The Youth Art School in Chemnitz, Germany, is set to close permanently after operating for barely more than a year. The City of Chemnitz confirmed that the adult education center (Volkshochschule) has decided to shut down the institution, citing insufficient demand for its courses as the primary reason for the closure.
The Youth Art School opened in March 2024 under the umbrella of the Chemnitz Adult Education Center and was housed in the Tietz Cultural Department Store. According to city officials, the school's courses failed to attract adequate enrollment numbers, making it extremely difficult to establish the institution on a sustainable basis. "The required organizational and financial expenditure is no longer justified at this time," the city stated in its official response.
Valentina Marcenaro, who heads the Dresden Youth Art School and serves as chairwoman of the Saxon State Association of Youth Art Schools, expressed deep regret over the decision. She emphasized that the closure would leave Chemnitz as the only major city in Saxony without a youth art school. Marcenaro criticized the timing of the closure, particularly given Chemnitz's status as European Capital of Culture 2025.
"This sends a fatal signal for the sustainable impact of the Capital of Culture year," Marcenaro said in a statement. "The most important criterion for the Capital of Culture is actually the sustainability of the project." She added that it is always unfortunate news when communities decide to cut back on programs designed for children and young people, regardless of the circumstances.
The Youth Art School was specifically designed to serve teenagers aged 14 to 18, offering a diverse range of creative courses including film and photography, fashion design, and creative writing. The institution had set itself the goal of providing students with guidance and preparation for future education or careers in the artistic field. These programs are typically supported by funding from the Free State of Saxony.
Despite the closure of the specialized youth art school, city officials indicated that the Adult Education Center will continue to offer various creative programs and provide space for artistic learning and experimentation. However, critics argue that these general offerings cannot replace the focused, age-specific programming that the Youth Art School provided to teenagers interested in pursuing artistic careers.
The closure represents a significant setback for cultural education in Chemnitz, particularly as the city attempts to leverage its European Capital of Culture designation to establish lasting cultural infrastructure and programs that will benefit residents long after the celebratory year concludes.
