Cordula Schnuer: What was the motivation behind founding Kultur:LX?

Catherine Decker: An organisation like Kultur:LX has been a long-standing demand from the culture sector. It dates from the time when groups like Luxembourg for Finance or Luxembourg for Tourism were founded. It is an arts council to support the sector nationally, to facilitate the exchange of Luxembourg artists with other countries and to take their art abroad. Kultur:LX is convinced that Luxembourg’s art scene has a lot to say. The idea forms part of the culture development plan and the government’s 2018-2023 programme.

Why is this organisation so important for the sector?

There is a lot of cultural activity and there are a number of support mechanisms. But Kultur:LX provides a global framework. The idea is to strengthen and expand the ecosystem within which artists work. What does it take for artists to succeed? The support to artists themselves and the professions around them need to be strengthened and considered as a whole. It’s about looking at the specific needs of each discipline but also looking for bridges and synergies, taking a more systematic and systemic approach.

How will you work with the organisations already out there?

It’s foreseen to bring efforts of various organisations together. One of the first big steps, for example, is to integrate Music:LX. Initiatives like Reading Luxembourg will follow. Their work will continue and expand under the Kultur:LX umbrella, which supports artists in literature, music, drama, visual arts, architecture, design, and digital art. Each sector will have a person in charge and be accompanied by a committee including representatives from the specific sectors. It is our hope that Kultur:LX will grow hand in hand with the cultural scene.

In November 2019, Kultur:LX appointed a national and an international coordinator. Why this split?

We had advertised one position and didn’t actually expect this outcome. But during the discussions, we realised the complexity of the mission. We were confronted with two excellent candidates [Diane Tobes and Valérie Quilez, respectively] who could offer different scopes of expertise. The missions of both coordinators and their backgrounds are complementary.

How has the pandemic affected the project?

The first six months after the foundation were mostly used to set up the organisation from a legal and administrative point of view. The pandemic did not impact the agenda of the organisation as such. However, we are well aware that artists were hit extremely hard. 2020 and 2021 will provide the opportunity to reflect on what makes sense, where Kultur:LX can help the most. The national and international coordinators start in their posts on 1 February and we’re ready to roll out the first initiatives.

Lockdown has also shown how important culture is…

I couldn’t live without it. We consume culture every day. It’s what shapes us, our lives, our thoughts, our character. It’s extremely important. To do this as a profession is a courageous choice and one that I admire a lot. Studies have shown that culture offers resilience, community and also hope in times of crisis.

What will be your role in future?

The board of director’s mission is very clear--to set up the organisation. Like a regular board, we will oversee budgets, human resources and general guidelines for its programme. In parallel, we are working on a legal basis for Kultur:LX to move from “a.s.b.l.” to proper “établissement public”.

This interview was first published in the February edition of Delano, currently available at newsstands.