--- title: New Here? A Warm Welcome to ArtTalks 🎨 subtitle: July 2 details, plus the story behind it all image: at-nl-2026-06-21.jpg # newsletterSubject: Welcome to ArtTalks! Plus: July 2 Kusama details 🎨 # newsletterPreviewLine: New here? Get to know me, and what to expect from ArtTalks. # newsletterSendingDateAndTime: June 21, 2026 @ 12:00 --- ## 🫶 Welcome! Dear ArtTalkers, Welcome! I’m glad you’re here 🤗 Many of you were added to this list after trying for a spot in the July 2 Kusama ArtTalk. The museum online tickets sold out fast once the press got hold of the story, and I couldn’t fit everyone in. I’m so sorry about that! 😔 Normally it is not a problem buy a museum ticket live before the ArtTalk – if you’re not from Cologne – but with Kusama everything is a bit different! But since so many of you are new, it felt like the right moment for an introduction. *Get to know Karla – the ArtTalk founder* ## 🎨 Who’s behind ArtTalks? I’m Karla Schlaepfer, born and raised in California. I studied Art History at UC Berkeley, then crossed the Atlantic and made Germany my home more than 30 years ago. Art, teaching, and coaching have shaped my work ever since. And together, they shaped ArtTalks. ArtTalks began in 2008 as my own independent initiative, not as a museum program. I first developed the format in Stuttgart after working in an art gallery and connecting with another enthusiastic art historian. Later, I also offered ArtTalks at the Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal and the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. From the beginning, I wanted to offer something different from a traditional guided tour ✨ A guided tour often means: one person explains, the group listens. ArtTalks are different. We look closely. We ask questions. We exchange impressions. I bring the art historical background, but the conversation is part of the experience. That’s where my coaching background comes in💪 Art becomes more memorable when people don’t just listen, but notice, reflect, and are invited to respond. You may have read that I offer the use of headsets. The headsets are practical, especially on the first Thursday of the month, when Cologne residents get free museum entry and the museum can be, well, “lively”. They help everyone hear clearly, stay focused, and still move through the exhibition together 🎯 The ArtTalk group is small, with a maximum of 16 participants. That keeps the atmosphere personal and quality high. And yes, there is one ArtTalk tradition I love: after many ArtTalks, we sit down together for coffee, snack or a glass of wine. Sometimes the conversation after the art is almost as good as the art itself 😉 That’s the ArtTalk community ❣️ You’ll receive this newsletter about twice a month. Not your thing? You can unsubscribe at any time, no hard feelings. For behind-the-scenes glimpses and short art moments, you can also find ArtTalks on Instagram and Facebook.Link below ⬇️ And I give you a selection of short articles in German and English to help you get in the mood for the art that we’ll see. Also see ⬇️ This is the last newsletter before my summer break. Nice to have you on board! If you’re joining the July 2 Kusama ArtTalk, you’ll receive a short reminder closer to the date. ## 🔴 Kusama on July 2: the practical bits Bring your Cologne ID/Ausweis. We’ll meet in the middle of the foyer, at the blue dot column, where I’ll hand out headsets and your printed tickets. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early so we can start right on time. It will be a full energetic house. Call me if you run into any trouble at the museum door! This is going to be another great deep dive into the incredible Yayoi Kusama – can’t wait to introduce you all to her life and work! Happy to help if you have questions! Artfully yours 🖼️ Karla ## ArtTalk Resources: Coming up next! 🔴 *Yayoi Kusama: Where Dots Become Worlds”* 2 July 2026 \| 10:00 + 15:00 \| Museum Ludwig *Both sessions are completely booked!* This Kusama show is a real crowd-pleaser, and I’m so excited to see many of you there! 🟠 *HIER UND JETZT: Collecting Memories from Turtle Island* 3 September 2026 \| 10:30 + 18:30 \| Museum Ludwig Marking 250 years of American independence 🎆, Museum Ludwig turns the lens on indigenous perspectives, with contemporary works by Marie Watt and Wendy Red Star set against the familiar – perhaps biassed – story of America. More on this one in August. 👉 [Sign up here](https://art-talks.de/here-and-now-collecting-memories-from-turtle-island/) ## ArtTalk Further Reading Resources 🎨 *HASTA (University of St Andrews)* [Yayoi Kusama at Museum Ludwig](http://www.hasta-standrews.com/reviews/2026/4/2/yayoi-kusama-at-museum-ludwig) A personal, first-time-seeing-Kusama review, including a memorable run-in with the mirrored Narcissus Garden. 🎨 *Monopol Magazin* [Das andere Amerika: Das Museum Ludwig zeigt US-Kunst jenseits der Blockbuster](https://www.monopol-magazin.de/museum-ludwig-das-andere-amerika) A look back at how Museum Ludwig once before went digging through its own collection for the artists missing from the canon. A fitting lead-in to September. 👉Follow [@arttalks.cologne on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/arttalks.cologne/) for more behind-the-scenes. 👉See: [www.art-talks.de](http://www.art-talks.de) for more ArtTalks scheduled for the 2. half of 2026