Paderborn “Summer Academy” more popular than ever – record attendance in ten courses
By Manfred Stienecke
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This article was published in German. The original text opens in a new tab in the German section of this website.
Paderborn. Painting, drawing and creating in a baroque garden – what more could an artist’s heart desire? The Paderborn “Summer Academy” is becoming more and more popular.
The Cultural Office has been organizing this varied program of artistic training during the summer holidays for twenty years. But never have the courses been in such demand as this year. With 110 participants, the organizers report a record number. And many of the “students” – the male participants can be counted on one hand – travel from far away.
One of them is Deren Ercenk from Cologne. The 19-year-old trained design technician is looking for new challenges in the seminar of Prof. Bruno Krenz from Herford, who teaches “Experimental Painting” in the vaulted hall. “At the school for graphics and design in Cologne where I trained, there isn’t much painting,” Ercenk regrets. “That’s why I’m taking this course.”
The pictures she is creating at Schloss Neuhaus receive favorable attention from her teacher. “You could perhaps set even stronger accents here,” says Krenz, casting a critical eye over a portrait study in subdued colors. “A strong yellow, for example, blue shoes or a green hat,” he recommends to his student. “A tie is also particularly good for accents of color.”
Many participants are taking part for the second or third time. For example, Ilse Hartmann, Birgit Voß and Renate Temme from Paderborn, who have been known on the local art scene for many years through their exhibitions.
By Motorcycle to the Painting Studio
Elvira Sielaff (58), on the other hand, is getting her first taste of academy life in Paderborn – and is thrilled. The woman from Waldeck discovered the lovely atmosphere last year when she came to a bikers’ meeting in the palace park on her motorcycle. “I found the ambience so great that I signed up for this year straight away,” she enthuses. Together with her friend Elisabeth Roth (72), she is staying at the hotel “Stau-Terrassen” during the course week, where both feel very well looked after. “The breakfast here is so plentiful that we don’t need lunch at all.”
This summer, participants can choose between one- and two-week courses for the first time. Instead of six seminars as in previous years, the Cultural Office is offering ten courses, all of which are going ahead. Johann Nußbächer’s course “Open Painting” was in such demand that a number of applicants had to be turned away. The program ranges from painting, life drawing and screen printing to modeling with clay, photography and digital image editing. The artistic “tutoring” costs 320 euros for two weeks and 150 euros for the one-week course.
At the end of each week, participants show what they have learned and created at “Open Studios”. The individual workshops in the palace park are open for this today and on July 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. each day.
Original caption: Ilse Hartmann is one of the familiar faces of the Paderborn art scene. She too seeks inspiration in the vaulted hall and is advised by Prof. Bruno Krenz at the Summer Academy.
Note: This article comes from the press archive of Gönül Sen-Menzel, who taught as a lecturer at the Paderborn Summer Academy for many years; she is not mentioned by name in this clipping.
