Art and culture should be available to everyone. To accomplish this, barriers have to be dismantled and perspectives from groups that have been thus far un(der)represented introduced to the cultural sector. Diversity Arts Culture is driving diversity development in (Berlin) cultural institutions. Their numerous consulting services, workshops, events, and publications target artists as well as institutions and those active in the cultural scene.
During an interview with Bahareh Sharifi, Nima Ramezani, and Roisin Keßler, we talk about culture cutbacks and their implications for the Berlin cultural scene and their work around anti-discrimination and dismantling barriers. Bahareh Sharifi is the Program Director at Diversity Arts Culture and is overseeing the setup of awareness raising and empowerment programs. Roisin Keßler is an advisor for disabilities and empowerment and is developing needs-oriented workshop formats for artists and people active in the cultural scene with disabilities. Nima Ramezani is anadvisor for awareness in the cultural sector.
Where do we stand on diversity in Berlin’s cultural sector?
Bahareh: If we look at how it was when we started at Diversity Arts Culture then there has been a shift. It is much more diverse than one decade ago. Having said that, there is a lot of diversity and variety in the independent scene because it is more accessible to marginalized people, who often get started in the independent scene and only then have access to the institutions.
Roisin: On the one hand, I’d say that the Berlin cultural scene is already quite diverse, especially compared to Germany at large. However, I would also say that Berlin is still faced with the challenge of meeting the requirements of diversity development in the city. We see from the questions we get that the demand for diversity development and the dismantling of barriers is very high.
What effect have budget cuts had on your mission to drive diversity in the cultural sector? What do cutbacks mean for marginalized artists and people, organizations and communities involved in the arts?
Nima: We ourselves, like so many others doing community work, have been affected. It was a huge shock, both for us as well as for the entire Berlin cultural scene. The cutbacks are affecting the content of our work and structures that we spent years achieving through cooperation with partners and communities. These structures are now being threatened.
The cuts will lead to a fight for available resources. The risk is that many people who worked well together will now be pitted against one another. And that will have negative repercussions on the entire scene.
Bahareh: Many project funds are being cut. That means that those who already have worse access will find it even harder to establish themselves. Compounding this is the fact that diversity development and anti-discrimination work is not a standard for most organizations. As a result of the cutbacks, many institutions will have to eliminate positions, and in these instances the positions affected are primarily those responsible for diversity and anti-discrimination processes.
In general, we are noticing that democratic structures are being undermined and attacked. It is incredibly important to strengthen anti-discrimination and democracy work, and we are now faced with a lot of uncertainty about how this will be possible in the future.
How accessible are funding structures for diverse artists?
Roisin: People with disabilities are constantly faced with the issue of additional accessibility costs for cultural work and the fact that there are limited funding possibilities to cover these costs. Most application processes are not at all accessible. A lot of application forms themselves are not accessible. For example, many forms can not be read by a screen reader and are not available in easy language and important information is not available in sign language.
On top of that is the issue with access costs1. These expenses are often not budgeted for by cultural funding and there are also no special funds, which are explicitly designated for them. Many funds only allot a specific amount for access costs, which are often not at all sufficient. Others have decided that access costs fall under the materials budget, where there is also a lack of money.
Bahareh: Only a fraction of the culture budget, around 5%, goes to the independent scene. Stipends and project funding also come with a lot of preconditions. A good portfolio, previous funding, and formal artistic training are deciding factors and you have to strike the right application note. Those are a lot of barriers for people without formal training or whose first language is not German. Most of the time you also need a venue for the cooperation. But that requires connections.
There’s a structural problem here and it requires structural solutions. Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung and Projektfonds Urbane Praxis have e.g. a project fund for multiple marginalized groups, including coaching and process support. We need a lot more of these types of approaches.
Nima: It might be difficult to say: ‘Go for it’. Especially for artists who are just starting out. But there are supporting structures: info events, free seminars, assistance with filling out the applications and financials, e.g. Kreativkultur Berlin, Kulturforum, and the DAC website.
Many funding applications include questions about accessibility measures. In your experience, how is this being implemented?
Roisin: Accessibility is often a secondary criterion. In other words, finished works of art are made accessible to people with disabilities after the fact. The other side of the coin is integrated accessibility. This artistic practice is also called “aesthetics of access”. Its goal is to integrate accessibility into art from its inception. The result is a complete artistic work, with accessibility taking on an artistic quality of its own.
Both secondary and integrated accessibility require an extra budget for consulting and implementation. The amount needed depends on the scope of accessibility measures and the expertise of the production team.
Consequently, implementation is contingent on both the amount of funding approved and the planning and preparation of the production team.
The jury plays a significant role in determining whether projects fulfill certain quality criteria and can be funded. How diverse is the jury?
Nima: In discussions with marginalized project applicatn, communities, and associations, there is the impression that juries are often reserved. As always, very conservative criteria play a role in the decision-making process. Artists with a very good and innovative idea who are not yet as established are less likely to get funding than the artists and groups who are more trusted, also with regard to administration.
Bahareh: Juries are often international, which at first seems diverse. But when you look more closely, it becomes clear that they all share a relatively similar background, forming a homogeneous constellation. This is not representative of societal diversity. And the result is a uniform understanding of artistic quality, which is shaped by a European, educated, middle class canon.
Roisin: I also believe that juries are not diverse enough. When it comes to disability, the fact that there are often no disabled people with expertise on the committees is critical. Without adequate training, it is difficult to assess what kind of budget is appropriate and which measures are important.
English translation by Melissa Maldonado
1Access is often used as a synonym for accessibility. The term means accessibility, but it is broader than pure accessibility.
Additional literature (in German):
Disability in the repertoire https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin/magazin-und-publikationen/publikation-behinderung-im-spielplan
Awareness in the cultural sector https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin/magazin-und-publikationen/publikation-behinderung-im-spielplan
Art comes from ability? https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin/magazin-und-publikationen/dossier-kunst-kommt-von-koennen
