Germany Gave Out a Staggering €50 Billion in Aid Last Month, But State Leaders Say They Need More to Help Artists and Cultural Organizations

Pressure is rising for governments around the world to provide
better support for cultural workers, many of whose livelihoods are
in free fall. In Germany, culture ministers across the country’s 16
states are now calling on the federal government to release more
money.

While galleries and
museums are
gradually reopening across the country, gatherings of 1,000 people
or more will be banned until August 31. Gatherings of more than
5,000 people will be banned until October. Meanwhile, strict social
distancing measures are in place for reopened galleries and
museums, which means fewer visitors and ongoing economic troubles
for the event-centric culture sphere.

In a letter to the federal heads, including culture
minister Monika Grütters, finance minister Olaf Scholz,
and the minister for economy Peter Altmaier, the state ministers
ask for aid beyond the first rollout of €50
billion ($54 billion) for freelancers and businesses
including those in cultural, creative, and media sectors.

“The economic situation of cultural workers and also of cultural
institutions will continue to worsen,” reads the letter, which was
first reported today by DPA. “Further
joint efforts are required to prevent the art and cultural
landscape from becoming impoverished because of the Covid-19
crisis.”

In mid-March, the federal government pledged a package that
included support for self-employed workers, including artists and
small businesses, such as galleries. The funding is being doled out
as grants and bridge loans of €9,000 ($9,700) and €19,000
($20,500). At the same time, states introduced various measures of
support. The gallery- and artist-rich capital of Berlin handed out €1.4 billion
($1.5 billion) in the form of individual €5,000 grants to
freelancers and €14,000 to small businesses.

While commending the federal government for having brought
“important measures quickly into place,” the letter calls for more
collaboration to create “a comprehensive program of federal aid for
the cultural sector to be launched in consultation with the
states.”

The ministers also highlight that the funds did not cover the
needs of self-employed artists who have suffered a “considerable
loss of income,” and small cultural institutions that have fewer
than 10 employees. Its authors also highlight the unique situation
of artists, who have to deal with canceled exhibitions and events.
Since the situation is not likely to change soon, the letter states
that programs need to be developed “to provide aid for both an even
longer period of closure and for the start-up of operations and the
promotion of production for individual sectors.”

Bavaria’s culture minister hopes that the federal government
will evolve its funding as the situation changes. “It is important
to form structures that are as uniform as possible throughout
Germany,” he tells DPA.

German museums are planning to open throughout May, and some
small museums in Brandenburg have already opened following German
Museums’ Association guidelines. Galleries in Berlin have been
allowed to open since April 20 so long as they adhere to social
distancing rules and preventative health measures.

The post Germany Gave Out a Staggering €50 Billion in Aid
Last Month, But State Leaders Say They Need More to Help Artists
and Cultural Organizations appeared first on artnet
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