“YOUTH DISCOVERS VIENNA 1900” AT THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM: CONTINUATION OF THE SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION WITH THE CHAMBER OF LABOUR VIENNA

09.12.2024

Free Art Education Programs with Free Admission to the Museum for Pupils in Vienna – Powered by AK Wien

The Leopold Museum continues its successful cooperation with the Chamber of Labour Vienna (Arbeiterkammer Wien – AK Wien for short). Throughout the school year of 2024/25, the museum will be able to keep offering free art education programs to pupils in Vienna in the context of the initiative Youth Discovers Vienna 1900. The popular programs, which always sell out quickly, are aimed at primary school classes with a high percentage of pupils who speak German as a second language, as well as at students attending secondary schools, polytechnic secondary schools and vocational schools who do not have ready access to art and culture. The programs, which have been devised especially for this project, are tailored to the needs and interests of children and teenagers of different age groups.

“The generous support of AK Wien in the context of our longstanding cooperation allows us to keep developing targeted art education programs for children and teenagers. Under the valued expert guidance of our team of art educators, our programs draw parallels between the (art)-historical background of ‘Vienna 1900’ and the reality of life of today’s pupils. The various themes, which are being explored in a dialogue with the young visitors, provide an ideal platform for animated discussions on topics ranging from creativity and language, nature and migration, all the way to our self-perception in these multimedia times.”

Hans-Peter Wipplinger, Director of the Leopold Museum

“We are embarking on this, the fifth year of our cooperation, full of optimism and energy. Thanks to our successful cooperation with the Leopold Museum, we were able to grant 2,300 pupils and apprentices free participation in the museum’s ‘Youth Discovers Vienna 1900’ programs in 2023/24 alone. The Leopold Museum and AK Wien will continue to offer new art education programs in the school year of 2024/25. Affording people in Vienna ready access to art is a matter that is very close to our heart. It is especially important to us to enrich the lives of children and teenagers with experiences of art and culture, without putting any additional strain on their parents’ budgets which, in times of high cost of living, are often already tight.”

Renate Anderl, President of the Chamber of Labour Vienna and the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour

New in 2024/25: Art Education Programs on the Recently Opened Backhausen Exhibition for Pupils of All Ages and Upper Level High School Programs on Vienna 1900.

Our new projects include art education programs for pupils of all ages on our current exhibition Poetry of the Ornament. The Backhausen Archives, as well as programs for upper level high school students aged 15 to 19 on the permanent presentation of the museum’s collection Vienna 1900. Birth of Modernism.

Birth of Modernism in Vienna around 1900 as the Foundation for Today’s Vienna

Today’s European metropolis Vienna – the living environment of the children and adolescents – received formative influences in the late 19th and early 20th century. The point of departure for the varied programs offered as part of the initiative Youth Discovers Vienna 1900 is the permanent presentation Vienna 1900. Birth of Modernism, which illustrates the pulsating life of the capital of art and culture some 125 years ago and features works by the most important artists, designers and architects of the time, including Gustav Klimt, Broncia Koller-Pinell, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann and Egon Schiele.

Featuring approximately 1,000 objects presented over several floors of the museum, the exhibition affords insights, unrivaled in their density and complexity, into the fascinating world of Vienna around 1900, and allows visitors to delve into the unparalleled atmosphere of the Danube metropolis. Around the turn of the century, Vienna was the capital of both the high nobility and liberal intellectuals, whose scenes ranged from the splendid Ringstrasse boulevard to endless slum areas. It was the birthplace of Zionism, with its dream of the state of Israel, but also of devastating anti-Semitic tendencies. Rigid conservatism met emerging Modernism. Splendor and misery, dream and reality were the antitheses of an era characterized by an unmatched heyday of the arts as well as groundbreaking intellectual, social, technological and economic achievements.

YOUTH DISCOVERS VIENNA AROUND 1900 – THE PROGRAMS (in German)

NEW PROGRAMS

For Pupils of All Ages

On the Exhibition Poetry of the Ornament. The Backhausen Archives (until 9th March 2025)

DECORATIVE WORLD – THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORNAMENT

Dialogue tour incl. workshop in the studio, 90 mins.

Ornaments shape our everyday life. You can find them everywhere – on your sneakers, on your phone case or on the cover of a book. Do good designs need pretty ornaments? The Wiener Werkstätte and the tradition-steeped company Joh. Backhausen & Söhne wanted to make the daily lives of people more beautiful and to enrich them with art. We will delve into the history and world of designs of the company Backhausen, and will discover exciting geometry, floral patterns and surprising color combinations. Then, we will try our own hand at drawing, designing and stamping!

For Upper Level High School Students

On the Permanent Presentation Vienna 1900. Birth of Modernism

BEAUTY VERSUS POWER OF EXPRESSION

Dialogue tour incl. creative work in the exhibition, 90 mins.

In Vienna around 1900, visionary artists wanted to revolutionize art and reform life. They dreamed of a fairer and more sustainable way of living, driven by the rapid innovations in science and technology. Objects from the areas of painting, graphic art, sculpture, photography, design and fashion give us insights into Viennese Modernism. We will analyze the beauty of Jugendstil works and try and relate to Expressionist compositions. In the studio, we will complete a task on the theme of sustainability!

WHO AM I?

Dialogue tour incl. creative work in the exhibition, 90 mins.

How many selfies do you take a week, a day? What do you share with your friends? Who do you follow – and why? Do you believe that all pictures on social media are real? Together, we will discuss the tricks artists used 100 years ago when they took people’s portraits. We will pay attention not only to looks but also to facial expressions and gestures. Don’t forget to bring your phone!

GESAMTKUNSTWERK TODAY!

Dialogue tour incl. creative work in the exhibition, 90 mins.

With the clothes we wear every day, we convey an image of ourselves in public. Fashion, arts-and-crafts and design fill our daily lives with creativity. We will find inspiration in the “Gesamtkunstwerk of Vienna 1900”, in the lifestyle of the time and in the artistic reform movements of Modernism. Examples range from the products of the Wiener Werkstätte to fabrics produced by the company Backhausen, from dresses created in the fashion salon of Emilie Flöge to artists’ expressive ceramic works.

OVERVIEW OF ALL OTHER PROGRAMS (in German)

For Primary School Pupils

NEAR, FAR AND RIGHT HERE!