THE ARTISTS ARE PRESENT. Artist residencies in cultural exchange

23.06.2021 / 19:00 – 21:30

During the corona pandemic, artist-residency programs have proven their worth and shown themselves to be viable structures for international cultural and knowledge exchange. This period of crisis in particular has underscored the enormous importance of international cooperation. As labs for facilitating shifts in perspectives, residency programs often serve as models for addressing the question of how we want to live together.

Cultural and knowledge exchange thrives on diversity and a variety of voices. How can this be guaranteed in the long term? The physical presence of artists is essential to the interplay between culture and society. How can the mobility of creative practitioners—even in times of crisis—be preserved? What are the necessary places for social cohesion in times of upheaval, and how can residency programs contribute to this?

The Arbeitskreis Deutscher Internationaler Residenzprogramme (ADIR), a research group of Germany-based international residency programs, invites you to a digital symposium on June 23, 2021 to discuss the future of international artistic exchange during the pandemic and beyond. Following an introductory statement by Minister of State Michelle Müntefering, Bundestag member Claudia Roth, Bundestag member Ursula Groden-Kranich, DJ and producer Sarah Farina and writer Deniz Utlu will explore with ADIR spokespersons what forms of engagement will be needed in the future.

What significance does physical presence have for cultural exchange and social understanding? What are the benefits of online exchange formats, how much personal contact does international dialogue require? How do we maintain protected spaces for artistic and creative thinking, actions and research?

The digital symposium will be opened by Michelle Müntefering, Minister of State for International Cultural Policy at the Federal Foreign Office, following a welcoming address by Johannes Ebert, Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut. The speakers of the working group will lead through the evening.

The discussions will be moderated by Elke aus dem Moore, director of Akademie Schloss Solitude, Silvia Fehrmann, director of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program, and Stefan Hilterhaus, director of PACT Zollverein Essen.

For more information on the ADIR and its members: www.kuenstlerresidenzen.de

Watch live on vimeo.

Picture credit: www.kuenstlerresidenzen.de