Federal funding for a new creative hub

Blank, Agentur für Zwischennutzung & Kulturberatung Jena receive federal funding for a new creative hub, the GewächsHaus

here is a lot of competition for space in Jena because businesses are growing, the population is increasing and the city has many students. At the same time, the city is home to many artists and representatives of the independent cultural scene who need space to develop their activities. So far, there are fewer temporary uses for vacant spaces and properties than there are unused properties, which is tantamount to a waste of resources given the tight space situation. The amount of work that needs to be done to successfully create interfaces and mediation is so great that the structures available to date, such as the cultural advisory service and the agency for temporary use, are not sufficient. In addition, the city administration is also working at full capacity due to constant requests that it cannot respond to immediately. In addition, many creative professionals are looking for a permanent place to implement their projects, but also as a basis for their activities. There are always parallel activities by the independent scene to help themselves, but these have so far been poorly coordinated and usually do not last long due to a lack of professionalization. In addition, responsibilities are not clearly recognizable and there is a lack of ordinary communication structures on both sides, causing potential to fizzle out. Due to the lack of action and creative spaces as easy access for economic activity as a livelihood, the first creative professionals are already migrating and turning their backs on the city of Jena. By actively approaching the city authorities to focus attention on this problem, the Agency for Interim Use and the Cultural Advisory Service are prepared to work together to create the necessary structures for a social, cultural and sustainable city. The first rounds of talks have already been held by the interim use steering group with representatives of the city center initiative, JenaWirtschaft, the Department of Urban Development, jenawohnen and the city's own JenaKultur company. The aim is to find out which strategies are effective against the existing deficits and which permanently usable locations exist and can be made usable accordingly.

A process will be set in motion that, with the help of the Agency for Interim Use and the cultural consultancy, will create new structures that embody transparency and bundle energy and knowledge while protecting the newly emerging potential from external influences such as rising rents. Without long-term security, many valuable civil society projects are left with uncertain prospects. This is precisely what needs to change and be transformed into a permanent project with reliable structures and spheres of activity. Stable structures are needed that work at eye level with the city administration in order to promote an open and reliable exchange, bundle communication and forward it in a targeted manner. An open space that can be used by all players in the independent scene should serve as the basis. Together with the city administration and the real estate industry, selected premises will be examined for such usability. The process, which brings together the city administration, the independent scene and the economic players, should lead to the establishment of a creative hub that recognizes needs, communicates them analytically and makes them visible.

Voices of the protagonists

"The interface work that Blank and Kulturberatung do in the various areas is very important. The independence of both projects makes it possible to respond to the dynamics and changes in the various districts in an agile manner and to build trust with both the cultural players and the property owners," says Mayor and Head of Urban Development Christian Gerlitz.

Changes to the city center are also the keyword for City Manager Kati Cornelia Fischer-Haasis. "Jena must use the potential to establish sustainable infrastructure and spaces for creative professionals in addition to the already good opportunities for young scientists and students," says the city manager.

Katrin Hitziggrad, from Blank - Agentur für Zwischennutzung, and Ms. Fischer-Haasis are members of the "City Center with a Future" action alliance of the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture and contribute their experience from Jena at state level. "The diversity of utilization concepts and the interlinking of art, culture, retail and gastronomy as well as the economy is an important lever for the future of city centers and districts," says Katrin Hitziggrad.

"The promise of federal funding has once again reinforced how important it is to create permanent cultural spaces and contact points for creative professionals in the municipalities," concludes cultural consultant Xenia Reich-Hemmerich.

Implementation plan:

1. an already existing small cultural quarter will be accessed, which will serve as Real-Labor

2. actors from Real-Labor as a competence team that looks at projects together from different perspectives and develops a process that will serve as a handout for creative people and administrators in the realization of projects

3. a regular workshop every four weeks as a future lab with actors from the independent scene to incorporate all needs into the concept for a creative hub, as well as to review the practical benefits of the handout and make the resulting resources freely accessible

4. survey on the establishment of a cultural hub

5. Regular participation of as many stakeholders as possible in the development process should strengthen trust and be used as a basis for the Jena cultural platform

6. existing working and coordination structures with the city administration should be sharpened and realigned based on the regular workshops.

7. with the support of Jena city council and real estate owners, a spacious property is to be found that can be designed and used as a creative hub

Additional facts:

• Received federal funding from the Bundesfond SozioKultur for 11 months in February
• GewächsHaus - will be set up on the Schillerstraße 5 site from 01.04.22
• Office of Kulturberatung & Blank, agency for interim use, will also move to this location
• Process that is being set in motion and brings together the city administration, the independent scene and the economic players and that is intended to lead to the establishment of a creative hub that recognizes needs, communicates them analytically and makes them visible