Network meeting for a round table on spaces for culture

Space is one of the most important infrastructure elements for the cultural landscape across all sectors. Securing and expanding such spaces has always been a key priority in our growing city – whether in the House of Representatives, within the administration, or amongst the cultural practitioners themselves.

Culture needs spaces! Whether for rehearsing, producing, performing, storing, exhibiting or selling – spaces are perhaps the most invisible, yet most indispensable resource of cultural work. And it is precisely this resource that is under constant threat, not just individual venues, but an entire ecosystem that is fragile – yet vital for survival.

Under this motto, we – the AG Räume of the Berlin Culture Conference and the Atelierbüro at the bbk Berlin’s Kulturwerk – launched our efforts in the summer of 2025 to establish a Round Table on Spaces for Culture.

20 June 2025:  Around 50 representatives from politics, cultural associations and initiatives responded to the call from the AG Räume working group of the Berlin Cultural Conference and the Atelierbüro at the bbk berlin’s Kulturwerk to explore the question in the House of Representatives: Is there a need for a Round Table on Spaces for Culture?

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for the great interest and enthusiastic participation. The evaluation of the event’s content, as well as the positive feedback we have received since then across party lines and sectors, clearly show that a clear majority considers such a body to be important and necessary.

Immediately following the launch event, a steering group was formed (comprising members of the ‘Spaces’ working group of the Berlin Cultural Conference and other cultural stakeholders in Berlin), which took up the mandate set out and engaged intensively with the future of the Round Table. This process resulted in the position paper, which you can access via the link in the box on the right.

12 November 2025:  At a workshop held as part of the stadt_formen conference organised by the Berlin Project Fund for Urban Practice, the call for a Round Table on Spaces for Culture was further developed and the following topics were discussed:

Presentation and discussion of the position paper, cooperation and exchange: existing round tables in Berlin, topics and functions: joint collection, and of course: next steps – call for a Round Table on Spaces for Culture

Preparations are currently underway for the

2nd Network Meeting – Round Table: Spaces for Culture. 

Together with you, we want to make progress: to expand our network, pool our resources and further develop the structure of a Round Table on Spaces for Culture.

Building on the in-depth discussions from the past two events, one wish has become particularly clear: for a round table of this scale to be effective and representative, the relevant administrative bodies need to be at the table.

We are therefore all the more delighted to be taking this next step together: representatives from the Senate departments SBW (Urban Development, Building and Housing), WEB (Economy, Energy and Public Enterprises) and KGZ (Culture and Social Cohesion) have been invited – and we have already received initial confirmations.

Furthermore, we are delighted to be able to provide an insight into the newly published study “Culture as a Location Factor in Berlin” with Prof. Dr Vera Allmanritter, Head of the Institute for Cultural Participation Research. The latest research findings impressively illustrate the social, economic and urban development significance of culture – and in doing so, particularly highlight the central role of cultural spaces for Berlin’s future. (Information on the study)

It promises to be an informative, strategic and collaborative event – with the aim of working together to clarify the vision for a permanent ‘Round Table for Culture’ and to establish it collectively during the new parliamentary term. Click on the registration link in the box at the top right. 

The Berlin Cultural Conference is an alliance of 23 leading Berlin-based cultural organisations, currently, whose aim is to jointly represent the political interests of those working in the cultural sector. Under this umbrella, the ‘Spaces’ working group advocates for infrastructure relating to rehearsal spaces, workspaces, studios and performance venues for musicians, performing artists, visual artists, writers and those involved in cultural education.   

The Atelierbüro at the bbk Berlin’s kulturwerk has a tradition stretching back over 30 years of campaigning for workspaces for Berlin’s visual artists. We are part of the ‘AG Räume’ working group of the Berlin Cultural Conference. Together, we aim to bring together the discussions of those committed to the issue of space in this city.