Press Release: Conference – Alliance – Manifesto: Meeting of the European cultural institutions from 8 to 10 October in Berlin

At the initiative invitation of the Akademie der Künste around 70 representatives of European art academies and cultural institutions are meeting for a hybrid conference to establish a „European Alliance of Academies“.

Considering the current (cultural) political developments in Europe, which have been exacerbated by the Corona pandemic in some countries, the pressing question arises: What can we as European cultural institutions do together against nationalistic and racist appropriation? We are currently experiencing a cultural policy in Europe that only understands art and culture nationally. The autonomy and internationality of the
academies, museums and cultural institutions are thus under threat.

The Akademie der Künste and its members feel a responsibility to stand up for a
transnational alliance – a European alliance of academies – which advocates the
freedom of art and can react in solidarity to political restrictions. In the alliance want to
participate: The Royal Academy of Arts, Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts,
L’Accademia dei Lincei, Real Academia Española, Académie Goncourt, but also
Centre Pompidou, Onassis Cultural Center, Villa Decius and many others.
A joint manifesto to be published on 10 October defines options for action and the task
of securing the European Union as a cultural project for the future. In this way, the
Akademie der Künste contributes to commit for an open, solidary and democratic
Europe.

The opening event on Thursday evening, 8 October 2020 with Academy President
Jeanine Meerapfel, authors A. L. Kennedy and Robert Menasse and political scientist
Basil Kerski, as well as the presentation of the manifesto on Saturday, 10 October, are
open to the public. During the internal sessions, the speeches by Minister of State for
Culture and the Media Prof. Monika Grütters, Prof. Bénédicte Savoy and Prof. Philipp
Ther can be followed via livestream on Friday, 9 October.

Supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media under
the German EU Council Presidency

You can download this press release here.