Werkbundarchiv fears for the future of the Museum of Things
The Museum der Dinge is worried about its future. In the current budget negotiations, which are now a matter for the Berlin House of Representatives, the funds for two new pavilion buildings for the museum have been cut. This was announced by the museum's supporting association, the Werkbundarchiv, on Monday. "Cancelling the funding for its own building would deprive the museum of the prospect of a secure future." The state parliament is discussing the 2024/2025 double budget, which is due to be approved by the end of the year.
The museum is currently in the process of relocating anyway: at the beginning of November, it was announced that the exhibition space of the Werkbundarchiv in Kreuzberg's Oranienstraße would have to be vacated. Following the move, which was funded with around 680,000 euros, around 20,000 visitors a year will initially be able to visit the museum and archive in a smaller interim solution on Leipziger Strasse from May onwards.
The supporting association and the museum team are now "very concerned that the move to Leipziger Straße threatens to perpetuate a temporary solution and that the museum will not be able to develop its full potential as planned", according to the Werkbundarchiv.
In a statement from the Council for the Arts on Saturday, it said that the funds had been cut as a result of a motion by the governing CDU and SPD parliamentary groups. "We, the Council for the Arts, therefore call on the members of parliament to retain the funds for the building construction measure for the pavilion buildings in Karl-Marx-Allee as a sign of a provision for the future of culture in Berlin."
A spokesperson for the Senate Department explained on Monday in response to an inquiry: "The importance and necessity that we attach to the two pavilions is reflected in the fact that the funds were provided for in our department's draft budget."
The Werkbundarchiv emphasizes the significance of the proposed pavilion buildings for the Museum der Dinge, stating that withdrawing funding would impede the museum's path to a secure future. In the context of cultural policy, maintaining funding for these museum extensions is crucial for upholding Berlin's cultural heritage.
Source: www.dpa.com
