The Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF)’s initiative, which is run by the OeAD, promotes projects that enable children and young people to get to know art institutions and cultural institutions, also behind the scenes. Participation in cultural processes, especially for pupils who have little access to art and culture, as well as the acquisition of key skills play an important part in this.
... acting at the museum
A museum is also a wonderful theatre setting. The exhibits from all over the world, the exhibition rooms, the historic building of the Museum of Folk Culture in Laudongasse in Vienna itself – they have already been the setting for a spectacle of a special kind several times: school theatre meets museum!
A theatre project in a museum is something special; the text, the objects on display and the play are to be linked together as information platforms. Matthias Beitl, director of the Museum of Folk Culture in Vienna, says: "School cooperations such as the projects “Hamlet Machine”, “Fake Reports” or “Angels of Oblivion” underpin the self-image of this museum as an open place that continuously undergoes reflection from within but also from outside.” For example, in three consecutive years pupils from the Lessinggasse school centre in Vienna breathed life into historical objects in the museum within the framework of culture connected and gave them a new meaning by including them in the play.
... planning a hospital in Africa in class
Africa's richness of form and colour need not only be learnt from textbooks! Within the framework of culture connected pupils of the Höhere Technische Bundeslehranstalt Imst actively participated in the project “b(u)ilding with earth”, an intercultural project within the framework of a development project for Ghana. Together with their Tyrolian cultural partner bilding. School of Art and Architecture for Children and Young People they designed a ward for the hospital in Sekondi Takoradi.
They planned a building that is ecologically valuable with regard to the current climate problem. In addition to project-related design work the pupils were able to gain in-depth insight and experience in culturally different areas of design. Colours and patterns handed down over generations from the local African culture were explored together, interpreted in a contemporary way and projected onto a three-dimensional brick façade created on the computer. Intensive cooperation with various institutions also took place with a view to charitable networking. The examination of materials, design, space, logistics and social responsibility was intensive and result-oriented.
... building a colour machine
This was the motto of a cooperation project between the primary school Wittelsbachstraße, Vienna, and the association DIE BIBLIOTHEKARE Concepts of Art & Learning. Spontaneously and full of enthusiasm the first “maker project” was implemented together and a colour-mixing robot was built. The central idea: a robot, built by the children on the basis of digital building instructions, which they read and interpreted independently. Finally, an electric circuit was created that made the robot glow.
The thematic focus of culture connected is on forward-looking projects that link analogue and digital learning in a cultural context and address current issues such as sustainable climate protection. In view of the current situation (corona virus) the focus is on adapting the concept so that it will be possible to carry out projects in a digital way within the framework of distance learning at schools.
