Rant: New Cultural Senator Wedl-Wilson Ain't About Slashing Berlin's Arts Scene to Pieces
Minister of Culture, Wedl-Wilson, voices opposition to subsequent budget reduction plans. - Opponent Wedl-Wilson, new senator for cultural affairs, speaks out against proposed additional budget reductions.
Hey there, listen up! Berlin's snooty state senator wannabe, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, ain't down for gutting the city's arts and culture scene with more budget cuts. The stingy 130 million euros in this year's budget was pulled out by the bootstrap, mostly from reserves, and she reckons we can't keep milking the cow anymore.
"We can't do it, we can't take this high amount out of Berlin's culture," says Wedl-Wilson, who spilled the beans to RBB's Radio3. Instead of hacking our arts and culture to shreds, she wants to team up with every artist in town to show the world just how important and friggin' valuable our cultural scene is to the city and its citizens.
But it ain't all about snuggles and warm fuzzies. Wedl-Wilson's got her eyes on places where art and culture can cut costs, consolidate structures, and pull in some extra cash. She's talking shared deposits, joint logistics for theaters, shared ticket offices across various houses, and even consolidating payroll accounting and services. Houses could even rake in more dough by renting out spaces for events.
And don't even mention the s-word, privatization. Wedl-Wilson swears it ain't on the table, calling it "fake news." The future of cultural institutions is up for grabs, given the current "emergency situation," but no one's gonna be jobless or pay peanuts. "It's about how we can work better together in a network," says Wedl-Wilson.
Wedl-Wilson's got the job in a matter of weeks, set to be sworn in at the House of Representatives on May 22. The city's new mayor, Kai Wegner, introduced Wedl-Wilson as the city's new cultural senator on Monday. The former senator, Joe Chialo, stepped down over disagreements about aggressive cuts to cultural institutions, fearing they'd lead to widespread closures. So, here's hoping Wedl-Wilson can live up to the expectations and work some magic. Fingers crossed, she ain't all talk!
- Sarah Wedl-Wilson
- Berlin
- Cut
- Herculean task
- RBB
P.S. As for the nitty-gritty details, I ain't got none. The new senator ain't spilled the beans on specific cost-saving measures yet, nor did she drop any plans to avoid privatization or job cuts. But she's pitched as someone who's gonna listen, engage, and roll up her sleeves to run the dialog with cultural creators, so keep your fingers crossed!
- Sarah Wedl-Wilson, the newly-appointed cultural senator of Berlin, aims to work collaboratively with local artists to emphasize the significance and value of the city's art and culture scene, rather than cutting it excessively.
- In her effort to improve the city's budget, Wedl-Wilson proposes consolidating resources, such as shared deposits, joint logistics for theaters, shared ticket offices, and consolidated payroll accounting and services, to increase revenue and cut costs.
- Despite rumors, Wedl-Wilson has denied any plans for privatization, asserting that it is solely a matter of finding more efficient ways to work together in a network to better manage cultural institutions.
- Wedl-Wilson's employment policy emphasizes open dialogue and engagement with cultural creators to address the city's financial challenges, while ensuring the preservation of jobs and the avoidance of widespread closures.
