COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 1

Dear Artists and Cultural Workers!

On the eve of the opening of Vienna's Museumsquartier, we are pleased to inform you that the Austria's public art administration, too, is ready for a new start. Attached to this message, you will find the logo of the Ministry's new Kunstsektion. Please make sure you place it prominently on your printed materials.

For further details, please visit our information service:

http://kunst.government-austria.at

Wishing you all the best for your creative endeavors,

Your Kunstsektion

COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 2

Reference No. A1070.120334/45-II/1301

Vienna on Danube, July 13, 2001

Dear Artists and Cultural Workers!

Two weeks after the felicitous opening of the Museumsquartier, we wish to thank you for the enthusiastic artistic response with which you welcomed our communiqué concerning the reforms under way at the Kunstsektion. The new emblem, in particular, met only with positive feedback. We are therefore particularly pleased to offer you access to an even more flexible use of the emblem through our electronic collection point (details below).

The Kunstsektion is committed to improve the information situation and to keep all artists and cultural workers in this country updated on important developments. This is to remind citizens of the nature of art, and to prevent an excessive monopolization of art by politics in our cultural life.

Vienna's Museumsquartier is setting a good example in this endeavor.

Our beautiful federal states have always delivered fertile contributions to Austrian national identity in the capital of this nation of culture. Therefore, the efforts on the part of the Museumsquartier management to create a blooming home for these outstanding contributions can hardly valued highly enough. Carinthia's close connection to this project will certainly lead to pleasant results in terms of public sponsorship for this state's art representatives. The Austrian business community, too, has committed itself to these plans and, in close collaboration with the MQ management, is finding ways of permeating the creative spirit of the federal states.

Unfortunately, the reputation of this great art venue is still affected by the shadowy activities of individual groups whose goal is to undermine this national endeavor. As a proof of this chaos-ridden and fundamentalist opposition, we wish to present you pictures of unlawful activities at the Museumsquartier that involve prominent politician. The pictures were found on an antigovernment Internet server and forwarded to us by concerned citizens. We are reading this as and encouragement to apply the full severity of the law against the perpetrators of these actions, so that the taxpayer may be protected from further damage caused by such residuals of a failed art policy.

http://free.netbase.org/deutsch/protest

A high-resolution version of our new emblem is available at:

http://government-austria.at/content/art/img/kunstsektion.eps

We hope that we can count on your continued support in our work for a new way of governing Austria, and greet you with the best wishes for your creative endeavors.

Your Kunstsektion

COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 7

Reference No. A1070.141568/27-III/7834

Vienna on Danube, May 28, 2003

Vienna at the Crossroads

Karlsplatz must not become a playground for troublemakers!

As Ascension Day draws close, the Kunstsektion wishes to remind everyone of the virtues of contemplation. This is an opportunity to look back on a sometimes rocky path, and to celebrate our common achievement of re-ordering Austrian society.

It is only Vienna's city government that has not fully integrated itself. Once again, Karlsplatz is delivering the most blatant example of Vienna's decay. A location already plagued by unbearable traffic noise, and exposed to the permanent hassle of drug addicts and street people, the area between St. Charles' Church and the State Opera is now turning into a playground for political outcasts.

The latter's machinations have lead to the establishment of a so-called "citizens' initiative" that shamelessly instrumentalizes people's legitimate concerns and fears for purposes of party politics. Behind the flimsy pretext of wanting to open Karlsplatz, these people's real intention is to undermine cultural unity and so to spread more uncertainty in the city. To crown it all, the Vienna city government supports a dubious “political noise” event on June 14th. For several days, the new Kunstsektion has been flooded by enquiries of concerned citizens.

It is now in the hands of the Vienna city government, and in particular City Councilor Dr Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, to put an end to these suspicious activities. Dr Mailath-Pokorny, who recently, in connection with the Museumsquartier, proved himself an open-minded art politician, must now show assertiveness in order for people to feel safe again. It is, indeed, a grand task to open the path of tradition to this historical square and its institutions.

The new Kunstsektion is confident that the decent citizens of Vienna will regain access to their square, right in front of St. Charles' Church. Karlsplatz needs to stay off-limits for troublemakers and ideological hotspurs!

Wishing you all the best for your creative endeavors,

Your Kunstsektion

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