When I retired after 30 years lecturing at Coventry University, thinking of possibly leaving Coventry and retiring elsewhere, I made a list of the good and bad things about Coventry, well, you don't want to end up anywhere worse! At the top of the good list was twinning and Coventry's international relationships. I had felt for a long time certainly since my residency in Prague in 1982 that Coventry did not exploit twinning culturally enough. To exhibit internationally Coventry artists don't have to go to London or though a gallery or the British Council, Coventry artists have a ‘worm hole’ direct to many parts of the world through twinning.

The artist Peter Clarke who ran ‘Eight Days a Week’, the Liverpool/Cologne artists relationship, was an old friend of mine and I thought Coventry could set up something similar. So I decided to do something about this myself, after all you would not want the Councillors to organise an art exhibition! Out of the 26 towns and cities twinned with Coventry, Dresden is arguably the major cultural centre with its history and world class museums and art galleries. I chose Dresden as the City to begin this project and stayed in Coventry.

Can you tell us something about arts in Dresden?

Relationships with Britain and Dresden go back long before the twinning with Coventry. This famous baroque city was part of the Grand Tour and Nelson visited Dresden with Lady Hamilton after he had defeated Napoleon in Egypt. Also J.M.W. Turner, Mary Shelley, George Eliot, Henry James, George Bernard Shaw were all visitors to Dresden and D.H. Lawrence's fictional heroines in Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Women in Love received their artistic and cultural education in Dresden. Many art schools were set up in Dresden prior to WW1 as international finishing schools for young ladies.

For centuries, Dresden was on the map of many British travellers on the continent. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, a growing number of British nationals took abode in Dresden, reaching a peak of 1200 in 1900. Three English language daily newspapers published in Dresden bear witness to the importance of what was known as the "English Colony". There was also a Scottish and America Colony with their affiliated churches. Artistic, educational and health tourism swelled the cosmopolitan make up of Dresden society in the 19th century. The Dresden Football Club, founded by English workers in 1874 is believed to be the oldest football club outside Britain.

So where are we now with our relationship to Dresden?

The beginning of WW1 spelled the end to that period of amicable relations between Dresden and ourselves. But on top of that, Paris and Rome have over the last 200 to 300 years been regarded as the main centres of artistic and cultural activity. This has tended to eclipse artistic activity in Germany and in particular Dresden, capital of Saxony, German Baroque, Romanticism, Expressionism and Socialist Realism, which following its major destruction at the end of of the Second World War and being to some extent off limits for study during the Cold War Dresden has remained ignored. Since the 1930s Dresden has an cultural history that, in spite of unification, has been largely sealed from us, that is during the National Socialist period, and the period of the communist GDR, though Coventry of course did establish a relationship even during the ‘Cold War’.

Can you tell us about twinning and Dresden?

Coventry was the world's first twin city when it formed a twinning relationship with Stalingrad (Volgograd) in 1944. Coventry invented twinning. Dresden links were set up in 1956 and Coventry was formally twinned in 1959 as a gesture of peace and reconciliation. Coventry Council states with reference to Dresden, "Nowadays, both cities seek to build on the twinning relationship to promote the economic prosperity of the two cities".

I believe more can be done culturally with this relationship, particularly with the visual arts and that great benefits can accrue for artists and audiences alike in both cities. Clearly what you do with twinning is to share culture and Dresden recognise this. Of course economics and cultural projects are not mutually exclusive, though I would like to see some of the outcomes of the Coventry City Council’s policy of promoting economic prosperity.

No archive exists of previous collaborative visual arts projects between Coventry and Dresden, despite it having the potential of providing a rich archive such as the 1950s mural in the Coventry Market painted by Dresden art students, or the sculpture Choir of Survivors by Helmut Heinz in Coventry Cathedral Ruins, which poignantly commemorates civilians killed by aerial bombing.

Though there is a history of activity and projects in the visual arts with Coventry and Dresden, contacts have not been retained. So new projects have to ‘reinvent the wheel’, and are ‘one offs’. I feel it is important to create a sustainable relationship, between Coventry artists and Dresden that retains contacts and has legacy.

I had a studio on Prague in 1981 as a guest of the Czech Artists Fund on the 40th anniversary of the destruction of Lidici. Which was fantastic and a great opportunity. When I got back to Coventry nobody in the Council was interested in a report back. However I used the experience in lectures and in my studio teaching. I spoke with and gave my report to Peter De Francia my Professor of painting at Royal College of Art who was one of the few British artists to have visited Prague during the ‘cold war’ period.

Needless to say, Coventry did not make a reciprocal offer to invite a Czech artist to Coventry. All to often it seems that the initiative comes from the twin and not Coventry, with the founding of Coventry Dresden Arts Exchange, Coventry is taking the initiative.

How did you come to set up the Coventry Dresden Arts exchange?

