About

I am Christian Steinau, cultural policy strategist and entrepreneur. With the Cultural Policy Lab, I founded a research enterprise that explains cultural policy, enables evidence-based approaches, and makes impact visible.

My thinking starts from the visual arts: the openness of the artwork, the expansion of the art field, and the relations between art forms. I completed my doctorate on aesthetic judgment in contemporary and visual art and translated the book Die Ausstellung meiner Träume by art critic and curator Jean-Max Colard at the Centre Pompidou.

At 19, I spent a year in Tanzania. I then studied in Lille and Berlin before completing my doctorate in Munich. At the Käte Hamburger Kolleg "global dis:connect," I built and managed a Transfer Lab at an international research centre, collaborating with fellows from around the world. I contributed to the UN report on AI and creativity by the Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights and contributed to the music strategy for the UNESCO City of Music Hannover.

I founded the Cultural Policy Lab in 2019 at LMU Munich and transitioned it into an independent enterprise in 2025. I lead project consortia with up to six partner organisations, hold honorary leadership positions in the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft (German Cultural Policy Association) and the Gesellschaft für Evaluation (DeGEval), and research leadership as a subject in its own right -- from leadership crises and working conditions to family-friendly leadership in cultural organisations.

Why I Do This

I am a first-generation academic. Art and culture were never a given for me -- which is why I have taken different paths than many of my colleagues. What drives me is the fundamental question of what role art plays in our society.

I am convinced: we need to explain cultural policy better and articulate why it matters -- what it means for a democracy. The old answers no longer suffice. When established answers fall short, we need new tools.

Cultural Policy Lab — Research, Strategy, Data, and New Tools

Knowledge work is undergoing a fundamental transformation. We shape what comes next -- developing services for a new era. Especially now, with tightening budgets, we seek innovative methods and explore how value creation can be translated into new consulting services.

I develop tools that help cultural administrations and funding institutions make better-informed decisions -- from evaluation and knowledge graphs to AI-assisted analyses. And I work on not just measuring impact, but communicating and making it visible.