Das Seil von Strodehne © Gabriele Konsor
With the symposium "Spaces of Encounter—Art and Perspectives in Rural Areas", the Kulturwerk of the bbk Brandenburg, together with the IGBK and in partnership with the BBK Bundesverband, is focusing on artistic and cultural initiatives in rural areas.
Participation with prior registration (until 16 November 2026)
The event will be broadcast live by the Landtag Brandenburg. Further information here...
Address:
Landtag Brandenburg
Alter Markt 1, 14467 Potsdam
Press conference room (E.060), followed by a reception in the foyer
The goal of the event is to reflect on the experiences of these artistic and cultural initiatives within a European context, to facilitate a comparative perspective, and to strengthen dialogue. The starting point is an understanding of rural regions as autonomous spaces for cultural activity in which key issues for the future of our society converge: social cohesion, democratic participation, structural change, sustainable regional development, and cultural public services.
The symposium combines the international perspective and expertise of the IGBK from the "Opening Space | Promoting Encounters" project with the long-standing experience of bbk Brandenburg from the "Werkstatt der Regionen". It is thus conceived as a pioneering project that can serve as a model: The event combines local experiences with European knowledge transfer and aims to contribute to the further development of cultural policy at the intersection of democracy, participation, and regional development. Investments in art and culture are thus highlighted as investments in the the long-term vitality of rural areas.
Panels, moderated discussions, and exchange formats bring together stakeholders from the arts and culture, academia, politics, and civil society in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saxony-Anhalt alongside individual European partners. This allows experiences from different regions to be incorporated into a shared dialogue.
The focus is on artists and their socially oriented work, as well as independent cultural actors as shapers of cultural infrastructure. They create spaces for exchange, initiate cross-sector collaborations, and develop new forms of social participation. Art is discussed not as a supplementary offering, but as an infrastructural resource that can strengthen social cohesion, facilitate democratic negotiation processes, and help shape regional transformation processes.
A joint initiative by the Kulturwerk of the bbk Brandenburg and the Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK), in partnership with the BBK Bundesverband.
The symposium is supported by Kulturstiftung der Länder.
