Laura Schieferle, branch manager of Munich’s art quarter, the Kunstareal, communicates the rich array of cultural and academic institutions in the Maxvorstadt neighbourhood. Her work days are as packed as the Kunstareal itself. Schieferle loves the energy of the quarter, but also knows its quieter retreats. And she works with a mission.
When Laura Schieferle cycles from her apartment near the English Garden to her office on Brienner Strasse in the morning, she often crosses Karolinenplatz (square). For many, this bustling intersection with its towering obelisk in the centre is just a busy traffic junction with a huge roundabout. But for Schieferle, it is a daily reminder of the Kunstareal’s remarkable density of high-calibre art and culture institutions and of her passion for her work. “Karolinenplatz square feels like a beautiful gateway to the Kunstareal”, says Schieferle. “What you can see from here is simply overwhelming. In one direction is the Königsplatz (square) with the Propylaea gate, behind it the Lenbachhaus (art gallery); in front of it the collections of antiquities and the Glyptothek (art gallery), the NS-Dokumentationszentrum – and then, to the north, the Pinakothek (gallery). Everything can be reached within five minutes. You can walk around the entire Kunstareal in 20 minutes.”
This incredible density and diversity highlight the importance of Laura Schieferle’s role. The Kunstareal Munich brings together 14 museums, various cultural institutions, six universities and numerous galleries, making it one of the densest cultural clusters in Europe. This also means coordinating over 50 programmes, specialisations and orientations in a very confined space, where it is easy to lose oversight. “Our task is to present our common features, while allowing each institution to shine in its individuality,” explains Schieferle. She notes that as head of the Kunstareal office, she has no influence on the content of the work of the various cultural institutions: “That wouldn't make much sense either; after all, each institution is run by proven experts. They know their respective special field best. Our role is to put ourselves into the shoes of our visitors and think about how we can make the Kunstareal an engaging experience for them.”
Digital offerings play a central role in this endeavour. This became especially important during the lockdowns of the COVID 19 pandemic. “Almost overnight, the Kunstareal was virtually deserted”, Schieferle recalls. “The institutions don’t do their work for themselves – they thrive on public engagement. So, we started thinking about digital alternatives.” The Kunstareal's communication channels proved to be the ideal medium, as they directed audiences to digital content from various museums, where readings and guided tours were streamed and online workshops were offered. However, Schieferle emphasises that this was only a temporary substitute. “We all know that culture thrives on interaction and togetherness.
When the first Kunstareal Festival took place in July 2021 after the pandemic lockdowns, it felt like a dam burst. People flooded the Kunstareal. You could literally feel their hunger”, she remembers. A lasting sense of this spirit has remained in the neighbourhood ever since, and Schieferle is particularly pleased about that: “During the pandemic, the open spaces between the institutions were suddenly used very intensively by yoga, gymnastics and kickboxing groups. Many people simply met up on the large lawns. This phenomenon has remained. At each Kunstareal Festival, we want to highlight this type of use – activities that are not necessarily related to museum visits – through performances from dance groups, for example.” It is precisely this diversity of activities and thus also of visitor groups – art lovers, students, sports enthusiasts – that Schieferle loves most about her work space.
For visitors who want to get an overview of the most significant institutions and their architecture, the Kunstareal introduced a tool: the ‘Kunstareal Walks’. This digital service uses smartphones and GPS to guide visitors along various routes through the neighbourhood. There’s a short ‘After work’ walk for those who have limited time, a ‘Contemporary’ walk focussing on modern architecture and a comprehensive ‘All-inclusive’ walk. Each stop here is explained in a small multimedia gallery, with short films, images, and infographics, in which experts explain architectural highlights, such as the Amerikahaus. A key feature is the careful attention to inclusion. All video clips are subtitled and most stations offer information in sign language. Inclusion, understood as easy accessibility, also determines the technology behind the Kunstareal Walks. Schieferle explains: “We deliberately chose not to create a standalone app. Now, anyone can simply access the Kunstareal Walks through their phone’s browser. This significantly lowers the threshold to accessibility.”
“Thresholds” is a term Schieferle uses frequently. Her vigour – which manifests itself in her enthusiasm and a cheerful, bubbly flow of words – is fully focused on lowering thresholds to art and culture. The key experience that shaped her vision was a visit to London in the early 2000s. “I saw children and teenagers going to the museums to do their homework and, in this process, inevitably coming into contact with art.” She compares this to her experience at home, where schoolchildren were often dragged to museums without showing much interest. Fortunately, this has changed, partly due to innovative educational programmes like Besucherpi.lot, where young people present their favourite works in the Pinakothek der Moderne and Museum Brandhorst (art galleries), sharing their knowledge with visitors.
Schieferle also attaches great importance to barrier-free access. “Our goal should be to make museums and cultural institutions accessible to everyone and to cater to all their individual needs. This includes wheelchair access, Braille labels, translations into sign language and texts in simple language.” Therefore, the Kunstareal office has set up the accessibility working group, “because not every building has to reinvent the wheel – like when it comes to using AI to simplify language,” says Schieferle. Her days are usually a string of different meetings. This applies especially during the coordination of cross-institutional projects at the Kunstareal. “I see myself as a hub of synchronisation. Large museums often plan years ahead, while galleries work to a faster schedule and universities have unique requirements such as semester holidays.”
Schieferle does not mind the hectic pace. In fact, she enjoys the lively bustle. She loves the Kunstareal best during lunchtime, when the sidewalks are as crowded as the escalators at Stachus (square). But she also has an antidote: a not-so-secret retreat, a small oasis of calm amidst the art district’s bustle – and she is happy to share it: “There's a small courtyard behind the University of Music and Theatre. You can hear students playing music, which creates a beautifully focused and contemplative atmosphere. I like to pause here during my lunch break or after a stressful day – it always feels like time stands still for a few moments.”
