Open Call: Zu Gast
bei Urbane Künste RuhrOpen Call: Zu Gast
bei Urbane Künste RuhrOpen Call: Zu Gast
bei Urbane Künste Ruhr

We invite artists and collectives to develop a draft for an artistic project during a three-month research stay and in close exchange with the curatorial team on site. The project – depending on the suitability – is intended to be part of a joint exhibition in 2026. 

For your application it is necessary to choose one of the three focal points. From all submissions six positions (two per focus) will be selected by an expert jury.

In cooperation with the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture, Urbane Künste Ruhr invites two artists or collectives to a three-month research stay on the site of the Hansa Coking Plant in Dortmund. The foundation was established in 1995 in equal parts by the state of NRW and RAG AG and currently looks after a total of twelve heritage sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. The foundation's task is to protect important industrial monuments from demolition, to secure them, to carry out scientific research, to make them accessible to the public and to put them to a new use in keeping with their listed status. It also provides impetus for integrating the industrial architecture into new concepts for urban development and landscape planning, monument protection, business, and tourism.

For whom?

This part of the programme offers professional artists and collectives a spacious and relaxed studio in the middle of the Hansa coking plant site in Dortmund. The conditions on site are suitable for an artistic practice that includes sculpture, sound, painting, film, or installation. The direct connection to Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture on site allows an exploration of post-industrial landscapes, their previous and new functions and the transformation of infrastructure and architecture. 

It is mandatory that the artists spend at least 75% of their time in the Ruhr area.

What does the programme in cooperation with Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture offer?

• A research stay from August 1 to October 31, 2025 with curatorial support and close exchange with the team of Urbane Künste Ruhr
• Support with networking in the region
• A guest artist's fee of € 5,000 gross
• A studio on the site of the Hansa coking plant
• Costs for arrival and departure will be covered once
• Accommodation in Dortmund will be provided
• Travel by public transport for research purposes can be reimbursed

In cooperation with History of the Ruhr Foundation (Stiftung Geschichte des Ruhrgebiets) in Bochum, Urbane Künste Ruhr is offering two artists a research stay in the foundation's building in Bochum. Founded in 1998, the foundation promotes research about the history and present of the Ruhr area and provides extensive publications and journals as well as numerous archives for this purpose. The foundation building- the House for the history of the Ruhr (Haus der Geschichte des Ruhrgebiets) houses the Library of the Ruhr and the archive, which are both available to artists. The archive also contains numerous documents on artistic projects and project plans in the context of the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 GmbH. In addition, there is a close connection to the Institute for Social Movements (Institut für Soziale Bewegungen) at the Ruhr University Bochum, from which the guest artists can also benefit. 

The cooperation between Urbane Künste Ruhr and the History of the Ruhr Foundation has started in 2021.

For whom?

This part of the programme is aimed at professional artists and collectives who have a special interest in working with and on archives and archiving structures. The House for the history of the Ruhr provides an undisturbed space where a desk will be available for working. As institutions for the collection and storage of various documents, archives are central to preserving knowledge, but also produce and transform it. Which stories, gaps, and immaterial forms of knowledge beyond dominant narratives can be discovered through an artistic-research approach? And how can these be presented? 

It is mandatory that the artists spend at least 75% of their time in the Ruhr area.

What does the programme in cooperation with the History of the Ruhr Foundation offer?

• A research stay from September 1 to November 30, 2025 with curatorial support and close exchange with the team of Urbane Künste Ruhr
• Support with networking in the region
• A guest artist's fee of € 5,000 gross
• A workspace, most likely in the foundation's building
• Costs for arrival and departure will be covered once
• Accommodation in Bochum will be provided
• Travel by public transport for research purposes can be reimbursed

This programme is particularly aimed at artists and collectives who are interested in performative artistic practices and intends to connect the guest artists with suitable partners in the region according to their project plans. As part of the guest artist residency in the Ruhr area, for example, it is possible to engage with a local sports club, a theatre or even the public space itself. By engaging with institutions, questions about forms of community can be investigated and the history of the region can be explored through these structures.

It is mandatory that the artists spend at least 75% of their time in the Ruhr area.

What does the programme offer?

• A research stay from August 1 to October 31, 2025 with curatorial support and close exchange with the team of Urbane Künste Ruhr
• Support with networking in the region
• A guest artist fee of € 5,000 gross
• A workplace if required
• Costs for arrival and departure will be covered once
• Accommodation will be provided in Dortmund
• Travel by public transport for research purposes can be reimbursed

We welcome applications from all people regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religious affiliation, disability, age, gender issues and identity. We offer our support in finding suitable solutions for individual needs, for example regarding accessibility.

Documents required for all submissions

• Summary of the project (three sentences)
• Description of the work project for the stay, including a motivation for the specific interest in the respective focus / cooperation partner (max. 3 pages)
• Curriculum vitae (max. 1 page)
• Portfolio or an overview of two to three projects (max. 15 pages)
• We ask applicants to compile the application documents as one PDF file (maximum file size 8 MB, titled first name_last name)

Application process

• Application Deadline: 31.3.2025
• Submission of application documents via Open Call Form
• An expert jury will select the artistic positions during a meeting
• The notifications will be sent out in May 2025

Questions can be directed to:

 zugast@urbanekuensteruhr.de
Alisha Raissa Danscher (Curator Urbane Künste Ruhr)
Jolande Hörrmann (Project cordination)