Together with 20 member cities and a regional association as well as numerous municipal, supra-regional and international cultural partners, the NRWKS initiates, promotes and organises a wide range of programmes, projects and events - often interdisciplinary and experimental. Affiliated to the city of Wuppertal for 49 years as a public-law agreement, the NRWKS became a self-governing special-purpose association in 2024, the 50th year of its existence.

The focus is on international and digital art and culture as well as on ecological sustainability, cultural diversity and artistic experimentation.

In a cooperative, dialogic and participatory way, the NRWKS connects actors and multipliers from many cultural fields, sets impulses in cultural-political discourses and creates something new for the cities and the state. The NRWKS promotes and connects, initiates and organizes, develops and also transfers the new topics and structures to municipal and other public sponsors.

As part of its international activities, the NRWKS coordinates the International Visitors Programme in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Also in cooperation with the NRW Ministry of Culture, the NRWKS managed the "Neue Wege" (New Paths) profile funding for municipal theatres and orchestras in NRW from the end of 2018 to the end of February 2024.

In addition, the NRW Ministry of Culture provides the NRWKS with special annual funding for the New Music Theater Fund.

Structure and funding

The NRWKS consists of a team of permanent and freelance employees who organize and coordinate the program work in close cooperation with the individual cultural partners, accompanied by selection committees, advisory boards and juries. Chairwoman of the Association: Cornelia Wilkens, Münster. Deputy chairwoman: Miriam Koch, Düsseldorf. Director: Dr. Christian Esch.

The work is steered by the working committee and the association assembly (Chairman: Apostolos Tsalastras, Oberhausen; depute chairwoman: Anne Heselhaus, Gelsenkirchen). In addition, there is a regular programme advisory board at the working level of the participating municipalities. Numerous programs and projects are discussed and decided in advisory boards, juries and boards of trustees.

The institution NRWKS is financed by its partner cities, while project funding is provided by the state of NRW, but program-related funding is also provided by foundations and other sponsors at state and federal level. Funding is provided within the framework of a program adopted annually by the plenary assembly of member cities.

Usually every two years, the NRW KULTURsekretariat (NRWKS) publishes an annual report that provides detailed information about the work of the network of cities.

You can read about which programmes and projects have been implemented with which funds in the years since 2007 in the brochures by clicking on the respective link.

Bericht 2020/2021

Bericht 2018/2019

Bericht 2016/2017

Bericht 2013/2015

Bericht 2011/2012

Bericht 2009/2010

Bericht 2007/2008

Since 2005, the NRW KULTURsekretariat has turned its annual programmes into an art space for predominantly serial works by selected artists. After 20 years in analogue format, the NRWKS is presenting its programme for 2025 in an interactive digital form for the first time and invites you to move through the visually powerful sound spaces of Cologne composer Johannes S. Sistermanns.

You can browse through the brochures from 2005 to 2024 by clicking on the respective link.

2024 – Anja Jensen: Motifs from the series "Tatort", "Tatort Spezial", "Westcoast" and "Ciudanas"
2023 – Sigrid Neuwinger: »Schwebende Räume«
2022 – Thomas Wrede: »Real Landscapes«
2021 – Hanna Noh: »An Uncontacted Tribe«
2020 – Herlinde Koelbl: »Colors of Myanmar«
2019 – Juergen Staack: »WEI«
2018 – Thomas Hawranke: »OOB«
2017 – Josef Schulz: »Übergang«
2016 – Udo Dziersk: »Tagesnotizen«
2015 – Eugen Egner: »Die gebrüllhafte Geweihserie«
2014 – 40 Jahre NRWKS
2013 – Yeondoo Jung: »DOCUMENTARY NOSTALGIA«
2012 – V. A. Wölfl: »VA WÖLFL 95%«
2011 – Freya Hattenberger: »Metaphorical Staircase«
2010 – Régis Perray: »Tapis et Tissus. Patrimoine de la cité Malakoff«
2009 – Franziskus Wendels
2008 – Aksel Zeydan Göz: »Rain in NRW«
2007 – Ferhat Özgur Kale: »santralistanbul«
2006 – Ben Plefka: »Lebensraum«
2005 – Nevin Aladağ: »Der Mann, der über seinen Schatten springen wollte«