Regional visibility, demographic change, and increasingly politicized times: museums across the region are facing many of the same challenges. On 11 September 2026, representatives from museums in the German federal states surrounding Berlin will gather at Hamburger Bahnhof for a series of five panel discussions exploring topics including place branding, local art scenes, political positioning, audiences, and museum education and mediation.

Programme

With the Hamburger Bahnhof Art Week Talks, Hamburger Bahnhof creates a platform for exchange and networking among museums, cultural institutions, and artists from Berlin and its neighboring regions, fostering dialogue on shared challenges and opening up new perspectives for museum practice.

11–11:45 am
Panel 1: City Marketing

Museums are often key players in city marketing while also carrying expectations shaped by the histories of the places they inhabit. How can cultural identity be communicated without becoming fixed or essentialized? Which strategies succeed in navigating the tensions between regional identity, national visibility, and political pressure?

In Dialogue

• Dr. Ulrike Lorenz, President, Klassik Stiftung Weimar

• Anja Richter, Head and Curator, Museum Gunzenhauser, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz

Moderator: Mathilda Legemah, Institutional Advancement, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart

12–12:45 pm
Panel 2: The Role of the Local Art Scene

What role does the local art scene play for a museum—and vice versa? How can a city museum represent its own city without becoming a nostalgic celebration of local heritage? This panel explores the relationship between institutional collections and the vitality of local artistic production.

In Dialogue

• Dr. Jenny Graser, Curator of Painting, Sculpture and Prints (20th and 21st Century), Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig

• Fanny Stoye, Director, Kunstsammlungen Zwickau / Max Pechstein Museum

Moderator: Hannah Pilarczyk, Editor, DER SPIEGEL

2–2:45 pm
Panel 3: Museums as Spaces for Public Discourse

In politically charged times, museums have become contested arenas—but also potential spaces for dialogue and reconciliation. How can institutions take a position without becoming partisan? What does it mean to be a “space for public discourse” when audiences are increasingly polarized? And what institutional structures are needed to make this possible?

In Dialogue

• Till Fellrath, Director, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin

• Prof. Dr. Annegret Laabs, Director, Kunstmuseum Magdeburg Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen

• Dr. Barbara Steiner, Director and Executive Board Member, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau

Moderator: Carsten Probst, Writer, Art Theorist and Critic

3–3:45 pm
Panel 4: Audiences

Visitor numbers alone reveal little about a museum's social relevance. How can museums in eastern Germany engage audiences beyond their traditional visitor base? What does “participation” mean in a region facing demographic decline and political pressure? And how can impact be measured beyond attendance figures?

In Dialogue

• Prof. Dr. Marion Ackermann, President, Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

• Dr. Pirko Kristin Zinnow, Director, State Palaces, Gardens and Art Collections of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern / State Museum Schwerin

• Dr. Roland Krischke, Director, Altenburger Museen / Lindenau Museum Altenburg

Moderation: Sebastian Frenzel, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Monopol 

4–4:45 pm
Panel 5: Museum Education and Public Engagement

Museum education is about more than interpretation—it shapes who feels welcome in a museum and who does not. How are museums adapting their educational and public engagement work in response to increasingly diverse audiences, limited resources, and political tensions? Which formats can open museums as places of encounter while maintaining a clear curatorial vision?

In Dialogue

• Ulrike Kremeier, Director, Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für moderne Kunst, Cottbus / Frankfurt (Oder)
• Dr. Jörg-Uwe Neumann, Director, Kunsthalle Rostock
• Claudia Schmidt, Head of Education and Outreach, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Moderation Dr. Sarah Alberti, Journalist and Art Historian