The beginning
An idea finds a home in Stolzenau
The roots of the art school go back to the town and district partnership between Nienburg and Vitebsk. From initial visits, exhibitions and voluntary workshops, consistent artistic work with children, young people and adults developed step by step.
In 1997 the Kunstschule Stolzenau was founded. Since then it has developed into a certified extracurricular cultural institution for the entire Middle Weser region.
Milestones
More than three decades of art and encounters
Collaboration arises from encounters
Exhibitions, the “Summer Art School” and regular workshops bring artistic offerings to Nienburg, Rehburg-Loccum and Stolzenau. The exchange with the Art School No. 1 in Vitebsk becomes an important basis.
Founding of Kunstschule Stolzenau
The art school receives a fixed framework. From the very beginning, children's art, international youth encounters as well as integrative activities and exhibitions have been part of the programme.
The art school is growing
Projects opposing racism and exclusion, partnerships with schools, the music school, Lebenshilfe and Kulturwerk, and numerous public exhibitions made the art school’s work visible throughout the district. Its tenth anniversary was celebrated in 2008.
Recognition and new supporting association
In 2010, the art education work was recognised with the Neuhoff-Fricke Foundation’s Annual Culture Prize. In 2013, the new supporting association “Kunstschule Mittelweser im Landkreis Nienburg/Weser e. V.” was founded.
Regional and international networks
Projects in Schinna Monastery, collaborations with schools and cultural partners and “Butterfly Connects” expand the work. The international project “IMAGinE – I want to form my own picture” developed from encounters with young people from Belarus, Ukraine and Germany.
2019 · 25 years of art education work
The roots of today’s art school go back to 1994. To mark its 25th anniversary, an in-depth press article looked back at the development of the art school and its importance for Stolzenau and the region.
Among other things, the article reports on numerous projects, exhibitions and workshops, as well as the many children and young people who had attended the art school by then.
Read the original 2019 article (German) ↗Stay creative – even in new ways
During the Corona period, art classes take place online. Later, oasis days for adults, a German-Ukrainian art group and holiday activities with a visit to the Sprengel Museum Hanover follow.
Art for peace and public space
“Still leben – Peace please!”, peace poster competitions and the federal project “Art in Architecture” in the Stolzenau outdoor pool combine artistic work with social issues. In 2025, works from the international project will be shown in the European Parliament in Brussels.
To this day
The story continues to be written
Many students stay connected to the art school for years. Their works, exhibitions and personal developments show what has grown from the first workshops of the 1990s: a lively place where artistic education, encounters and mutual trust belong together.