Discuss your own stance, either individually or within your team. Shared principles can help make decisions and provide guidance.

Articulate your own understanding of culture

State clearly what art and culture mean to you – for example, a space for critical thinking, social participation, collective memory.

Recognise the other person’s interpretive framework

In conversation, explore how the other person defines culture – as a fixed heritage or as something that evolves and is negotiated.

Be able to explain your own work well

Make it clear why your own practice is important – even for people who have little contact with art and culture.

Stand for something rather than just against something

Positive language strengthens connectivity. Those who communicate their stance as an invitation are more likely to open up a space for exchange.

Practice dialogue skills

With others, practice how to conduct conversations, moderate, and find effective wordings.

Stay empathetic without conforming

Listen to understand, not to agree. Take the other person’s stance seriously without relativising your own.

Recognise harm and take responsibility

Do not look away or appease when people feel attacked by statements; look closely and take action if necessary.

Actively facilitate discourse

Using moderation and clear conversation rules, create formats that facilitate open discussion without permitting everything.

Set clear rules for conversation and limit the scope of discourse

Not every stage and every occasion are suitable for every topic.

Recognise (right-wing) populist patterns of argumentation

Expose tactics like perpetrator-victim reversal, feigned objectivity, generalisations or playing groups off against each other.

Strengthen your own argumentative techniques

Make clear the difference between opinion and misanthropic views. Ask questions, contradict, demand sources.

Make the consequences clear

Clearly state what the consequences will be when rules are breached – for example, with regard to house rules, the law, or criminal liability.

Deliberately include different groups of people – for example, communities, local groups or press.

Combine different routes of communication

Combine digital platforms with advertising in public spaces or, especially in smaller towns, personal invitations.

Reflect on language and use it purposefully

Different media and their specific users require different registers and narratives. Determine shared terms and establish wording that is comprehensible and accessible.

Pre-determine communication channels and task distribution in the event of a crisis

Appoint someone to be responsible for initial contact with the press, designate a media spokesperson if necessary, and assign someone to be in charge of social media before, during, and after the event – especially with regard to hate messages, shitstorms, and disinformation campaigns.

Consider security aspects

Protect privacy in digital spaces and assess which personal data and sensitive information (place, time) should be published.

Establish rules for digital spaces
Define and enforce regulations for respectful communication on the internet (netiquette).

Practise active objection

Use targeted comments, arguments, and positionings to respond to discriminatory contributions – for example, ask deliberately provocative counter-questions, use humour or specialist knowledge to rebut your opponent.

Report legally relevant content

Use the ‘report’ function on social media and file a criminal complaint – for example, to online police stations.

Establish reliable media contacts

Long-term contacts with journalists help ensure nuanced reporting.

Use the press strategically to increase cultural-political visibility

Attention from the public can help make structural challenges in the cultural sector more transparent.

Design press kits strategically

In addition to facts, also present your values and social relevance. This helps contextualise content and avoid misunderstandings.

Critically review media inquiries

Take a firm stance when dealing with problematic or dubious formats and politely decline if necessary.

Handle criticism professionally

Correct inaccurate reports in a factual manner and enable constructive dialogue instead of reacting reflexively.

Consciously connect aesthetic, content-related, and formal decisions with the social context – not to limit, but to enhance impact.

Promote diversity of voices

Actively incorporate diverse life experiences into teams, casts, and themes.

Enable access

Instead of simplifying complex content, convey it in an accessible way. Think inclusively in terms of language, narrative style, and design, also beyond academic or activist conventions. Any prerequisite terms or references should be explained in a way that makes them accessible to everyone.

Consciously shape participation

Do not think of participation merely as an ‘add-on’, but critically reflect on who has a say, how decisions are made, and how power relations become visible.

Establish local collaborations

Build bridges by working with schools, youth centres, educational initiatives, or local media – especially in rural or underserved areas.

Use humour and irritation systematically
With the help of humour, push boundaries, make criticism accessible, and reach people in surprising ways without compromising your stance.

