Around two-thirds of the population engage in a cultural activity.[1] Associations are an important element of the Swiss cultural landscape: 61% of Swiss people are involved in an association and every sixth person in a cultural association (2019). In the countryside, where institutional cultural offerings are often sparser, people are more likely to get involved in cultural associations (19%) than in urban areas (15%).[2]
With regard to cultural centres, there is a great diversity, from the cultural offer to the funding model:
For example, the Kaserne Basel cultural centre is the largest centre for the independent contemporary theatre, dance and performance scene as well as for innovative popular music in north-western Switzerland: it receives subsidies primarily at the cantonal level (over 13 million CHF for the period from 2021 to 2024; around two thirds of the total turnover) and is supported by foundations, partners and private sponsors.
Public-private partnerships are often the rule, such as with the Dada House in Zurich. Significant for being the birthplace of the world-famous Dada movement in 1916, the building was rescued from near-death due to a planned building usage change and has been turned into the Cabaret Voltaire, a cultural centre, which, among others, is extending aspects of the avant-garde into the 21st century. Today, it is primarily financed by gastronomic income and income from rentals for closed events (more than half of the income; based on the annual financial statement 2018/2019) and about one third by public funds (for the years 2021 to 2024 an annual contribution of 102 414 CHF, plus the waived rent of 212 000 CHF and project-based contributions).
On the administrative side, related institutions may be located in the corresponding cultural, youth, or social domains.
A notable support system in the field of youth culture can be found in Basel: Since 2014, the promotion of youth culture has been anchored in the Cultural Promotion Act of Basel-Stadt, with the cultural policy goal of young people’s active participation in culture. Since then, the canton has taken on a pioneering role throughout Switzerland, starting with the “Youth Culture Flat Rate” funding format in 2014 (“Jugendkulturpauschale” Annual budget of 200 000 CHF for 2019-2022): In addition to funding individual cultural projects by young people (age limit 30), projects are supported that improve the framework conditions for youth cultural creation (e.g. platforms, infrastructures, information). An important regional institution in the area of pop music is RFV Basel: With its budget of over 650 000 CHF, it is considered a national reference institution and centre of excellence in the promotion of pop music. The cultural budget for alternative, club, youth, pop or subculture of all genres in Basel-Stadt will be increased in future: On 29 November 2020, the “tip initiative” was accepted with a yes vote of just under 58 per cent, which allocates five per cent of the cultural budget of Basel-Stadt (instead of about 3.5 per cent as before) be used for this area of active youth culture.
[1] Federal Statistical Office: Kulturverhalten in der Schweiz Wichtigste Ergebnisse 2019 und Vergleich mit 2014: Link
[2] Federal Statistical Office: Kulturverhalten in der Schweiz Wichtigste Ergebnisse 2019 und Vergleich mit 2014, pp. 12: Link
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