Our logo for the EVC activities within documenta fifteen has changed. Here we explain why. To be able to do that, we need to dive into the history of collaboration between EVC and documenta fifteen / CAMP notes on eduaction.
Between September 2020 and June 2021 Susanne Hesse (for documenta gGmbH) and Ernst Wagner (for EVC) have jointly developed the format 'CAMP notes on eduaction': phone calls, emails, a two-day workshop in Kassel 2020 (with broad participation - Link) and a bilateral one-day workshop in 2021.
Subsequently, EVC actively has supported Ms. Hesse until May 2022, e.g. by formulating the (successful) application to the Art Mentor Foundation, and has invited her to various development and discussion formats (e.g. seminars with students at HSA Augsburg [Link] and the University of Erlangen), EVC Expert Panel meetings (Link) and conferences (eg Link). EVC also arranged contacts to relevant initiatives and institutions, such as the UNESCO Chair for Cultural Policy in Hildesheim.
Between September 2021 and February 2022, EVC, in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Hildesheim and documenta gGmbH, organised CAMP's only externally visible activity for a long time, the "Documenta Lectures Series" (Link). After that, there was obviously a break on the part of Ms Hesse, which led to the following development.
- Contrary to verbal agreements confirmed in emails from Ms Hesse, EVC candidates were excluded from the Art Educators in Residence program. EVC was not involved in the selection process. This puts EVC in a difficult position towards applicants who were promised other procedures.
- Without joint consultation and without comprehensible justification, the only joint communication platform (also with the other partners - the so-called "steering group") has been dissolved. This made joint coordination of activities impossible.
- Since 27 June 2022, the responsible staff members no longer responded to telephone or email enquiries. Requests for appointments simply remained unanswered. This caused considerable organisational and financial difficulties for all the plans for the EVC Summer School (Link), which started four weeks later. The planned and promised exhibition of the colleagues from South Africa could no longer take place. Access to the documenta was made difficult for the colleagues from Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa, as they did not receive the promised accreditation.
- On 1 July 2022, EVC received an email from Ms Hesse. In it she unilaterally declared the dissolution of the cooperation. This was justified by a marginal formal error (use of the CAMP-logo in a section of the last EVC newsletter without prior written permission). EVC apologised immediately for this formal error and agreed to correct it. The unilateral dissolution was objected to.
- Following the renewed request for a meeting date (6 July 2022), dates were offered - for the first time. The participation of EVC members has been assured. Nevertheless, the meeting date on 9 July 2022 was cancelled by Ms Hesse with an unfortunately already linguistically incomprehensible explanation. Colleagues from South Africa, Ghana and Germany, who had taken time off from other commitments, were present at the meeting, but no one from Ms Hesse's team joined the meeting.
- Ms Hesse announced in her cancellation letter a written justification for the unilateral dissolution, which has not been given to date.
In the light of this development, EVC has no choice but to refrain from using the CAMP / documenta logo for the time being.
