Münsterland Festival 2017 – Culture Festivals and the Promotion of Culture in Rural Areas of North Rhine-Westphalia

The Münsterland Festival, which takes place every two years in autumn, was the occasion for an international group of visitors to look at cultural festivals and promotion in rural areas in NRW. For the four guests from Iceland, Moldova, New Zealand and Uruguay, among them festival directors and cultural managers, a visit to the festival, which this year focused on art and culture from Greece and Iceland, and discussions with those responsible were at the centre of their stay from 6 to 10 October.

In addition, the group met with a representative of the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science, Andrea Hankeln, who is responsible for regional cultural policy. A visit to the artists' village of Schöppingen was also on the agenda, as was a meeting with the director and curator of DA, Kunsthaus Kloster Gravenhorst, Gerd Andersen. In Münster, the guests discussed the challenges and strategies for cultural production and networking in rural areas with the project manager of the Münsterland Festival, Lars Krolik, with Andre Sebastian, project manager of the Münsterland Cultural Office, Dr. Yasmine Freigang, project manager at the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, and Judith Schäpers, project manager of the Regionale 2016.