Provide emotional support

Offer safe spaces when dealing with topics such as racism, trauma, or violence – for example, through trigger warnings or designated retreat areas.

Incorporate reflections

Create space for contextualisation – for example, through follow-up discussions, audience formats, digital support, or educational materials.

Assess risks realistically, establish clear procedures for communication and situations of crisis. Know escape routes, assembly points, and instructions for emergencies. Appoint a crisis team and document house rules and exclusion clauses – with support from advisory services.

Test action scenarios

Work through case examples of disruptions, assaults, and deliberate provocations.

Integrate local networks and authorities

Establish cooperation early on – assess trust, attitude, and reliability in advance.

Check insurance coverage

Check the organiser’s liability and personal insurance, including for helpers or external participants.

Understand the legal framework for action

Know the difference between freedom of expression and criminal content or acts. Identify options for reporting or filing a complaint.

Openly discuss concerns and protection needs

Ask participants what they need – for example, anonymous participation, no photos or video recordings.

Prepare moderation

For dealing with heckling, hostility, or deliberate provocation.

Ensure availability

Guarantee availability for the audience, participants, the police, etc., in case of need or incidents.

Ensure visibility of the awareness-team

Identify and label contact persons on site – for example, with vests, pins, or name tags.

Provide retreat spaces and aftercare

Provide emotional support – for instance, psychosocial services, confidential conversations, or assistance.

Document incidents

Record procedures, attacks, or disruptions in writing – for potential legal action and for (self)critical reflection on how things were handled.

Be aware of existing alliances, lines of conflict, and local actors, and include them in the decision-making.

Obtain permits early on

Contact public authorities and offices such as public order, civil engineering, or parks departments, as well as the police. Review legal and financial frameworks, requirements, and potential support.

Plan visibility strategically

Select location, time, and sightlines strategically – who feels invited, or potentially provoked?

Ensure controllable access

Where necessary: Provide barriers or visible support structures to enhance safety without fundamentally compromising openness.

Choose places with retreat areas
Involve local partners and collaborators – for example, cultural venues, cafés or community centres (verify their trustworthiness!).

Creatively protect the identity of participants

Through the use of costumes, masks, or make-up.

Consider digital repercussions

Content from public spaces can be disseminated online – actively consider the potential risks for those involved and the audience.

Develop your own terms and incorporate them into communications.

Use peer-feedback

Review applications with colleagues to learn from each other, potentially pool synergies, and avoid blind spots.

Use funding strategically

Use smaller grants for research or development, and larger ones for consolidating and establishing sustainable structures.

Explore adjacent funding areas

Consider funding programmes from related fields such as education, integration, regional development, international cooperation, or science – as long as they align with your own artistic work.

Utilise international funding

Cross-border collaboration can open up new perspectives. International funding sources can serve as additional financial support or reduce dependence on national funding structures.

Seek dialogue with funding institutions
Make needs transparent – even those that are not visible in forms.

Provide feedback

See evaluations as an opportunity to highlight structural problems and initiate change.

Prepare a communication strategy

Develop a clear communication strategy in case of public instrumentalisation. Include clear values, media contacts, and solidarity networks.

Contextualise the principle of neutrality

Understand where the legal principle applies, what its limitations are, and how it might be used as a tool to exert political pressure.

Seek legal assistance
Obtain timely legal advice in case of parliamentary inquiries or allegations of violating neutrality.

Form alliances

Address grievances together with other actors – for example, with the help of national or regional associations.

Raise awareness

Highlight the consequences of funding cuts through creative forms of protest, campaigns, open letters, or cooperation with the press.

Win allies
Approach advocates and ambassadors outside the arts and culture scene.

Only those who take good care of themselves can act in solidarity and take responsibility in the long term.

Respect your own limits
Take warning signs seriously at an early stage and do not exceed your personal limits permanently.

Recognise needs
Do not solely link care to those directly affected – those who support also need support.

Allow breaks
Plan and allow opportunities for retreat – as a form of self-protection and collective practice.