Having chosen Dresden I then had to find artists in Dresden to set up a dialogue with. The Council having no records were of no help. Eventually through the Coventry Association for International Friendship (CAIF) who communicated with their sister organisation in Dresden, Duetsch-Britische Gesellschaft, but unfortunately this Anglo German Association had no contacts with artists. However at the inauguration of the Anglo German Rose Garden of Friendship in Dresden,presented by the British Dresden Trust - contact was made with two Dresden artists through the Dresden Trust. Monika Marten and Jean Kirsten. This was 2011 and I began corresponding with Jean. (Jean is a male artist the ‘Jean’ is French). So ‘first contact’ was something of a random affair, that is I had little discretion in this selection and apart from initially seeing Jean had a interest in Anglo German relations I knew little about him.

Jean Kirsten was a student and ex-Associate professor at the world famous Dresden Academy, I liked his work on his website, he spoke good English and he proved to be a consummate organiser. I wanted to put together a reflective dialogue with Dresden artists, but for Jean this collaboration meant exhibitions. The proposed dialogue could involve exhibitions, but not necessarily. I simply wished to establish dialogue to discuss contemporary practice with Dresden artists exchanging experiences and ideas.

So to kick this off we had Jean’s ‘For R Laban’ exhibition in Coventry in 2012 which launched the Coventry Peace Festival that year. We have gone down the exhibition route in setting this up, this was not my plan, it just happened that way. There are many simpler and cheaper ways of doing exchanges other than exhibitions and we are still open to diverse ideas and projects.

Since 2012 we have had eight collaborative exhibitions with Dresden in both cities, also three Coventry artists have exhibited at the Dresden Arts Fair and three artists have shown work in both cities through our residential programme. Our activities have directly involved some 25 artists and we have been reviewed in Dresden newspapers and magazines over twenty times, sadly the response in Coventry has been much less enthusiastic.

Clearly Dresden likes Coventry artists! We hope that Coventry will come to like art and Dresden artists equally.

Since Jean Kirsten in Coventry, there was Jean and myself at the Johannstadall in Dresden in 2014, ‘On Paper’ at the Rathaus in Dresden, then the Dresden Exchange exhibition at the Lanchester Gallery, Coventry University, then Pilnitz Castle during Elbhangfest, with 1000 visitors, Dresden Art Fair, Kreuzkirche in Dresden and Coventry Cathedral in 2019. We also have developed a programme of residencies from 2017, Alexandra Müller from Dresden and Jack Foster from Coventry. Lucas, Oertel was our latest Dresden artist resident and part of the 2019 Coventry Biennial For Contemporary Art, Alexandra also exhibited at the Coventry Biennial at the Herbert.

In collaboration with Class Room and Artspace, supported by an Arts Council Grant we have developing a two year programme of exhibitions, residencies, forums and lectures. Developing residencies with the world famous Grafikwerkstatt, Dresden’s Printmakers Workshop and the print facility at Coventry University.

Our recent exhibitions at the Kreuzkirche and Coventry Cathedral on the 60th anniversary of the twinning of the two cities has been a ‘step up’ for us giving our association a greater civic profile. The exhibition was attended in Dresden by the Lord Mayor of Coventry, the Bishop of Coventry, the Mayor of Dresden and the Duke of Kent, President of the Dresden Peace Prize. I personally very much appreciated the promise of Dresden’s continued support given by Mayor Hilbert at the opening of the Kreuzkirche exhibition. We are looking to have our next exhibition in Dresden at the Rathaus, Dresden’s Guildhall.

Unfortunately at the moment all this is on hold because of the pandemic restrictions but we are hoping to send Michala Gyetvai a Coventry artist to Dresden in September 2020 and welcome Matthias Bausch a Dresden artist to his residency in Coventry in October, or we might have to postpone everything for a year, at the moment there are too many unknowns.

What do you think twinning offers both for yourself and for Dresden colleagues?

Creating international opportunities and broadening horizons for Coventry artists, curators, art historians and audiences in both cities is central to our aims.

My personal interest is in the different European cultural history that Dresden has gone through since the 1930s, as distinct from the western artists. Dresden slipped from our view and our two cities were separated culturally by political forces. Ever since National Socialism and the GDR, Dresden’s cultural developed was in isolation, an ‘alternative’ to the Modernism of the west (or perhaps a particular form of Modernism). Since the ‘wall came down’ and Post Modernism there is little that we can differentiate between young artists in Coventry or Dresden, they seem to be on a similar cultural page. However, where we have been will always affect how we view things and where we go. For me, meeting young Dresden artists and artist of my own generation (who worked in both States, GDR and FRG), discussing interests and obsessions, comparing our experiences and the different histories of the two cities. All helps me to understand more holistically the development of European culture and conversely Britishness!

Showing a Dresden artist around the Blitz Museum in the Cathedral Ruins and introducing her, I was asked if we were ‘official’. I wondered whether we were official or not? What do you have to do to become ‘official’? and Is ‘official’ a good thing? I think we owe our success because we are a collaboration of friends. A band of brothers and sisters. We are informal and do the minimum bureaucracy.

