Inside Artists: Model project for co-creative collaboration between artists and institutions

Together with the Liz Mohn Stiftung, Beethovenfest Bonn has launched a model project for co-creative collaboration between artists and institutions. The project is part of the German Federal Cultural Foundation’s initiative “TUNED – Network for Contemporary Classical Music.”

June 18, 2024

Inside Artists allows six artists from the fields of art, music and literature to collaborate with the Beethovenfest team on projects that bring new artistic perspectives to the festival’s work while advancing the festival’s development. “In times of dynamic transformation and complex challenges, only those organizations that bring together a range of expertise and perspectives are capable of taking effective action and developing further,” says Prof. Martin Zierold, the managing consultant supporting the project. “Inside Artists is not only a highly innovative approach for a music festival, it could also become a blueprint for other organizations.” The project is scheduled to run for one year (Jan. to Dec. 2024). All the participants are committing a considerable amount of their time: In addition to four workshop phases in Bonn throughout the year, the three working groups are also engaged in a regular exchange.

Co-creation leads to a change in perspective

The exchange between artists and festival staff generates new insights for both sides. “You learn so many things here that you hadn’t thought about before. It’s incredibly multi-perspective,” says photographer and filmmaker Tobias Zielony, who is collaborating with the festival’s Communications team together with artist Cana Bilir-Meier. “We’ve all developed the artistic project together right from the start. It’s a team effort. That’s not always the case with my projects.”   

Artistic ideas, and not just for the stage

Some of the projects will become part of the Beethovenfest 2024 program, while other ideas will have more of an impact behind the scenes, on the institution itself. “The nice thing about working on this project with Inside Artists is that we are completely free to consider with the artists which topics interest us and offer added value for both sides,” explains Steven Walter, director of the festival and one of the project’s initiators. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be an on-stage concert. For example, one team is working on how artists and the audience can be welcomed to the festival in a more appreciative way. That tends to take place backstage, but is just as important for the overall Beethovenfest experience.”

A model project designed to extend beyond Beethovenfest

Inside Artists is testing different forms of practical co-creation at Beethovenfest 2024. The primary aim is to evolve the festival’s working methods. Yet the insights gained from the project are also meant to extend beyond the festival and serve as a basis for implementing the approach at other organizations, cultural and otherwise. “Ultimately, I hope that we will be able to establish this co-creative method within our team and offer other institutions practical input for their own project development,” Walter says. The Inside Artists project was also developed co-creatively – by the Beethovenfest Bonn, Prof. Zierold and the Liz Mohn Foundation. “Culture can build bridges – across generations, borders and professions,” explains Liz Mohn, chairwoman of the Liz Mohn Foundation’s Executive Board. “Culture must always address socially relevant topics and bring people together. Through our support, this is exactly what we want to achieve, while strengthening the role that artists play in further developing cultural institutions.”

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Dorothea Gregor