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2 minutes to read Posted on Thursday April 29, 2021

Updated on Monday November 6, 2023

portrait of Eleanor Kenny

Eleanor Kenny

Former Head of Communications and External relations , Europeana Foundation

Beautiful - sustainable - together: the New European Bauhaus

The European Commission has initiated a New European Bauhaus movement to shape future ways of living that answer the challenges we face today. Think green, sustainable and affordable, alongside accessible, inclusive and beautiful. Find out what it’s all about, what Europeana’s involvement is and how you can join the conversation today. 

New European Bauhaus. Beautiful, sustainable, together. Sketch of trees and people.
Title:
New European Bauhaus visual
Creator:
European Commission
Date:
April 2021
Institution:
European Commission

What is the New European Bauhaus?

We all know that Europe has had a tough couple of years and that we need to work hard and work together if we want to see a recovery that delivers real improvements to people’s lives, and a future in which we live in harmony with our planet. The New European Bauhaus wants to put sustainability, inclusivity and beauty at the heart of Europe’s future, and it wants culture to help make that happen.

Think of Bauhaus, and you might think of German modern art, design and architecture - a movement to find new solutions for a new era. Now, 100 years on, the European Commission has initiated a New European Bauhaus movement to shape future ways of living that answer the big challenges we face today. Think green, sustainable and affordable, alongside accessible, inclusive and beautiful and impacting all aspects of how we live together. 

New European Bauhaus calls for new and diverse perspectives to shape the concrete actions that will improve our everyday life. It asks for design, art and culture to work alongside modern science and technology to provide collaborative solutions for the future.  

Digital cultural heritage already makes this connection and our sector can play an important role in this initiative, and in shaping the heritage of tomorrow. Over the summer of 2021, New European Bauhaus is in a co-design phase - calling for contributions from citizens to creators, and across society and sectors to help shape what happens next.

How is Europeana involved?

To support our sector’s involvement, Europeana will promote awareness and discussion of New European Bauhaus activities and opportunities throughout the year. We’ll focus on highlighting how the cultural heritage sector can contribute, and collaborate with other sectors including, for example, education, smart cities and the creative industries, to rethink and reshape how we live, and how we can use digital heritage to support that. 

We’ll help start a conversation but more importantly we want to help promote your discussions and contributions.

  • Find the latest on our New European Bauhaus page here on Europeana Pro

  • Our series of Europeana cafes on the New European Bauhaus supported cultural heritage professionals to be part of the conversation. Watch again now.

  • Tell us if you have New European Bauhaus events planned through our events form, to be featured on our Events page. 

  • Look out for a New European Bauhaus feature page soon on the Europeana website, highlighting relevant editorial (blogs, galleries and exhibitions) and educational content on green and sustainable themes.

Join the conversation

The New European Bauhaus wants to hear from you. 

‘The New European Bauhaus is about how we live together, our values, our common spaces of work and leisure, our collective and private experiences,’  says Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.

Do you have inspiring examples of spaces, services and practices that contribute to an inclusive, beautiful and sustainable society? Our cultural institutions and heritage sites play an important role in doing just that, while access to digital cultural heritage helps us all to connect with history and with each other, to shape how we live and work. The New European Bauhaus wants to know about these examples to help pave the way for future actions.  

You can:

  • Share your examples of the cultural heritage sector in action via a dedicated Europe-wide platform.

  • Or if you want to go even further, you can enter yourself or your organisation in the New European Bauhaus Prizes 2021. The Prizes recognise and celebrate beautiful, sustainable, inclusive places and practices that already exist in our communities, as well as concepts or ideas from young people (under 30) that can pave the way to the future. There are 10 categories including ones dedicated to cultural heritage, the mobilisation of culture arts and communities, and interdisciplinary education models.  The prizes are worth up to 30,000 Euros each, and the deadline is 31 May 2021. Find out more and enter the New European Bauhaus prizes.

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