City Museum Berlin starts a creative project for seniors!

City Museum Berlin starts a creative project for seniors!

What's happening in Berlin? On November 10, 2025, the Berlin City Museum will launch the creative project “Round Stories,” which aims to actively involve older people in an artistic process. This project is more than just an exhibition; It is a co-creative process that focuses on the involvement and participation of seniors. The city museum reports that there is no ready-made content, but rather an open artistic approach is pursued.

A cornerstone of “Round Stories” is the theme of memories and future fantasies. The seniors are invited to contribute their thoughts, wishes and realities of life, which not only provides space for social relationships, but also individual stories and experiences. Relatives and employees of the facilities are also part of this creative process in order to achieve an even richer result. This form of active cultural participation is necessary to make the often underrepresented voices of the older generation visible.

Bridges to the art world

The aim is to make access to cultural offerings easier, especially for those who have previously had little contact with museums. The city museum's outreach aims to break down barriers and stimulate cultural participation through creative projects. Over the last four years, an intensive network has been built with various care facilities, including the Katharinenhof nursing home and the Helmut Böttcher Haus der Volkssolidarität Berlin retirement home.

The need for such initiatives is also supported by current evidence on the cultural needs of older people. There is strong demand for creative participation projects, as can be seen Retirement home magazine reported. Older generations not only strive for sociability, but also rely on high-quality, creative offerings.

Creativity and nationwide collaboration

An interesting aspect of this cultural change is that people with cognitive changes, such as dementia, can also actively participate in artistic processes. Projects like “Dementias”, initiated by theater teacher Jessica Höhn, impressively show how theater and art can promote participation and quality of life. There are also numerous other projects that stimulate the cultural engagement of seniors, such as the photo calendars by Andreas Vincke or the interactive biography exhibition by Jörg Meier and Iris Wolf.

For the concept to be successful, it is essential to involve older people in decision-making processes and to create spaces in which they can formulate their creative wishes. It turns out that a change of attitude in society is necessary in order to see aging as an opportunity for self-development and to create new spaces for experiencing.

At a time when commitment and creative potential are required, “Round Stories” offers a valuable platform to capture diverse life stories and bring them to life. This not only promotes cultural participation, but also establishes a new self-image for old age.