Ties for cultural life

Since 2009, artists, cultural politicians, cultural mediators, journalists and other protagonists from around the world come to North Rhine-Westphalia in the framework of the international visitors programme. Networks are created, international projects developed and transnational cooperation expanded in a personal dialogue with potential partners and international guests.

Participants
Internationally acting cultural institutions, creative artists and cultural offices in NRW consult in collaboration with the overseas offices of the Goethe-Institut, embassies and other foreign cultural organisations on the selection of visitors and the composition of the programme.

Visitors
Participants in the international visitors programme are curators, artists and creative artists from around the world. They are interested in lasting contacts and future collaboration with protagonists of the art and cultural scene in NRW. They also have command of the English or German language. The visitors are proposed by the partners from the state’s cities and the overseas offices of the Goethe-Institut.

Programme
The trip is planned together with the visitors. They generally come to North Rhine-Westphalia for two to five days or tag their visits onto existing stays in the state. Apart from opportunities to exchange ideas with artists, experts and journalists, the programme also offers visits to performances, concerts and exhibitions. In cooperation with the visitors programmes of the Netherlands, especially the Netherlands Theatre Institute and the Mondriaan Foundation, visitors also have the possibility to stay in NRW’s neighbouring country afterwards.

Networks
Personal connections should produce lasting support networks that result in translational co-productions and cooperations. In order to guarantee the sustainability of these ties and enable an evaluation of the programme, the visitors report on their experiences and what they have learnt in a brief résumé.

Applications and proposals for visitors and programmes for the second half of 2012 can be submitted to Ms Elgin Wolf until 15 April 2012.