Promoting culture for social change
Sonja Leidemann heads the Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation and supports social projects at Witten/Herdecke University.
Sonja Leidemann has been at the helm of the Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation together with her fellow board member Prof Dr Stefan Stolte since May 2023. However, Sonja Leidemann's commitment to education and culture extends far beyond her current office: the former mayor of Witten has been passionately supporting social projects for decades - with a particular focus on the Ruhr region and Witten/Herdecke University.
The Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation is one of the most important and oldest sponsors of Witten/Herdecke University. Since 1995, it has supported in particular the range of seminars on artistic practice and now also the further development of the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale. In the so-called Stufu of the UW/H, students from all disciplines venture a change of perspective together and combine art, culture and social commitment. There are already cooperation projects between the university and (urban) society that enrich life in Witten - from public concerts and readings to the Citizens' University.
Sonja Leidemann, Chairwoman of the Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation, also sees this networking with the region and the community-building experiences as one of the greatest potentials of the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale. The university and the foundation go hand in hand here: both are keen to promote dialogue and cohesion in times of polarisation. In future, the foundation's funding focus at the UW/H will therefore increasingly be on the social engagement of students: for example, a project is planned with the Witten Music School that will bring students and pupils together. In Dortmund's Nordstadt district, students from Witten will be able to join local residents in a search for traces of colonial history and create forms of presentation that critically analyse the topic.
A versatile career, a unifying element
Sonja Leidemann has had an affinity for education and culture for almost her entire professional life: Before taking over the management of the vhs Witten | Wetter | Herdecke adult education centre in 1998, she was already responsible for political education and the development of target group programmes, e.g. for children and young people, at the VHS Hagen. From 2004, she also made her favourite topics of education and culture a top priority in local politics: for a long time, she was not only mayor of the city of Witten, but also chairwoman of the city's cultural forum. One milestone from this time is particularly memorable for Sonja Leidemann: "In 2016, we built one of the first modern libraries in North Rhine-Westphalia that is also open on Sundays with the new library in Witten. The combination of a traditional book collection and a media collection was a novelty at the time. It was a great success in a difficult economic situation." She also closely followed the development of the UW/H as mayor. She explains: "Together, we experienced highs and lows and realised the construction of the expanded campus - including the FEZ, dental clinic and the timber building."
After 16 years of service to the city of Witten, Sonja Leidemann has now dedicated herself to the Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation and is strategically contributing her many years of experience from her appointments and voluntary work. After less than two years on the board, she can already look back on the successful redesign of the event and exhibition programme, the relaunch of the website and the expansion of the cooperation network. However, her most important approach is to gradually open up the foundation to the public and broaden its funding objectives. For Sonja Leidemann, this includes supporting women. "I was Chair of the Committee for Women and Gender Equality at the German Association of Cities for a long time. That has shaped me. That is why I am now in dialogue with various institutions on behalf of the foundation to promote projects by and for women," explains the Chairwoman. Cooperation with schools is another focus. For example, the Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation supports projects on digitalisation and integration.
New impetus and perspectives for the foundation
Sonja Leidemann sees art and music as a unifying element that overcomes language and social barriers. "As a foundation, we consciously pursue the approach of being open to all target groups. We achieve this, for example, through the concept of our concerts, which provide a stage for different cultures and nationalities - e.g. from Turkey, Cuba or Japan. After the events, we always invite people to our premises for a get-together with drinks and socialising. I find the diversity of people who come together here particularly beautiful and enriching," reports the 64-year-old.
For the coming years, the board member is also focussing on forward-looking cultural projects in the region. One particular highlight will be participation in the International Garden Exhibition Ruhr 2027 (IGA 2027). "I am a child of the Ruhr region, so it was already clear to me when I took office that I would focus my foundation work on the region," explains the Chairwoman. She already has ideas for participating in the IGA 2027, such as a sculpture exhibition on the grounds of the Koeppchenwerk industrial monument, which she is looking forward to realising.
Art and culture are also an integral part of the Hattingen-born artist's private life. She says: "I put my heart and mind into everything I do. That's why my appointments and private life often go hand in hand. One of my passions is reading, but I also go to concerts in my free time. As a foundation, we offer many concert series that I enjoy attending. Our programme also includes art exhibitions on the foundation's premises, which are close to my heart. There is a lot of overlap, for which I am very grateful."