PETRA WERKOVITS
Academic. Cultural manager. Curator. Author. Feminist. Soroptimist
Petra Werkovits is a cultural manager with over 30 years of experience in the fields of visual arts, literature, and film. She earned her degree in cultural management from the University of Vienna and operates globally while remaining deeply rooted in Southern Burgenland. Petra is an author, owner of Galerie21, and director of the Künstlerdorf Neumarkt an der Raab, where she fosters creative processes in printmaking, workshops, and exhibitions. As a dedicated Soroptimist, she served as president of the Austrian Union from 2023 to 2024, focusing particularly on violence prevention. In 2025, she was honored as Burgenländerin des Jahres for her impactful project SIOLENCE – Violence as Timeless Anti-Art.
“For me, art is a space for encounters, meaning and change – I design this space with heart, structure and vision”
Petra Werkovits © Karin Wiedner
Petra Werkovits at ACFNY with SI World President and SISEAP President © Gerhard Schmolke
Petra Werkovits at the Neumarkt printing workshop © Martin Hörmannseder
Petra Werkovits Soroptimist @ Karin Wiedner
“I dream of a world in which every human being can live in dignity and freedom – self-determined, non-violent and full of passion. Because only those who burn with passion themselves can inspire others and, with courage and compassion, shape a future that belongs to everyone.”
As director of the artists' village Neumarkt an der Raab, I also organise exchange programmes as part of artist-in-residence projects – we are part of AIR Burgenland www.airburgenland.com – and are always interested in networking and exchange, particularly in the area of promoting women.
From approximately 10 January to 22 February 2026, she will be working on setting up a Soroptimist women's project entitled MUJERES VALIENTES in Tequisquiapan, Mexico (in cooperation with Dr. Katrin Feldermann, Anton Dimitrov and Alexandra Margarita Sacher Santana).
Here, too, the primary focus will be on violence prevention.
