Interview with Miriam Koch, Commissioner for Culture and Integration of the State Capital Duesseldorf

Miriam Koch, Commissioner for Culture and Integration of the State Capital Düsseldorf ©Dominic Heidl

Commissioner Miriam Koch: "The task for the next few years will be to ensure that the culture budget can continue to be made available."

One of the most beautiful cultural events in the state capital Düsseldorf is coming up, and that is the traditional Nacht der Museen (Night of the Museums) on 22 April 2023. We received an interview from Miriam Koch, City of Düsseldorf Commissioner for Culture and Integration about how she will experience this evening.

Commissioner Miriam Koch has been in office since May 2022 and will hold her post until at least 2030. Re-election is possible. This term of office will see the planning and implementation of a project of the century, the new Düsseldorf Opera. In June, the location decision will be made as to whether the opera will be built on Heinrich-Heine-Allee or at the Wehrhahn. Another major project is the construction of the Deutsches Fotoinstitut (German Photoinstitute); here, too, you can find out the latest news in the interview. Other highlights are the reopening of the Schumann-Haus and in August the reopening of 5000 square metres of renovated space in the Kunstpalast.

Commissioner Miriam Koch is also currently in the media because of her position in the case of the restitution of the Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow painting, "The Artist's Children". But back to the Night of the Museums. 40 museums and galleries will be taking part. One place that will certainly have many visitors on this night is the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. It is taking part for the first time this year. The appointment of Tony Cragg as interim director had had thrilled many Düsseldorfers. She also advises visitors to visit the Mahn- und Gedenkstätte (memorial site) with the current Otto Pankok exhibition.

21 April 2023

The interview was conducted in German

Interview Directory

DÜSSELDORF

Name: Miriam Koch

Occupation: Commissioner for Culture and Integration of the State Capital Düsseldorf

Location: Düsseldorf

In the international headlines:

-The new building of the Düsseldorf Opera, called "Oper der Zukunft", a century project

-Deutsches Fotoinstitut

-Schumann-Haus, opening summer 2023

-Restitution of the Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow painting

Next event: Nacht der Museen

nacht-der-museen.de

"Düsseldorf has a very high cultural budget. This applies not only to the municipal institutions, but also to the independent scene, with houses or without."

Will you also be at the Nacht der Museen and what highlights will you be looking at?

Like last time, we will be walking through the night as a team. I'm really hoping for good weather, because I don't just find visiting the individual institutions exciting. It's about being out and about in the city, with the atmosphere that people create on this special night, through queuing together or even the Wegbier.

Currently, there is an Otto Pankok exhibition in the Mahn- und Gedenkstätte (memorial site) ("Molari im Heinefeld - Die Düsseldorfer Sinti und ihr Maler", editor's note), who painted the Sinti in their settlement in Düsseldorf. He also campaigned after the war for the payment of compensation due to wartime persecution to get underway. The Mahn- und Gedenkstätte is giving a guided tour and a concert, which Dotschy Reinhardt will attend. It's the first time the Kunstakademie is here, celebrating its 250th anniversary. I hope to run into the interim director Tony Cragg. I also hope that he will try to steer the ship, meaning the art academy, on course.

The Haus der Universität features Mischa Kuball, who is always good for exciting objects, but I recommend everyone to study the entire programme very carefully.

You have been Commissioner for Culture and Integration of the State Capital Düsseldorf since May 2022. Can you tell the readers what your most important tasks were?

I was in a selection process for this position. When Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller announced that I had been chosen, I was on my way to the exhibition hall. After 24 February 2022, thousands of people from Ukraine arrived in Düsseldorf. Throughout 2022, this reception has been even more dynamic and also larger in number than in 2015 and 2016. That was the most challenging part in the area of integration.

