Envisioning a New European Bauhaus

Since the European Commission presented first plans for the New European Bauhaus in October, ELIA has been actively working together with partner networks in higher education, architecture and design towards envisioning how this initiative could be shaped. The higher arts education community has a lot to contribute, and gain from a transdisciplinary European effort to bring ‘green transformation’ to life within arts, architecture and design.

In collaboration with ACE, ECIA, ECTP, EAAE and IFLA Europe, we published the statement ‘The New European Bauhaus. Making the Renovation Wave a Cultural Project’, and have since been in contact with the European Commission about possible collaborations. A first meeting of the network consortium with the EU Commission took place on Friday 4 December. Here, the Commission Representatives stressed that they are planning for the European Bauhaus to become a bridge with communities, to be bottom-up driven and connected to real experience and real expertise.

ELIA Vice-President Jørn Mortensen, who represented ELIA at this meeting, talked about the importance of involving the younger generation in all efforts regarding the New European Bauhaus and of giving them a leading role. He also underlined the key ways in which the arts can contribute to this initiative and the EU Green Deal more generally, including eccentric competences, critical reflection, artistic sensibility, twenty-first century skills, ecological awareness, and social responsibility.

A follow-up meeting between the network consortium and the European Commission will take place in the new year. The ELIA team will keep all members informed of further developments related upcoming opportunities.