Projects

Die 17 SDGs in Austria´s Art & Culture 

Art and culture are the fundamental pillars of our society and the basis for a sustainable development. The impact of art and culture on a social, economic, and ecological level can be best seen in the context of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the UN. As a cultural nation, Austria makes an important contribution to the 17 SDGs with it´s national and international cultural activities. The traveling exhibition highlights this contribution by showcasing  40 best practice examples from Austrian museums and cultural institutions that show how art and culture can have a social, environmental, and economic impact and how social sustainability is put into practice. Commissioned by the Federal Ministry European and International Affairs Austria. In 2026 the exhibition travelled to Accra/Ghana, Astana/Kasachstan, Istanbul/Turkey. 

MuseumsGuide inklusiv

With 190 museums throughout Austria, the MuseumsGuide inklusiv provides the first overview of what Austria's museums offer in terms of accessibility and inclusive educational programs. The print guide is supplemented by an online guide. A cooperation project between medianet Verlag, Essl Foundation and ICOM Austria, edited by Doris Rothauer.
 

museumsguide.net

17 Museums x 17 SDGs 

17x17 is a pioneering project of ICOM Austria, initiated and conducted in 2021. To strengthen their social impact and contribute to a sustainable future, 17 Austrian museums were invited to actively deal with the 17 SDGs. Doris set up a process of extensive workshops with the participating museums to develop and co-create specific strategies and activities for the implementation of the SDGs in their museums.

Further information on the project can be found on the ICOM Austria project website.

Inclusive Arts Community / Zero Project

Zero Project is an initiative of the Essl Foundation, which is committed to a barrier-free world in all areas of society. From 2020-2022, Doris was the Community Manager for a group of international experts in the field of inclusive art education (including MoMA New York, Manchester Museum, Gulbenkian Foundation Lisbon, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna).

BACK TO UNUSUAL

During the Corona-related lockdown in 2020, Doris led a self-initiated dialog process on the future of art & culture, accompanied by a campaign entitled KUNST MUSS. In interviews and workshops, on social media and on a web platform, visions and strategies for the future viability of arts and cultural organizations after the lockdown were developed together with cultural professionals.

Cultural Impact

Cultural Impact (2018/19) was a research project, initiated by Doris and funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG, that addressed the social impact of museums as civic and community based institutions. It analyzed challenges, strategies and best practice examples and developed tools and methods for scaling and measuring impact, deriving from social entrepreneurship as a useful approach.

Learning Journeys NY

Commissioned by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Doris is organizing Learning Journeys for Austrian creative entrepreneurs and arts experts to the New York scene. Examples include excursions on „The Future of Museums & Art Institutions“ and „The Power of Creativity“, with exklusive presentations, Q&As and B2B networking.

Learning Journeys

In excursions to outstanding examples of creative change makers, participants explore new perspectives and ways of doing meaningful business and designing the future. The authentic experience of places, people and projects is a rich source of inspiration and empowerment that can be transferred to your own work and business.

Learning Journeys are generally about going completely outside your normal environment. Through changing the perspective and exploring key insights into new contexts together with other participants, you open your mind, reflect upon yourself and others and learn by experience.

Doris designs and moderates customized Learning Journeys around key themes of creativity, innovation and change making.

Music and Art School Academy

In 2017/2018, Doris designed and led an Austrian Music and Art School Academy, focusing on:

The topic of creativity from a wide variety of perspectives and angles;

Attitudes and skills required to effectively inspire others;

Approaches and models as to how the promotion of creativity can be increasingly implemented in music and art schools.

OPEN:SPACE

In a total of six open space workshops in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Bregenzerwald, around 200 cultural practitioners explored the question of what the role of art & culture is or can be in society today. A series of events in 2017, conceived and moderated by Doris Rothauer and Tina Trofer on behalf of the Federal Chancellery of Austria/Art & Culture.