Gather strength
Identify individual sources of strength and consciously nurture them.

Seek help early on

Seek support from the team or from experts before the burden becomes too great.

Passion over perfection
Learning processes and enthusiasm are more important than flawless procedures.

Set your focus consciously
Do not try to do everything at once: set priorities to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed.

Schedule regular check-ins

Consciously suspend your daily work routine and establish time for brief check-ins and check-outs with colleagues.

Distribute responsibility

Assign responsibilities to several people – to prevent overload and strengthen the group.

Work through setbacks together

Do not individualise mistakes and crises – sharing your experiences can relieve the pressure and open up new perspectives.

Incorporate external support
Utilise supervision, team days, or collegial counselling to reflect on challenges together.

Allow for buffers

Allow for time and emotional leeway within project phases – for rest, detours, or setbacks.

Consider sustainability

Utilise reusable formats and materials to reduce waste.

Secure and pass on knowledge

Documentation enables transitions, farewells or breaks without loss of knowledge.

Strengthen solidarity networks

Consciously maintain connections – even beyond your own scenes or regions, for example internationally.

available with English or German subtitles

From the perspective of anti-democratic forces, it represents a political disturbance that does not fit in with the desired national-cultural narrative.

Accusations of alleged ‘one-sidedness’ or ‘wokeness’ are putting increasing political, financial, and media pressure on committed cultural work. In this context, cultural actors are expected to take a clear stance against mechanisms of discrimination and anti-democratic narratives. At the same time, they are supposed to keep spaces for social dialogue open to all and remain willing to engage, which requires a high degree of tolerance for ambiguity.

In this context, a reflective mindset means becoming aware of one's own role and responsibility without succumbing to moral overload or rigid defensiveness. It means preparing for conflict and enduring complexity without leaving deliberate provocations or transgressions uncommented. The following questions for reflection, impulses for action and recommended further reading can support a critical examination of one’s own stance in order to remain capable of acting in situations of conflict.

Therefore, a reflective, strategic, and value-based approach to public relations is helpful. It strengthens the ability to act under pressure, helps protect those involved, and makes it possible to actively shape social dialogue while credibly representing one’s own position.

The following questions for reflection, impulses for action, and additional materials are intended to support a conscious, strategic, and value-based approach to public relations.

Artists are not political spokespersons, and yet their work resonates deeply within social spaces. Venue directors and curators play a decisive role in determining which voices are given a stage and which thematic priorities are set within a programme. Those who are aware of this impact can assume responsibility for their power to shape access, diversity of voices, and critical discourse.

The following questions, impulses, and materials invite reflections on artistic decisions with regard to aesthetics, responsibility, and social impact.

The following questions, ideas, and tips may be helpful in consciously addressing specific protection needs, clear communication structures, and shared responsibilities.

At the same time, the current landscape of funding is characterised by uncertainty, competition, and high complexity. Application procedures are exhausting, calls for proposals follow changing political agendas, and many structures are only temporarily secured. Especially in times of crisis, critical or locally anchored projects are particularly likely to fall behind. There is a noticeable increase in attempts to influence content, for example through demands for supposed neutrality or parliamentary inquiries intended to intimidate.

A reflective approach to funding requirements strengthens autonomy and creates agency, grounded in an understanding of one’s own values and priorities. The following suggestions and additional resources have been compiled for this purpose.

Resilience is not a matter of individual mindset, but a collective and political practice that sustains the continuity of activist and artistic work. Our long-term capacity to act is influenced by how we work in teams, how we protect ourselves, how we share responsibility, and how we organise care. Structural factors such as funding policies, institutional power relations, and social exclusion also affect resilience, which must therefore always be understood systemically. Since structural challenges often require long-term social change, it is all the more important to make use of the scope for action available at the individual level. Self-care is the practice that allows us to reconnect with sources of strength such as community, creativity, and joy. It helps us to remain active and connected in the long term.

The following questions, resources, and ideas are intended to help you question routines and further develop individual and collective strategies for connectedness and strength in your artistic practice.