Art and culture are the most noble expression of the human spirit and a national good worthy of protection.
At a glance
- Art and culture create identity, bring people together and greatly contribute to social cohesion.
- Dealing with culture predominantly entails addressing questions and challenges of the present. It creates spaces for critical and controversial dialogue.
- The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung attaches great importance to cultural work. Here we focus on the three priority areas of visual arts and culture, literature and cultural policy.
- We promote exchange and dialogue by bringing together citizens, cultural professionals and politicians in various formats. Since 1993, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has also been awarding its prestigious literature prize.
Content
1. Art and culture as a bridge between people
2. Dialogue as the foundation of social cohesion
4. Our offers and projects on the topic
5. Publications, events and media contributions on the topic
Art and culture open up new perspectives on the world and bring people together. They contribute to a sense of identity for the individual and society and have a strong influence on cohesion. Imparting and promoting culture represents an investment in a humane future and thus one of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s pre-eminent tasks.
Art and culture as a bridge between people
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s cultural work has three focuses: Visual arts and culture, literature as well as cultural policy. All three areas are united by one goal: to get people talking to one another – about art, culture and therefore about important societal developments. In times of globalisation and renewal and a destabilisation of the individual and society, art and culture can serve to orient, discuss, and shape our community.
Dialogue as the foundation of social cohesion
Exploring culture is tantamount to exploring the questions and challenges of our time. It reflects our history, values and convictions and facilitates critical dialogue. Our events create spaces for encounter and exchange. We foster dialogue between citizens, culture, and politics as part of art exhibitions, readings, workshops, studio talks and conferences.
Expressing freedom
Our literature programme brings together writers with stakeholders from academia and politics in Germany and Europe to talk about literature and current affairs. This exchange takes place in various formats: in international conferences, at the authors’ workshop in Cadenabbia, at readings and digital events. Since 1993, this renowned Literature Prize has been awarded to writers who “lend expression to freedom”, and whose work engenders political-social importance and aesthetic-literary quality.
Our offers and projects on the topic
Event series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung provides a wide range of events in the field of culture. In addition to honouring important persons from the field of art and culture, we speak to cultural workers in different formats, facilitate exchange, thus providing a forum for the presentation of interesting works and excerpts from artists.
Homage
With the homage that takes place one a year, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung honours an outstanding personality of German-speaking culture. In doing so, we want to focus on creative people who shape or have shaped our artistic and cultural life over the long-term. Those who have been honoured so far include well-known and renowned artists such as Ulrich Matthes, Hortensia Völckers or Max Hollein.
Berlin Dialogue on Cultural Policy
The conference series formerly known as the Potsdam Dialogue on Cultural Policy, takes place in autumn each year. The objective of the series is to discuss and exchange with experts from culture, politics, and associations on current topics of cultural policy.
Cultural Histories
In of series of talks, “Cultural Histories”, artists discuss diversity and tolerance in Germany. They talk about their biography, their artistic work, and reflect on issues of culture and identity.
studio online
In the virtual readings of our “studio online” series, renowned writers present their work and speak with our literary consultants about their literary creations.
Scholarship offers
Supporting scholarship holders is part our mission as a political foundation. In addition to classic scholarships for students and doctoral candidates, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung also supports artists. Support is not only of a financial kind; we also help present the work of our scholarship holders in exhibitions alongside art and cultural projects.
Scholarships and Support for Artists
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung awards working scholarships in the areas of visual arts, literature and composition. We also regularly present exhibitions of artists in our Academy and in the spaces of cooperating galleries.
Podcasts
With the culture podcast “KUNST-STÜCK”, the foundation currently offers a format in which scholarship holders from our EHF 2010 Artists Sponsorship have their say on subjects pertaining to visual arts, literature, and music.
KUNST:STÜCK – The Culture Podcast
In “KUNST:STÜCK – The Culture Podcast“ we speak with scholarship holders from the EHF 2020 Artists Sponsorship about visual arts, culture, literature, and music. We delve into the world and creations of our interlocutors and ask: What does their art tell us about our world? How did they become what they are today? Each episode will include a discussion with creative people from our Artist Support Programme.
Prizes
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung regularly bestows prizes and awards. In the field of culture, the literature prize has been awarded since 1993.
Literature Prize
The annually conferred Literature Prize of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is bestowed upon authors whose help do justice to freedom and human dignity. A prerequisite for receiving the award is that the works bear witness to a political and social significance and an aesthetic-literary quality. The award was initiated by Dr Bernhard Vogel and is presented each year in Weimar. Hans Pleschinski, Husch Josten and Mathias Énard are among the prize winners.
Publications to the topic
Bücher der KAS-Literaturpreisträger zu Weihnachten
Über Historie, Erfindung und die Kanten des Glücks
„Critical Germanness“
Die Schriftstellerin Ulrike Draesner ist Trägerin des Literaturpreises der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 2024
Heike Steinweg / Suhrkamp Verlag
Wie Freiheit möglich wird
Literaturpreis der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 2023 für Lutz Seiler
Pixabay
Zurück zur Normalität?
Neuerscheinungen der KAS-Literaturpreisträger auf der Frankfurter Buchmesse
Event Reports on the topic
KAS
„Unsere Ressource sind die Künstlerinnen und Künstler sowie unsere Kulturinstitutionen“
Berliner Gespräch zur Kulturpolitik
KAS
Wie ist es in einem der berüchtigsten Gefängnisse der Welt geboren worden zu sein?
Maryam Zaree zu Gast in der Reihe kulturgeschichten
"Die Freiheit der Kunst als demokratische Verpflichtung?"
"Talk im Bahnhof" unter der Schirmherrschaft von Ansgar Heveling MdB
KAS
Nebelkinder und starke Frauen
Ulrike Draesner erzählt im studio online vom weiblichen Gesicht des Krieges
KAS
Bekenntnis zum Freiheitswillen
Im studio online las Natalka Sniadanko aus ihrem aktuellen Ukraine-Roman
KAS Paris
Modern orthodox
Kooperationsveranstaltung des Auslandsbüros Paris mit dem Goethe Institut Paris
KAS
Von Mabuse zu Mussolini oder 1922
Ein Schlüsseljahr der Moderne und die Folgen für die europäische Kultur.
KAS
Kulturgeschichten diskutiert „Wer du wirklich bist“
Der Autor Yannic Han Biao Federer war zu Gast bei der Veranstaltungsreihe kulturgeschichten. Moderatorin Vivian Perkovic führte das Gespräch.
KAS
kulturgeschichten zeigt Dokumentarfilm "Heller Weg"
Ein Filmgespräch über Kultur im Krieg und Kreative im Fadenkreuz
