8.7 Criteria for a primarily transformative cultural mediation

Main objectives for education in the cultural institution:

The institution wants to use cultural mediation to expand its functions to extend beyond display and presentation, so that it becomes a space for collaborative production and action.
It wants to present itself as an organization actively addressing societal issues.
It wants to initiate partnerships in its local environment, in order to actively contribute to shaping its environment and to consolidate its role as a stakeholder in it.

Structure

Underlying institutional conditions relating to infrastructure, organization and staff, financial and material resources:

The staff for the cultural mediation are well integrated within the institution, enabling them to shape institutional transformation. They possess the subject-related, artistic and pedagogic credentials (certified and/or based demonstrably on experience) necessary for the project and have experience in partnerships with extra-institutional partners.
Compensation for cultural mediators corresponds to other similarly complex qualification profiles in the institutions.
An appropriate Budget secured at least for the medium term, exists for following through with the partnerships.
The internal spatial resources are advantageous for the project: the institution has adopted a policy for the flexible use of space and is willing to provide space to project partners. In addition, the cultural mediation uses spaces outside the institution in a coherent manner.
The organization, coordination and use of resources takes place according to agreements with relevant cooperation partners.
Adequate time is available for planning and follow-up activities for the project. Those activities are carried out in collaboration with the project partners.
The flow of information between the cultural mediators and other units of the institution and between the institution and project partners is smooth.
The structure provides a firm basis for opportunities for reflecting on the process with all of those involved within the institution and the project partners.
The existing structures offer the possibility of continuing the partnership.

Process

Pedagogic, subject-specific, organizational and, if appropriate, artistic quality of the concept and execution:

The organizational flow of the project is developed in collaboration with the partners.
The concept of the project is also developed in consultation with the partners.
The language of the cultural mediation is aimed explicitly at helping to produce an equal playing field and trust among those participating.
The contents of the cultural mediation tie in both the interests of the partners and the interests and resources of the institution. The analysis of the power dynamics and negotiating the diverging interests within the project itself figures constantly as one element of the content.
The mediator’s approach is characterized by communicative reflexivity: the mediator is aware of the position of power held by the institution and actively analyzes it together with the project partners. The mediator is willing to share responsibility with the project partners, take risks, and modify plans as the project unfolds.

Outcomes

Results and effects in relation to the objectives formulated:

The cultural mediator feels a high level of satisfaction with the work.
Experiences from the project are used to develop the institution and its partnerships further.
All of those involved both within and outside of the institution feel a high level of satisfaction with the collaboration; any conflicts which arose were addressed and used to benefit the development of the cooperation.
Creation of new formats and logics of action which become established as part of the institutional self-image.
These changes are recognized and discussed in public. This gives rise to new interest groups which come into contact with the institution.
The project documentation is created in collaboration with the project partners. It is characterized by a high degree of reflexivity and itself uses, where appropriate, artistic design media. It can be used both for enhancing the institution’s image and to further the interests of the cooperation partners.
Any artistic results are characterized by aesthetic discursive density and coherence and are based on the state of the art of the artistic domain in question. They are visible as part of the institutional production.