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Portrait of the week
Katrin Meindl is the woman with the sense of art in Wasserburg
She is creative, on her toes, has a sense of humor and knows how to inspire people for art: Katrin Meindl, second chairperson of Ak 68 in Wassserburg. A portrait of a versatile woman.
Wasserburg – Each text is accompanied by the appropriate illustration a basic rule of journalism. Katrin Meindl only has to think for a moment to offer a clever idea: She rushes to the basement and comes back with a huge frame made of Styrofoam, which she holds in front of her, smiling. The motif is already perfect. No wonder, Katrin Meindl is a woman with a sense for art. Dull passport pictures of itself would be anathema to it.
People know her in and around Wasserburg because of her involvement in the cultural scene. In the past year, she has rendered outstanding services to the many artistic events in the former vinegar factory. „It was a gift from the town of Wasserburg that we were allowed to do this.", she says looking back.
Why Wasserburg attracts artists
Meindl is the second chairwoman of Arbeitskreis (AK) 68, the artists’ association based in the Ganserhaus. Works by Wasserburg painter and architect Walter Voss, an AK-68 member who died last year, have recently been exhibited there. Of course, Meindl knew him well and can therefore give an authentic account of him.
"The first time he caught my eye was at a members’ meeting, where he was wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Don’t yell at me’. But in private meetings I found him sympathetic, he was very edgy, had a firm opinion."The longer Meindl talks about him, the more appreciation she shows for him.
Ganserhaus has to be renovated
Meindl also reports knowledgeably about the beginnings of AK 68 in the Ganserhaus: "If there hadn’t been such courageous artists as C.A. Wasserburger or Willy Reichert, then we wouldn’t have this." She knows the history of the club, also knows about the structural condition of the Ganserhaus, which is in need of renovation. "We only use about a third of it." She means the lower area – there is no one on the upper floors.
+++ You can find more articles and news from the Wasserburg region here. +++
Why has Wasserburg attracted so many renowned artists?? A question to which Meindl can give a plausible answer: Because many artists had crowded together in Munich in the late ’60s, some had "walked out". C. A. Wasserburger, she says, managed with his powers of persuasion ("He wasn’t quiet, he was loud") to bring some famous people to the city on the Inn – and they were followed by others. Thanks to C. A. Wasserburger, whose real name was Alexander Hatzl and who was chairman of the association until 1978, the AK 68 has become a respected institution.
A guy who puts Meindl in a storytelling mood. With a smile she recalls how the founding father of AK 68 once organized a circular saw concert on Marienplatz, with 20 naked, whitewashed men. What a spectacle! In a 2019 obituary of his life, he is described as an eccentric, headstrong man full of energy who liked to attract attention through provocations. Of course, Meindl’s retrospective also includes the name Ute Lechner – an artist to whom she owes a great deal.
Meindl has lived with her family in Penzing since 1996. Actually, she comes from Erlangen, where she also went to school – to an arts high school. She describes her parents as very tolerant: "My parents encouraged my self-confidence, they just let me do what I wanted to do."
In 1988, Meindl passed her exams at the Erlangen Physiotherapy School. In her first professional years, she worked first in Gmund am Tegernsee, then, in the early 1990s, she moved to the Bavarian capital.
Family man and physiotherapist
But her husband’s town is Wasserburg, and so it doesn’t take long for them to set up their joint home here. wedding is 1995, she’ll never forget how her physical therapy students lined up in front of City Hall back then – with visuals from class, skeletal arms and legs.
Already one year later daughter Maria is born, Anne was born in 1998. "I’m a family man," she says, beaming. For her loved ones she has "a lot of time resources", as she puts it. "We never watch TV."She keeps fit by jogging in the morning.
"I like people"
She enjoys her job as a physiotherapist: "I think it’s great to be able to feel something. And I like people." She feels that she is especially challenged in the pandemic, people are generally not in such a good physical and mental condition. Sometimes she discovers pieces of furniture during house visits that are suitable for exercises. "That’s when I realize that I’m creative."
A moment of happiness for Katrin Meindl.
Profile
Name : Katrin Meindll
Birthplace: Erlangen
Birthday: 1. January 1966
Education: Physical Therapist
Residence : Penzing (Babensham municipality)
Short& flush
What are you proud of?
Katrin Meindl: To my ability to recognize the strengths of others. But of course also to my entertaining marriage, our different daughters, our multi-generational living together under one roof, our open house.
What would you like to do again?
Meindl: All kinds of things. I could list a thousand things.
What are you reading?
Meindl : Art volumes.
What are your favorite vacation destinations?
Meindl : Big cities. Not the beach and the sea, nor the mountains.
When did you reach your limits?
Meindl: The first nights with puppies as a dog beginner.