Press – Inclusion Together

Exhibition Townhall Wismar

Nils Wöbke — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:45:34 +0000

Opening

On June, the 12 th, mayor Thomas Beyer will open the awarded exhibition “Link Bridge” attending the opening ceremony in the room “Gerichtslaube”.

The “Link Bridge” project was launched by the capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern association, Lebenshilfewerk Hagenow gGmbH, and the Israeli organization LOTEM. Both organizations share the goal of promoting accessibility and social participation. In the fall of 2024, the exhibition at the Art Gallery in Rishon LeZion, Israel, attracted hundreds of visitors.

The exhibition is not just an art project, but a platform for dialogue and reflection. It was created in response to the traumatic events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent armed conflicts. Israeli society was deeply shaken by these events, while Germany also saw an increase in anti-Semitic incidents and social tensions. People with disabilities faced the challenge of understanding these complex developments and expressing them artistically. “Link Bridge” enables them to translate their fears and thoughts into works of art. Capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern prepared current news in easy-to-read language and made it publicly available on YouTube. Impressive works were subsequently created in Germany, including by the court painters of the Arche Hof Kneese. The artist Elga Voss accompanied this creative process on-site and supported the participants in their artistic implementation.

“Link Bridge” stands for cross-border friendship, participation, and resilience of people with disabilities in Germany and Israel. The works of art are not only testaments to collective trauma recovery, but also a symbol of hope and understanding.

This exhibition is presented in cooperation with the Office for Equal Opportunities of the Hanseatic City of Wismar and the capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern association.

Copyrights

This article is an english translation of the article published on the city of Wismar’s website. The city of Wismar holds the rights to this article.

Article Accessible art exhibition “Link Bridge” in the room “Gerichtslaube” at wismar.de

New paths to art on the international stage

Nils Wöbke — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000

The last few weeks have been an inspiring journey full of exchange, collaborations, and new perspectives for our project “New Paths to Art – Museum Tours Always Included” by capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

A highlight was our event at the European Parliament in Brussels. Together with the museum guides from capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, we took advantage of a special opportunity. The presentation of their favorite works of art from the special exhibition during the Polish EU Council Presidency – in the presence of Marc Angel, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Miriam Lexmann. This experience was not only a milestone for our project, but also a powerful example of how art overcomes barriers in an international context. Many thanks to Sylvia Binger, Kurze Elena, Jan Randacek, Marleen Platteau and Dinora Waele for engaging with us and making this project and event possible!

In the subsequent panel “launch of pilot project” we discussed together with:

Miriam Lexmann, MEP, quaestor and chair of the artistic committee in the european parliament
Katrin Langensiepen, MEP and chair of the EP Network on the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD)
Katleen Evenepoel, general director of Zonnelied
Nils Wöbke, capito Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The approximately 80 participants from the cultural sector explored the potential of inclusive cultural offerings and forged new partnerships. A special thank you goes to our friends from Zonnelied in Brussels – with you, we have found a strong partner who will work with us on inclusive culture! We’re really looking forward to it!

Want to learn more about the event at the European Parliament?

Then watch the videos at the following links:

Shimon Peres Prize awarded to PowHer and Link Bridge

admin — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:57:30 +0000

The Federal Foreign Office, in cooperation with the German-Israeli Future Forum, is awarding the 2024 Shimon Peres Prize to the projects PowHer and Link Bridge. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is patron of the prize. The prize will be awarded by State Minister Dr. Tobias Lindner, on October 31, 2024.

PowHer is a German-Israeli cooperation project between Ludwig Wolker e.V. and Tzofim Olami. Link Bridge was initiated by capito Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania / Lebenshilfewerk Hagenow and Lotem.

In addition to the regular Shimon Peres Prize, this year only, a Special Prize will be awarded to the Israeli project SAHI, which supports evacuated teenagers. The jury also gives honorable mentions to the three initiatives Daily Postcards, Sunflowers and Shomrim, which support Israeli civil society.

“Projects like PowHer and Link Bridge are of immense importance for our democratic future. They focus on the link between Germany and Israel, build bridges and advocate equal rights and social participation. Through their committed work, PowHer has laid the foundation for a network of young, committed women who are engaged in a joint dialog for social change in both countries. The inclusion project Link Bridge strengthens the friendship and participation of people with disabilities in Germany and Israel. The resulting artworks, which bear witness to the trauma of October 7, will be exhibited in both countries, in the fall of 2024. The winning project of the Shimon Peres Special Prize and the three initiatives on the short list impressively demonstrate the commitment and resilience with which Israelis and Israeli civil society stood together and supported each other, after October 7 – through artistic projects on the war, support for journalists affected by violence or aid for orphaned Bedouin children. We are delighted to be able to present these initiatives and their work to a wider audience”, says PD Dr. Tamara Or, Director of the Future Forum.

Since 2017, the Shimon Peres Prize has been awarded annually by the Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with the German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation to two cooperation projects. It is endowed with 10,000 euros for each of the prize-winning projects. The prize is awarded in memory of former Israeli President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres. It recognizes initiatives and projects by young people who are particularly committed to shaping German-Israeli society in a democratic and joint way. This year, a Shimon Peres Special Prize, also endowed with 10,000 euros, will be awarded to an Israeli civil initiative that organized and offered support to Israeli society in an outstanding manner, following the brutal attacks by Hamas, on October 7, 2023.

The jury includes Daniel Donskoy (actor and musician), Kerstin Griese (Member of Parliament, Parliamentary State Secretary and politician for social policies for the SPD), Tamar Hay-Sagiv (Deputy Head of the Education Department at the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation), Andrea Kiewel (presenter, columnist and author), Igor Levit (pianist and activist), Pola Sarah Nathusius, (distribution and social media strategist at ARD) and Brigitte Zypries (former Federal Minister and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the German-Israeli Future Forum Foundation).

The award ceremony, hosted by Andrea Kiewel, will take place in Berlin on October 31 in the presence of the award winners, Prof. Tsvia Walden, Shimon Peres’ daughter and professor of linguistics, and Mayor Stefan Evers.

Information on previous award-winning projects can be found at:

https://www.dizf.de/english/shimon-peres-prize/prizewinners/current-prizewinners.html

Information on award-winning projects from 2024 can be found in German at:

http://www.dizf.de/deutsch/shimon-peres-preis/preistraegerinnen/index.html