Covering plates with art

The Christmas season invites you to do something good. The tellerlein deck dich association does this all year round. What exactly do you want to improve?
Andreas Reichelt: We want to help socially disadvantaged children. Particularly in terms of general food provision and raising awareness of healthy eating. However, the learning effect and playfulness should not be forgotten. We offer many activities centred around care, learning and play.

The idea of covering plates with art has been around since 2008. Is there anything comparable in other cities?
We are always asked this question, but we are not aware of anything like it in other cities. I think it's unique that porcelain is painted and auctioned and the proceeds go to nutrition projects with children.

Who is involved in your organisation?
It's mainly young people, students or people who are at the start of their careers and want to do something more. We currently have 45 members, but everyone has different amounts of time. And we are happy to welcome anyone who is interested in the work and wants to join us.

You are travelling all over Saxony. Are you recognised as being from Chemnitz?
Where we come from doesn't really play a big role most of the time. Over the past year, we have expanded our focus, which was previously really only on Chemnitz and the surrounding area. We've now ventured into Leipzig and Dresden, but we first have to build up the personal structures there that we've had here in the city for some time.

What structures do you use in Chemnitz?
We have received support from the Salvation Army right from the start, for example. Our former CEO Frank Heinrich, who is now a member of the Bundestag, organised this at the time. We can utilise the networking and infrastructure of the Salvation Army and the Don Bosco House. At the same time, we also give something back to our partners with events for the children there, such as cookery weekends, fruit afternoons or joint activities on the subject of nutrition. We also receive support from private individuals and companies, including the Vita Centre as the location for our teddy bear clinic and the Chemnitz branch of Siemens, whose entire workforce donates money to our association.

Which children in Chemnitz can benefit from your activities?
It is mainly socially disadvantaged children, some of whom are neglected, but some of whom simply come from materially disadvantaged households, who benefit from our programmes. We implement these together with existing organisations that do not have sufficient financial resources.

You have already auctioned 113 plates. When you have plates painted by Chemnitz residents, what do they tell you about the city?
Some of the plates are really closely linked to the city. The Lord Mayor has designed a plate together with the Türmer, which of course shows a Chemnitz motif. But the Chemnitz caricaturist Reiner Bach is also involved in our project with joy and energy and has already designed several plates free of charge. Apart from that, the choice of motif is of course free and tells of many different things in life. The willingness of Chemnitz artists to support us shows how helpful and motivated the people of this city are.

What was the highest bid and for which plate was the bid achieved?
We had the highest bids of 1200.00 euros per plate in 2013 and 2014, once for a plate by the Chemnitz painter Susann Riedel and once for a plate by the late singer-songwriter Reinhard Lakomy (Traumzauberbaum). But in general, every bid counts and even plates with lower auction proceeds help us a lot.

Do you see it as a social balancing act between artists, celebrities and children?
Of course we need both. The plates are primarily for financing. The money raised goes to the children. To be honest, of course, it has to be said that the work of the organisation is mainly for the children. We don't usually have such intensive contact with the celebrities. At the Teddy Bear Clinic in the Vita Centre, you are right in the middle of the children and are totally absorbed by them. We recreate everyday hospital life. And the fun that the children have, the reactions, the laughter - that's a wonderful, big thank you.

Back to the Christmas season. What activities is the organisation currently planning?
We have another Advent calendar campaign. On 24 days, 24 organisations receive something as a gift that they can't buy with their own money. This could be baking biscuits or cooking together, but also toys or a Christmas tree. We want all children to be able to experience a wonderful Christmas time, just as we know it ourselves. We are also looking for sponsors to finance the open doors. You can find all the information you need on our website.

Where should you definitely go at Christmas time in Chemnitz?
Well, ideally to a social organisation with our association to cook and bake with children or to hand over the presents from our Advent calendar campaign. In addition to classics like the Christmas market, the Cortina restaurant and café is always worth a visit for me. They have the best Christmas biscuits in every flavour you could wish for.

The people of Chemnitz are convinced of the Chemnitz Christmas market. But what else? Do the people of Chemnitz need to be encouraged?
I don't think so. Chemnitz is a courageous city. It has a great capacity for innovation, industry, tradition and many committed people. It annoys me when everything is talked about. We need courageous politicians who tackle and realise things. Sometimes the focus should be more on the things that work well.

More about the project: http://tellerlein-deck-dich.de/