
For me it’s always very impressive to enter the venues of ART SPACE stift millstatt. Likewise that Monday morning. It’s cold and wintry outside. The spacious foyer tiled in shades of grey receives me with the cozy warmth of the flickering fire burning in the iron stove. From there the stairs lead me up to the hall of the Stiftsaal with its lavish width. The snowy mountains of the Upper Tauern and Lake Millstatt complement the current exhibition of FORUM KUNST contemporary like a painted scenery. In the depth of the room, the high double doors open up to the Betsaal, flooded by sunlight. Today it is equipped with tables, chairs and a little snack bar for the press conference.
Representatives of local newspapers and the tourism office arrive, likewise
the mayor of Millstatt Johann Schuster and the camera team of KULT 1.
Sparkling wine and croissants are being served - yamyam.
Andrea K. Schlehwein opens the conference and gets directly to the point:
Leonie Humitsch, who has worked at the ART SPACE stift millstatt for many years, will be part of the leadership team. The dancer, choreographer and teacher is shifting her home base from Vienna back to Carinthia. Her newly established label
Freitanz will have its home base at ART SPACE stift millstatt. A beautiful addition! The wide range of programming of the art space is expanding even more. The well-tested collaboration of the last years finds its expression in the expansion of the leading team. During the last ten years, Schlehwein and Schäfer have created something special for Millstatt, for the region and for the loyal, steadily growing audience. From now on, it will be the three of them pulling together in the same direction!
ART SPACE stift millstatt, a place of exchange and encounter, international art as well as support for local artists, art in the wide range of dance, film, installation, sculpture, painting, discussions, networks, artists in residence, school projects, workshops and more.
This year’s focus lies, amongst other things, on children and teenagers. The Kunstdetektive of FORUM KUNST contemporary will be back as well as projects with Millstatt primary school, the summer dance weeks organised by
Freitanz etc. International guest are already announced for the Symposion POSITIONEN 019, focussing on the LEX PADILLA DANCE CONCEPT, organised and managed by the büro für tanz | theater | produktionen.
Time and time again I am quite taken by how alive and neat the spacious floor
is with its studio, crafts room, foyer, art cabinet, Stift- and Betsaal. Over 10 years of continuous work, love, despair, a considerable amount of privat investment and the help of supporters made, out of individual components in need of renovation, a greater whole, a pearl of history and art, open to the public with various presentations of art on a high level.

Schlehwein’s vision for the future:
The ART SPACE stift millstatt will grow into an institution. The rental costs will be covered by the State of Carinthia, so that the received fundings can go 100% to artwork and artists.
This is how it should be, indeed. May it happen!
Attending the press conference were:
Harald Mag. Angerer
Oberkärntner Volltreffer | Brigitte Büsken
BLOG netzwerkaks |
Tina Perisutti
Kronen Zeitung | Gerhard Reiner + Kameramann
KULT 1 | DI Johann Schuster, Mayor of Millstatt | Claudia Striednig
TVB | Michael Thun
Die Woche | Karin Waldner Petutschnigg
Kleine Zeitung
by KultB