About Us
Everyone has stories. They act on themselves and the whole world. We want to help children and young people, To tell these stories. Just like it fits: In words or pictures, loud or quiet, On paper or in the room, Analog or digital, for themselves or for others.
Since 2015 As a club in cultural education, we are active and offer children and adolescents to artistic experience creative processes with a focus on visual research and tell.
In addition to city -wide cooperation projects, the association offers ongoing and compact courses, Workshops and open workshop afternoons. The self -determined work, The focus is on the openness and the exchange within the group.
Visual research and tell
We explore, What from a few words, a picture or a funny idea can be everything. We draw and scribble, tell and listen to, Glue and cut, Print and stamp, falzen, staple, Build and bind – and let us surprise, What comes out in the end. Maybe a book or a poster? A short cartoon or a thumb cinema? A copied Zine Magazine or an elaborate liner pressure? A three -dimensional object or something completely different.
Self -determined work, Creative processes and openness
The way there is just as important as a great result: The creative process, The artistic examination and self -determined work. What and how do I want to tell? What do I enjoy? What claim do I have, What inspires me? Who can help me? What do I have to learn about it, What can I do? How long does it take? I'll keep that through?
Inspiration and joy, Fun and progress are just as much a part of it as frustration, listlessness, Boredom and doubt. We encourage this, to trust these creative processes, Try something new or – if necessary – To develop endurance. We support with challenges and give impulses, that are necessary for the implementation of the ideas. There is no right or wrong, Not nice or ugly. The focus is on openness to results.
Artistic experimentation
With or without a plan – try, Experienced and exchanged are the core of creativity. We experiment with many different materials and artistic techniques, Learn from each other and let us inspire. We watch moments, collect impressions, Search hidden and find stories. All without pressure and given goal. Any pace with your own focus and personal expression.
Experience sensual perception and materials
For many, contact with materials is an important impulse for the artistic process: Sensual experience of color, Haptics, Smell and other material -specific properties. How can the material be processed? If it resistance or it is easily formable? I have to cut it with the cutter or scissors? Can I knead it, Couple or tear? What sticks how strong and how fast? Which pen corresponds to me? I like to construct or do I like random processes? Depending on the personality or mood, the different materials and techniques can initiate suitable access for further processes and a deeper discussion. You can free and open, Make the unknown tangible and let yourself be experienced again.
Workshop
The book children's workshop is also the basis and roof of our work. It is a place of artistic research, of the craftsmanship and design experiment. Here we can find our weekly courses, Compact projects, Workshops and open offers take place.
We have been sharing our workshop since 2025 With the studio community Berta – art spaceship studio.
We designed the rooms that way, that they are both open and inspiring, as well as the necessary structure. Due to the good equipment, a wide range of artistic, Formal and manual techniques can be implemented. This includes many different materials, Tools, Aids and machines, The for use, Invite experimentation and try them out. A careful selection of the materials and tools is particularly important to us.
The focus is on a large work table. Here we can gather, Exchange us or work on our projects. Who fancy color and water, Reds and brushes has, can live out in the pressure laboratory. Large objects can be constructed on the floor and stories on the typewriters (or pictures) be typed. And who urgently has to move a round, Can drain energy in the garden.
At the same time, the workshop is also the place, on which the team to work, Exchange, Planning comes together. We meet here in the various project groups to discuss and prepare. Our warehouse and the analog archive are located in the back room. The project boxes of the course participants also store here, With their work started.
How we finance ourselves
The member- and course contributions do not cover the costs for personnel, Rent and materials. Our work is mainly financed by the structural and project -based promotion of the city of Kassel and country -specific and nationwide funding programs.
We are very happy, that we have been able to cover the rent and the incidental costs of institutional support from the city of Kassel for two years.
It is also important to us, that all, who work with us, be paid fairly. People, like us in culture- and work art business, often live on and below the poverty line. We are creative and can also make ends meet with little money, But also have obligations in life. Most of us have children themselves and many are single parent. To live permanently in precarious circumstances and financial uncertainty cannot be cope with well in the long run. We believe, that we all do a valuable job, The fairly must be paid. Therefore, the hourly fee for the artistic management of offers is at round 50 € – depending on, How much money is in the pot. Since 2024 we decided to do this, to pay the administrative work. This work has been done on a voluntary basis for the past six years.
We believe, that many people, who actually want to work in the cultural sector and make it more diverse and areas, exclude, Because working conditions are so unsure. We want, In the context of our possibilities, make a small contribution to this, that it is more fair and use us for it, to make the conditions a little better.
