The view into the halls of many traditional cultural institutions is deceptive: although older people often form the majority of the audience there, culturally active people are clearly in the minority among older people overall. Those who are poor are particularly rare among regular users of culture. The 27th issue of kubia magazine focuses on the cultural participation of older people living at or below the poverty line.
In no other age group has the risk of poverty recently increased as much as among older people in Germany. Women and people with an international background are particularly often threatened or affected by poverty in old age. “It is time to scandalise this political disgrace in a rich country and at the same time put pressure on government officials and parliamentarians to make something change,” says political scientist Professor Christoph Butterwegge in his article for kubia magazine. In order to fulfil their mission of enabling comprehensive cultural participation, cultural institutions must also react to this development.
Issue 27 of Kulturräume+ presents empirical findings on the artistic and creative activities and cultural visits of older people. From this, the authors derive ways that can lead to greater cultural participation. Practical reports provide an insight into artistic and cultural-educational concepts that do not perpetuate the stigmatisation of people living in poverty, but rather understand classism as a social problem.
The photo series in this issue is by the Cologne-based artist duo Angie Hiesl + Roland Kaiser. With their new production of “Dressing the City und mein Kopf ist ein Hemd #2”, they invite us to take a different look at the entanglements of age(ing), environment and consumption in urban shopping streets.
You can download and read the magazine as an accessible PDF. You can also order this issue free of charge by emailing us at magazin@kubia.nrw.
After more than eight years at kubia, Annette Ziegert left our team at the end of September this year. Christoph Brammertz, who has been working at kubia as Public Relations Officer since the beginning of 2022, will take over her duties from 1 October 2024.
The European network for cultural participation Amateo has announced the Amateo Award 2024. Whether dance, music, theatre, street art or another cultural field: all participatory art projects by amateur groups from all over Europe are invited to take part. The application deadline is 1 July 2024.
From 2021 till 2023, kubia was a transnational partner of the German-Polish EU project. As part of the project, Annalena Knors (Corporate Inclusion) and Lisette Reuter (Un-Label), led by kubia staff member Annette Ziegert, developed a procedural model for accessibility at publicly funded cultural institutions in Poland, the publication was published in 2024. In September 2023, the team travelled to Warsaw for final talks.
The new website focuses on kubia's core tasks with a modernised design as well as page and menu structure. The accessibility of the website was a central concern during the relaunch.
In the Argentinian online magazine "Meridional", kubia staff member Dr. Miriam Haller writes about her literary-geragogical exchange with the Argentinian professor of Latin American literature at the University of Neuquén Dr. Laura Pollastri about the project "Narrating Grandparents".