Andrea Mayer: Culture with foresight - successes and challenges

Andrea Mayer: Culture with foresight - successes and challenges

Austria's cultural policy is about to change because Andrea Mayer, who has been working as a secretary of the art since May 2020, is leaving her position. Mayer, who had previously worked as a civil servant and art section leader, drove various important projects as pragmatic leadership without being guided by party political goals. Their nomination happened in the context of the challenges that Corona pandemic for the cultural scene brought.

A central concern of Mayer was to control the art and culture scene through pandemic as unscathed as possible. During this time, the cultural budget was significantly increased, from 466 million euros to a remarkable 669 million euros. This was not only a reaction to the pandeme -related challenges, but also a long -term commitment to sustainable cultural financing.

important measures and developments

Several important initiatives were started under their aegis. A focus was on the topic of "Fair Pay" in the free cultural scene to ensure fair and fair payments. In addition, the ÖFI+ film funding model was introduced, which implemented the common Bundesmuseen Card and created tax advantages for cultural donations. The new monument protection law was also passed during this time - all measures that aim to reform the cultural sector.

Another big project was the relocation of the House of History Austria from the new castle to the museum district, for which the Orthrat Team Ortner & Ortner won the competition. While Mayer worked visionarily, she decided against the establishment of a holding company for the Bundesmuseums, which was understood as a strategic decision in the industry. Instead, she wanted to focus on existing and well -functioning structures.

In her role as a decision -maker, she demonstrated a good feeling for important personnel decisions. Under the new directorate of Lotte de Beer, the Volksoper showed gratifying progress. Mayer also did not put pressure on Martin Kušej, the director of the Burgtheater, which had a positive effect on her decisions. She called Stefan Bachmann at the top of the Burgtheater after Kušej stayed in the crisis.

The search for the most suitable minds for cultural institutions was a trademark of Mayer's term. It had no prejudices regarding gender, which becomes clear in the occupied positions. Jonathan Fine will be responsible for the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) from January 2025, while Ralph Gleis will lead the Albertina. At the same time, however, there were also challenges: Lilli Hollein, who has headed the MAK since autumn 2021, has not yet been able to meet the expectations that were placed in them, and there were also material for discussions about the appointment of Fatima Hellberg, which takes over the Mumok in 2025

Andrea Mayer's resignation thus marks a turning point in Austrian cultural policy. Your pragmatic approaches and successful initiatives could be considered an example of future development in the politics of the cultural sector.