Our stock of costumes for the independent performing arts had no role model in the founding phase and has been a successful pilot project since 2012. Its awareness and use has grown steadily over the past 12 years. As the collected costumes come from former, often publicly funded projects, we contribute to sustainable handling of public funds and offer a professional working infrastructure that did not exist before.
Our initiative has become a role model for other initiatives. The founder and stock of costumes administrator Muriel Nestler provides advice on the development of the expansion of the stock of costumes for the independent scene in Vienna at ART for ART Theaterservice GmbH and for the stock of costumes treibstoff in Munich. The association’s involvement in the Network for Material Initiatives, a roof-wide organization, also contributes to a sustainable working infrastructure for art and cultural projects. Berlin thus serves as an example of working infrastructure for freelanc artists of the performing arts and for the sustainable use of public funding beyond the state’s borders.
Built up with grants from the LOTTO Foundation Berlin and private loans, the stock of costumes was secured in 2018 after 6 years of very precarious voluntary conditions thanks to a grant from the Berlin state budget. Now we are threatened with the loss of this grant. As the constant professional maintenance of this structure cannot be covered by rental fees alone and voluntary assignments are not enough, we may have to close. The Berlin stock of costumes for the independent performing arts could thus be an example of how Berlin’s cultural policy, with short-term savings of small sums, is causing long-term setbacks in sustainability and independent artistic and cultural production, a negative example that is being observed internationally and nationwide.
