Many rural areas in Germany are facing rising rental vacancy rates, population ageing, and economic uncertainties. These developments weaken social cohesion and democratic resilience, which result in growing support of right-wing populist parties such as ‚Alternative for Germany (AfD)‘. These dynamics, an example of ‚dark times‘ in which the infrastructures of democracy (freedom of speech, civil engagement and so on) have become fragile, call for an immediate act of reimagining collectivism and community mobilization.

One example and response to these challenges can be observed in the small town Kalbe (Milde), in Saxony-Anhalt, a state in the former East Germany. In 2013 Citizens and artists jointly developed the concept of a ‚Künstlerstadt‘ (artists' town) to revitalize the region through artistic participative interventions. Based on the work of artist Joseph Beuys from the 1960s, they refer to the narrative of ‚Social Sculpture’, in which creative practice becomes a vehicle for self-efficacy, community resilience and sustainable change (Köbele 2017). In this sense the ‚Künstlerstadt‘ becomes a promising case to examine the nexus between art, narratives, and transformation.

My proposed work-in-progress-presentation aims to develop a theoretical understanding of the creative practice applying the Grounded Theory Methodology on interviews and documents related to the ‚Künstlerstadt‘. Engaging with the works of John Dewey and Claire Bishop, I discuss how Kalbe’s creative practice differs from other (urban-related) concepts of community-based art and give insights into the role of aesthetic experience reimagining the infrastructures of democracy such as civic engagement, community mobilisation, and political decision-making in rural contexts.

References

Bishop, Claire (2012): Artificial Hells. Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship. New York: Verso.

Dewey, J. (1934). Art as Experience. New York: Capricorn Books.

Köbele, C. (2017). Künstlerstadt Kalbe. Eine Stadt erfindet sich neu. In: Schneider, W., Kegler, B. & Koß, D. (eds.) Vital Village. Development of Rural Areas as a Challenge for Cultural Policy. Bielefeld: Transcript, pp. 111-116.

Ruppel, P.S., Mey, G. (2015). Grounded Theory Methodology—Narrativity Revisited. In: Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science 49, pp. 174–186.