Culture Connected. An art project that inspires hope
The Arnulf Rainer Museum and the Baden-Weikersdorf Elementary School demonstrate what is possible when culture and education work together to empower children.Anyone who saw the children at the final presentation in late May at the Arnulf Rainer Museum could sense what had been built over the past few weeks: courage. Trust. Community. The students in Class 2a at the Baden-Weikersdorf Elementary School confidently presented their drawings, movements, and ideas to the audience. What many of them would have found difficult at the start of the project now came naturally: putting themselves out there, expressing their feelings, and performing together. The presentation marked the conclusion of the project “Courage-Building Power of Form: Line, Movement & Expression,” which was developed by the Arnulf Rainer Museum in collaboration with the Baden-Weikersdorf Elementary School and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education as part of the “culture connected” initiative.
The project impressively demonstrates how artistic practice, education, and personal development can be combined in museum and school settings—in an interdisciplinary and participatory manner, and with great enthusiasm from everyone involved. Special thanks go to Eva George, the homeroom teacher of Class 2a at VS Baden-Weikersdorf, and her 19 students. With their openness, creativity, and courage, they brought the project to life and made it a special experience.
While the school provides the children with a sense of security, trust, and daily guidance, the museum opens up new perspectives and creative spaces for exploration. Together, the two partners created a framework in which the children could try new things, discover their strengths, and push themselves beyond their limits. Drawing inspiration from Arnulf Rainer’s expressive works and the principles of the Art Brut movement, the students explored lines, shapes, and emotions. In workshops held at the museum and at school, the children produced drawings, creative experiments, and personal forms of expression. They learned to give visible form to their thoughts and feelings, both with pen and paper and through their own bodies. A particular highlight was the collaboration with mime artist Daria Lytvynenko.
Among the guests at the presentation were, among others, City Councilwoman Patrizia Pils, Otto Wolkerstorfer, head of the Department of Schools, Kindergartens, and Education, and Adelaida Fisekci, principal of the Baden-Weikersdorf Elementary School. Christine Humpl’s outreach team also included Clarissa Reinwein, Kristina Havlicek, Lena Röth, and Hermann Weißenbacher.