Saxon Cultural Senate calls for more support for art and culture ahead of state elections

Five months before the state elections on 1 September, the Saxon Cultural Senate has called for more support for art and culture, especially beyond urban centers. According to a position paper published in Dresden on Monday, these are "essential components of a democratic society" and also create "sustainable impulses for togetherness" in rural regions. In it, the committee called for a "clear commitment" from all parties to the preservation of Saxony's cultural landscape and openness to new ideas in art and culture, especially in the current election year. The Free State, municipalities and districts must continue to enable, maintain and promote culture in the region.

For years, the committee has been calling for the Cultural Areas Act to be regularly adapted to changing realities and for the calculation of state allocations to be updated annually. It is about a "forward-looking cultural policy", combined with a clear financial policy "that takes expected tariff developments into account in planning". The city and state, institutions and freelancers must be considered equally. It is not just about making culture possible, but also about the accessibility of cultural venues, reducing bureaucracy in funding applications or culture in new locations and cultural education.

"The legislative period that is coming to an end has looked at and discussed many of the problems facing culture in the state," said Cultural Senate President Albrecht Koch. Nevertheless, "essential challenges" have not been overcome. These include a reliable funding solution for the cultural area theaters and other cultural and cultural education institutions.