We are treated with kindness and generous hospitality on our visits to Dresden and there is inevitably a level of fun, socialising and memorable times. It is also enjoyable to welcome visitors to Coventry and tour our city, talking about its history. Coventry known as a sanctuary, a place of welcome, a safe home and a city that promotes Peace and Reconciliation, and International Understanding are the themes that are central to our organisation.

Peace and reconciliation is expressed through our practical work of collaboration with Dresden artists. Not empty or sterile ceremonial. A collaboration of friends. Establishing a dialogue, sharing and discussing ideas, of exhibiting and working together. Understanding the different histories and culture of our cities and learning from one another. However our exhibitions at the Kreuzkirche and Coventry Cathedral last year were our first themed exhibitions where Peace and Reconciliation came to the fore. ‘Condition Humaine’, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the twinning, was concerned with human vulnerability, struggle and resilience, destruction and rebirth, qualities both cities share.

Peace and reconciliation is applicable today not just history, but from anti-fascism, or racism, to knife crime, it was a knife amnesty that created the Knife Angel. The notion of amnesty is embedded within Peace and Reconciliation. Amnesty was crucial in the peace processes of South Africa and Northern Ireland. Peace and reconciliation is still relevant to our lives with the conflicts and challenges of the young and old in Coventry today.

Coventry/Dresden Art Exchange exhibitions and events have attracted broader audiences and interest due to its relevance to Coventry’s history and commitment to 'peace and reconciliation' and international friendship. Coventry/Dresden Arts Exchange has been working with peace organisations in the both cities to ‘reach out’, to aid audience development and broaden our support. The ambition would be to turn this audience into stakeholders. This shift from spectator to developing a relationship has already happened with some organisations and individuals. Our activities resonate with the Coventry and Dresden communities beyond a traditional art or aficionado audience and the Exchange has developed an important civic profile in both cities.

With our exhibitions, residents showcases, open studios and by hosting talks, workshops and projects, we have the real potential to engage a wide range of audience interest. The exhibitions have served in the past as an introduction to art for those people who would not normally go to an art gallery or art exhibition but have attended our exhibitions though an interest in international friendship, understanding, peace and reconciliation, an interest in Germany or the Coventry-Dresden relationship. This is true in both cities.

Pulling this together necessities a form of networking that involves many organisations and people which has proved very useful in establishing ourselves and broadening our activities. The Exchange has developed strong links, partnerships and informal working relationships with art and non-art organisations: Coventry Lord Mayors Office, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Peace Committee, Coventry Peace Festival, Coventry German Circle, Coventry Association for International Friendship, the Dresden Trust, Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Henry VIII School, Hereward College, Coventry University: Art and Humanities and Centre for Trust Peace and Social Relations. Coventry Pride, Art Appreciation Group of University of the Third Age Coventry Branch, Eight Days a Week (Liverpool/Cologne Exchange). Spires Music, Class Room Gallery, Coventry Biennial for Contemporary Art, Coventry2021, Coventry Photo Archive Miners, Coventry Music Museum, Tin Angel Arts Centre, Coventry Artspace Partnerships, Holyhead Studios, Meter Rooms, Canal Basin Warehouse Studios.

We aim to also develop and consolidate relationships in Dresden: European and International Affairs of Dresden Mayor's Office, Anglo German Association (Duetsch-Britische Gesellschaft), Kuenstlerbund Dresden (Artists Federation), the Kreuzkirche, Technische Universität, Dresden Academy, Grafikwerkstatt, Dresden’s Printmakers Workshop, Kunstlermesse Dresden (Dresden’s Arts Fair) Interkultur International Kulturaisch and the Culture and Monument Preservation Office of the City of Dresden.

And the future?

Coventry Dresden Arts Exchange is becoming a broad umbrella, as there have been a number of spin off activities which the Exchange has enabled essentially through networking, notably British Traces in Dresden, an exhibition of banners and lecture by Rainer Barczaitis of the Anglo German Association at St Michael's House in Coventry, the Spires Music and Nuer Chor’s (Dresden choir) concert in Coventry Cathedral for the 60th anniversary of Coventry and Dresden’s twinning. Yellow Cap, a Dresden ska band played at Tin Angel with our help and in partnership with Coventry Association for International Friendship we helped organised the TUDOR theatre group from Dresden Technical University (Technische Universität Dresden) to performed in Coventry at Henry VIII School. An 'avant guard' band from Dresden, Sòjus wish to come to Coventry for a performance. At this point we are looking for a venue and considering approaching Coventry University. Rainer Barczaitis is putting a poetry group together. Initially creating a publication of an annotated bilingual English German edition of selected poems by Coventry poet Antony Owen.

A useful ally has been Nikolai Press the Alumni Regional Ambassador in the UK for Technische Universität Dresden, a great enthusiast who has helped facilitating broader activities and the dissemination of information. In collaborating with Coventry Association for International Friendship and Nikolai we hope to set up ‘Coventry Dresden Events’ to look at organising other activities as well as our visual arts activities, specifically looking towards 2021 Coventry City of Culture and a Friendship Festival.