In culture, we have a great, but also very challenging project with the planned new building of the opera. We held the ideas competition to see whether the Heinrich-Heine-Allee location would work for an expanded space and function programme or also the location at Am Wehrhahn. Now we are preparing the council decision for 15 June, when we will recommend a location to the council of the city of Düsseldorf and also propose how to proceed in a realisation competition. At the Heinrich-Heine-Allee site, the theme is respect for the Hofgarten garden monument. The offices provided convincing designs at both locations.

"Even if the Kunstakademie is often mentioned first in the international context of art and culture. All these institutions shape Düsseldorf's reputation in Germany and the world."

How would you describe Düsseldorf as a city of culture, what role does it play?

There is a great deal of culture to discover in a very small area. Schloss Benrath, the opera, the Schauspielhaus, the concert hall with the Tonhalle, a museum with an international reputation such as the Kunstpalast, the NRW Forum, the municipal institutes such as the Heinrich Heine Institute, soon to open with the Schumann-Haus, the Goethe Museum, the Theatre Museum, the Hetjens Museum, the Film Museum, the Aquazoo. The list is not exhaustive. Even if the Kunstakademie is often mentioned first in the international context of art and culture. All these institutions shape Düsseldorf's reputation in Germany and the world.

Düsseldorf has a very high cultural budget. This applies not only to the municipal institutions, but also to the independent scene, with houses or without. The task for the next few years will be to ensure that this cultural budget can continue to be made available. With tighter budgets and challenges in the cultural sector, from rising energy costs to buildings in need of renovation, such as the Tonhalle, the Aquazoo and the Goethe Museum; an incomplete list. The Kunsthalle will be renovated from 2024.

"As the city, we have rented the gallery at the Kunstakademie to give the Deutsches Fotoinstitut Association a space. Events will certainly take place there before the Fotoinstitut can become visible."

Can you announce something about the status of the Deutsches Fotoinstitut (German Photo Institute)?

Last year, the decision was made that the Deutsches Fotoinstitut should be established in Düsseldorf. In coordination with the federal government and the state, there will be a founding commission for the concept, presumably with a founding director. Hopefully, the federal minister, the state minister and the Lord Mayor will announce a date to present the founding commission.

When can the Deutsches Fotoinstitut open and will a new building be constructed for it?

We have determined the location in the Ehrenhof by council resolution. A new building is planned there. As the city, we have rented the gallery at the Academy of Arts to give the Deutsches Fotoinstitut Association a space. Events will certainly take place there before the Photo Institute can become visible.

The new opera and the Deutsches Fotoinstitut all fall within your term of office.

My first term goes until 2030 and I don't think we'll have reopened the opera by then. We'll probably end up at 2032, 2033. Highlights this year are the June council meeting, when the new opera building will be discussed. In the second half of the year the Schumann Haus will be reopened and in August we will be able to celebrate the reopening of the renovated 5000 square metres of space in the Kunstpalast.

Can you also say something about the case of the restitution of the Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow painting?

I have taken over the proceedings on this case. There was initially no agreement between the Max and Iris Stern Foundation and the City of Düsseldorf as to whether it was a restitution case at all. The next step would have been to appeal to the advisory commission in Berlin. I found it valid that we as the city of Düsseldorf cannot prove that it is not a restitution case. I suggested that we come to an agreement with the Max and Iris Stern Foundation without calling the commission. The representatives of the Foundation made it clear that the City of Düsseldorf should recognise the painting as a restitution case and that the Foundation had no interest in removing the painting from Düsseldorf, but wanted to have adequate compensation. We were able to fulfil these points at short notice. We will restitute the painting at the Council meeting on 20 April. It will certainly find a very broad council majority.

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The interview with Miriam Koch was conducted before the council meeting on 20 April. Read the council decision here:

https://www.duesseldorf.de/medienportal/pressedienst-einzelansicht/pld/duesseldorf-restituiert-das-gemaelde-bildnis-der-kinder-des-kuenstlers-von-wilhelm-von-schadow.html

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