Werner Bachstein

Werner Bachstein joined Porticus in 2013 as Regional Director for CEE/MENA. In 2016, he assumed a new role as Director of the Community Arts Lab (CAL) within Porticus. CAL focuses on arts initiatives with a social impact goal and on creating an international network in this field. He is the co-founder and chairman of the Community Arts Network (CAN) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Wiener Konzerthaus. Until 2013, Werner worked at Caritas Vienna, where he fulfilled multiple roles: starting as a Socio-political Advisor and Head of the Immigration Department, he ultimately became the CEO. Previously, he was Director of the Competence Centre for NPOs at the Vienna Business University and Assistant Professor at the Department for Social Policy. Werner has always had a close connection to the world of (community) arts. He initiated the community dance movement Tanz die Toleranz, an international community music program superar and the community art location brunnen.passage. Besides his engagement in the arts for social impact arena, Werner collaborates with and advises many renowned artists, artivists and (arts) institutions globally, such as Royston Maldoom, Marin Alsop, Martin Grubinger, Kumi Naidoo, Gustavo Dudamel, Gerald Wirth, Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna State Opera, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, The Wellbeing Project and other initiatives in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.