The shortage of space faced by artists and cultural practitioners in Berlinâs independent arts scene has long been recognised. In accordance with the statutory purpose of Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH and in our capacity as the organisation responsible for the State of Berlinâs Workspace Programme, it is our task to highlight the acute and ever-growing need for artistic workspaces and to combat displacement and the shortage of space. A new cross-disciplinary study, carried out by an independent research team, provides an up-to-date insight into the needs of Berlinâs independent arts scene.
The cornerstone of the Workspace Programme of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion (ARP) is the provision of artistic workspaces with subsidised rent for use over several years. But who actually needs what kind of space and for how long, how should it be equipped, and what does âaffordableâ actually mean?
To answer these questions and thus ensure the ARP remains fit for the future and is further developed in line with actual needs, the needs assessment âWorkspaces for Berlinâs Independent Arts Scene 2022â was commissioned in autumn 2022 by Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH in collaboration with PROSA (Project for the Creation of Artistic Workspaces) and carried out by an independent, interdisciplinary research team (SĂ©verine Marguin, Dagmar Pelger (coopdisco), Martin Schinagl, Martha Wegewitz (coopdisco).
In the first phase of the study, the qualitative survey, insights and experiences were gathered, discussed and finally evaluated with over 60 practitioners from the independent arts scene in five focus group workshops, as well as through individual interviews and site visits.
The quantitative survey consisted of a comprehensive online questionnaire, which was developed on the basis of the results from the focus groups within the independent arts scene. The questionnaire asked about detailed requirements â ranging from room sizes and equipment preferences, through usage models, to the financial affordability for artists.
What is particularly noteworthy about this study is:
- that it takes both a discipline-specific and a cross-disciplinary approach;
- that it considers not only the workspace itself, but also the spatial systems within which the everyday practice of artists in the independent arts scene takes place.
Approximately 660 people completed the dynamic questionnaire in full (taking approx. 35â45 minutes). The artists predominantly identify with several disciplines, averaging two disciplines. However, the main disciplines cited were music (38%), performing arts (17.2%), dance (13.4%), literature (11.2%), project spaces (8.6%) and others (11.6%).
The aim of the study was to establish a basis for the targeted acquisition of premises or the expansion of existing sites, along with the necessary cost-benefit analyses, whilst ensuring that workspaces are developed in a manner appropriate to each discipline.
âThe results of the study clearly show us where we should focus our efforts in further developing the Workspace Programme. The needs are varied and diverse, and this is how the provision of workspaces must look in future if Berlin is to continue to be regarded as an attractive place to work for the independent arts scene. To this end, we are now entering into dialogue with representatives of the independent arts scene and cultural policy makers,â said Tatjana Kaube, authorised signatory of Kulturraum Berlin gGmbH.
The long-term aim of the study is to design a tool capable of mapping the situation and needs of the independent arts scene through an ongoing survey.
The last cross-disciplinary needs assessment as part of the Workspace Programme was carried out in 2014 by the Senate Department for Culture and Europe.
Many thanks to all the artists for your commitment and participation in the survey and the focus groups!
The results of the study can be accessed via the following link:
