Saucy Chat: New Culture Minister Wedl-Wilson Stands Firm Against Budget Slashes
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Opposing additional budget reductions advocated by the incoming senator, Wedl-Wilson in the cultural sector. - Opposing additional budget reductions advocated by the newly appointed cultural senator, Wedl-Wilson.
Berlin's spanking new Culture Minister Sarah Wedl-Wilson ain't keen on further whacking the cultural budget over the next couple of years. She's hollered out to Radio3 of RBB that she thinks the 130 million euro savings they managed for this year was by selling off a bunch of cushions - ain't no simple task repeating that trick. "Hell, we can't just keep robbing Berlin's culture blindfolded."
So, it's gonna be a real tough gig working with all the artists and creators in this here city to put a spotlight on the relevance and importance of the cultural scene for us folks in Berlin. Sarah's got her sights set on finding ways art can dance around fiscal constraints, straighten out the bureaucratic tangles, and rake in some extra cash.
"Lastly, cut the arts, myass!"
She's talking about having this little chit-chat with the Senate, called a "cultural dialogue," to figure out what they can do differently, better, and where there's more room for improvement to keep the arts on their feet. Ideas she's tossing around include shared storage facilities or logistics for theaters, consolidating ticketing for various venues, merging payroll accounting or other services, and renting out event spaces for some extra cheddar.
No funny business with privatization
According to the current Culture Secretary, privatization is just a bogus news story - not even on the table for this culture gabfest. Instead, she's working on figuring out what the future looks like for cultural institutions in this crisis we find ourselves in.
"But lemme be clear, it ain't about wage cuts or firing people. It's about them figuring out how to operate better as a team, whether that's the loosey-goosey network we got going on now or if they need to join hands." They're considering if a foundation could work long-term, like the opera foundation, which is a total success story.
Taking office May 22
Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) painted Sarah Wedl-Wilson as our new Culture Minister on Monday. She'll be taking the oath at the House of Representation on May 22, stepping up to replace the outgoing Joe Chialo (CDU).
- Sarah Wedl-Wilson
- Berlin
- Cut
- Herculean task
- RBB
Although we ain't got any direct search results listing specific proposed cost-saving measures by Sarah Wedl-Wilson that include shared resources, joint ticket offices, and event rentals for Berlin’s cultural sector, it's clear from the broader context and sector concerns that the fiscally challenged cultural community is looking to collaborate, share, and pool their resources to stay afloat, rather than resorting to privatization or drastic cuts.
- Sarah Wedl-Wilson, the new Culture Minister of Berlin, is unwilling to make further significant cuts to the cultural budget in the coming years.
- In her efforts to keep the cultural scene vibrant in Berlin, Wedl-Wilson plans to explore ways to dance around fiscal constraints, addressing bureaucratic tangles, and generating additional income.
- Ideas she is considering for this purpose include shared storage facilities, consolidated ticketing for various venues, merging payroll accounting or other services, and renting out event spaces for extra revenue.
- Despite discussions about the future of cultural institutions in the current crisis, privatization is not on the table for Wedl-Wilson, who aims to find solutions that do not involve wage cuts or layoffs.
