Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2020
At a distance: Culture stuck between quarantine and a new start
At the moment, nothing seems more sustainable than disruption. Collective future expectations of a fundamentally functioning society are being put to the test in times of increasingly rapid and hardly predictable social, political and economic changes. Disruptions or disturbances determine our time: future images are apparently no longer as linear and as positive as before.
For (cultural) institutions, the COVID-19 induced lockdown meant not only a loss of income and the restructuring of medium-term organizational planning. The certainty about the long-term nature of the restrictions and the subsequent effect means that the institutions need to walk a fine line between the chance for renewal and ambiguity in the face of an uncertain future. How can cultural venues emerge strengthened from this crisis? What new needs are emerging? The Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School would like to reflect on the new flexible concepts now that some time has passed. After a review of the current situation by the directors of the partner institutions, digital workshops will be held to explore the key issues of "Why do we need museums?", "Why do we need exhibitions?" and "Why do we need digitalization?" as well as an international perspective.
For the digital edition of the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School, instead of announcing a new round of participants, we would like to take the opportunity to get in touch with former participants. This way, the alumni of the past years will actively shape the program and share their experiences with other experts.