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8.5 Criteria for a primarily reproductive cultural mediation
Main objectives for education in the cultural institution:
- The institution wants to present itself as an institution making valuable cultural goods accessible to the public.
- It wants to open up access to these goods to a wide public.
- It wants to expand its audience both qualitatively and quantitatively, particularly with respect to the “audiences of tomorrow”.
- Fundamental changes to existing contents and approaches are not intended.
Structure
Underlying institutional conditions relating to infrastructure, organization and staff, financial and material resources:
- The cultural mediation staff possess the subject, pedagogic and, if appropriate, artistic credentials necessary (certified and/or based demonstrably on experience) for the project.
- Compensation for the cultural mediator is appropriate, at least in line with the published pay scale. The mediator is compensated for preparatory and follow-up activities.
- An appropriate budget exists for the necessary materials, technical equipment and tools. Planning has taken into account the allocation of resources to respond to new interests if the desired audience development does occur.
- A budget exists for measures to support reproductive cultural mediation, such as audience research.
- The structure offers opportunities for collective process analysis with all of those involved and thereby for refining the cultural mediation project as an integral part of the institution.
- Adequate spatial resources are in place to support the cultural mediation project (e.g. rooms to work in, which can get dirty if necessary, storage space for intermediate products, work desks, seating, etc.).
- Staff responsible for the organization, coordination and communication of the projects have the requisite experience.
- Adequate time is available for planning and follow-up activities for the project.
- The flow of information between departments is acceptable. Those responsible for the cultural mediation have insight into the production, providing its subject matter during the design and planning phases of the project and have opportunities to influence aspects of the production relevant to cultural mediation (e.g. programme flyers, signage, access to objects).
Process
Pedagogic, subject specific, organizational and, if appropriate, artistic quality of the concept and execution:
- The organizational flow of the project is transparent and straightforward for participants.
- The cultural mediation concept provides a coherent framework allowing engagement with an audience without specialist knowledge to address the content of the education in an imaginative manner appropriate to the subject matter.
- The language used in the cultural mediation project draws on a wide variety of registers and is transparent and open, providing opportunities for a heterogeneous audience to engage. The imitation of modes of speech the audience is presumed to be familiar with (e.g. “teenage slang”) is avoided. The language is stimulating and, if appropriate, entertaining, but does not trivialize or render trite: e.g. it refrains from catering to presumed associations and preferences of the listeners (‘this music is great for a birthday party”; “I’m sure you would like to show us your favourite picture”).
- The content of the cultural mediation consists of a mixture of knowledge and skills, brought in by the mediator, and also from the perspectives of the participants. With respect to subject matter, the project is structured in such a way that people can begin to participate at different levels of difficulty and that participants can experience an exciting shift between already familiar activities and new requirements.
- The mediator’s approach blends moderating and instructing dimensions and allows participants to find their own approaches. It is shaped by an active interest in extracting the knowledge and abilities of the participants and using them productively for the cultural mediation situation.
Outcomes
Results and effects in relation to the objectives formulated:
- The cultural mediator feels a high level of satisfaction with the work.
- Impulses brought in by participants are used to develop additional formats.
- All persons involved in the institution feel a high level of satisfaction with the collaboration of those responsible for the organization, coordination, production and cultural mediation; collaboration will be continued on that basis.
- The audience feels a high level of satisfaction with the cultural mediation project; similar projects are taken advantage of by part of the audience but also by new, to some extent unexpected visitors.
- Quantitative use of the project corresponds to target objectives and the trend is towards increasing use. New audiences visit the institution.
- The documentation of the project can be used for improving and publicizing the project.
- The project perceptibly contributes to einforcing a positive public image of the institution. The institution actively uses it to enhance this image.