work, public spaces regularly become places for high-quality cultural and art programs beyond the constraints of consumerism. They reach broad sections of urban society with their offerings. They are places for new impulses, offer space for community and participation as well as room to take a deep breath and be amazed. They are important meeting places for a diverse urban society. Festivals in particular have a decisive role to play here. Erlangen's cultural administration is constantly facilitating new projects for art in public spaces, providing an important stage for artists and their works. In this way, it lays the foundations for greater visibility of art and artists among the citizens of Erlangen and its visitors.

7.3 Create spaces for experimentation

Artists and creative people are innovators. Knowledge and ideas are important social resources. This requires laboratories for experimenting with art, science, technology and the digital. Enabling spaces (also: vacancy use, interim use) and platforms for artists and cultural workers bring art and urban society together. They enable new ideas as well as participation and knowledge transfer. Erlangen's administration picks up on impulses, networks and promotes. It is aware that innovation often goes hand in hand with non-conformity and improvisation.

8.1 Fair remuneration for artistic performance

There can be no high-quality art and culture without artists and cultural workers. Like every profession, artistic work requires sufficient time and resources for its creation process, among other things. To ensure this, the working time of professional artists and cultural workers must be adequately remunerated. This should also apply to art in the digital space. Creative ideas, high-quality art productions and the creation of cultural assets with a positive impact on our diverse society are supported by proactive cultural funding.

8.2 Making the cultural and creative industries visible

The Department of Culture is aware of the creative potential outside of traditional cultural sectors and institutions. It values the economic power and creative spirit of the self-employed and companies in all eleven submarkets of the cultural and creative industries. It also ensures the visibility of players in other creative sectors, such as the games industry, creative crafts and design. Erlangen should be a good place for creative people to settle. The Department of Economics is an important and equal partner in this tandem.

The Erlangen Cultural Department is open to outside influences and initiates discussions with others. It is curious about content from a wide range of departments and offices. Sharing expertise and non-specialist ideas and content in a fruitful dialog creates exciting formats. For Erlangen's cultural administration, cooperation does not end at the city limits; it sees itself as part of a large network in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. Collaborations with regional, national and international artists and partners are sought and promoted. The Department of Culture sees itself as a coordinator in this dialog.

We see the diversity of voices that follows this action as a wealth.