Aquarias Water Museum

Friday, April 24, 2009
3:00 to 5:00 p.m., reception to follow

Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Atrium
Cleveland State University
Glickman-Miller Hall
1717 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115

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The Forum is pleased to partner with the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture to present RUHR 2010: The European Capital of Culture, A Strategy for Revitalizing an Old Industrial Region with guest Ralf Ebert, Director, STADTart, Consultancy for City, Culture and Planning, Dortmund, Germany and Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Werningerode/Harz. Germany.

Ralf Ebert will talk about the relationship of artists, culture, creativity and urban development. His talk will focus on the Ruhr, a region that comprises 53 towns and cities and is home to 5.3 million people– all within the “borders” of what was originally known as the Ruhr Coal Settlement Association, created in 1920.

Much like Northeast Ohio, the region has been shaped by the imposing legacy of the industrial age and the unlimited potential of the post-industrial era. In the mid-19th century the Ruhr was one of the most vibrant industrial regions in Europe with an economy based around hundreds of coal mines and steelworks. Following the decline of the coal and steel industry in the 1960s, the Ruhr region transformed itself from a grimy mining area to a modern urban centre based on service industries.

As the region looks to its future, it is turning to its rich cultural assets and activities.

Article: Artists vs. Blight, by Alexandra Alter. Wall Street Journal April 17, 2009.

GreenCityBlueLake Blog entry: Lessons from Germany's Rust Belt, submitted by Marc Lefkowitz, April 27, 2009.

Registration to forum events is free, but registration is required. Register here.