Organizer Information
Residence NRW⁺ is a premier institutional incubator and residency program dedicated to the high-level professional advancement of contemporary visual artists and independent curators. Evolving from decades of rigorous, project-based talent cultivation at the historic Schloss Ringenberg art-in-residence centre, the program is structurally supported and funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Kunststiftung NRW, and Pro Helvetia (the Swiss Arts Council). Built on four core programmatic pillars—dialogue, practice, mentoring, and networks—Residence NRW⁺ provides elite, practice-relevant conditions designed to help creators expand their methodologies and integrate into an expansive international network established in 2001.
Title & Description
The Residence NRW⁺ 2026/2027 Fellowship Cycle.
Applications are officially open for this prestigious, low-residency collaborative framework. Rather than binding participants to a rigid, pre-determined project proposal at the time of entry, the program serves as a secure, open-ended sanctuary for concentrated reflection, consolidation of practice, and peer-to-peer cross-pollination. The fellowship utilizes shared live/work architectures to foster intensive dialogue. At any single time, a core on-site cohort consisting of four visual artists and two curators cohabitate and collaborate, culminating in institutional public exhibitions and regional curatorial projects across Germany.
THE TWO FELLOWSHIP TRACKS:
Track 1: Visual Artists Fellowship
An intensive, twelve-month production and development block for studio-based makers.
- Cohort Scale: Exactly four (4) artists selected per annual cycle.
- Financial Provisions: A monthly stipend of 1,700 Euros (bifurcated into 1,500 Euros for general living costs and 200 Euros to support structural production overheads).
- Closing Mandate: Grants a dedicated, budgeted concluding exhibition hosted at a prominent contemporary art institution in North Rhine-Westphalia. The exhibition is co-developed and executed in tandem with the two concurrent curators in residence.
Track 2: Curators Fellowship
A six-month institutional programming and research track for exhibition makers and critical theorists.
- Cohort Scale: Exactly four (4) curators selected annually (split into two concurrent duos across two 6-month terms).
- Financial Provisions: A monthly stipend of 1,500 Euros coupled with a flat travel allowance of 500 Euros.
- Swiss Childcare Add-on: Curators with ties to Switzerland who have childcare responsibilities can apply directly to Pro Helvetia for an additional supplementary grant of up to CHF 1,000 per month. This capital serves as a contribution toward regional childcare infrastructure, children's travel fares, or necessary carer overheads, and remains fully applicable if the children remain cared for at home.
- Practice Mandate: Curators work in a designated tandem. The duo is expected to self-reliantly conceive, budget, and implement two distinct projects at different associated exhibition venues (museums or art associations) across the NRW region. Formats are completely open and may encompass multi-week gallery exhibitions, performance art series, or film screening programs.
Categories
- Visual Arts,
- Curatorial Practice / Criticism,
- Art History / Research,
- and Interdisciplinary Practices.
Eligibility
Applicants must satisfy distinct regional, academic, and temporal boundaries to clear the selection panel:
- Regional Ties Requirement:
- Artists: Must demonstrate a meaningful professional or personal connection to the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (established via place of birth, academic studies, or current legal residence/employment).
- Curators: Must demonstrate a meaningful connection to North Rhine-Westphalia OR Switzerland.
- Artist Track Demographics: Applicants must have already completed their formal studies at an art school or university of arts. At the formal launch of the fellowship term, candidates must not be more than 40 years old, and their degree completion date must not exceed five (5) years ago.
- Curator Track Demographics (NRW Connection): Must hold a verified university degree (Master, Diploma, Magister, or Doctorate) in Art History, Visual Arts, Cultural Studies, or a closely related field. At the launch of the term, candidates must not be more than 35 years old, and their studies must have been finalized within the past five (5) years.
- Curator Track Demographics (Swiss Connection): No age limits apply. However, the completion of formal artistic/curatorial training or, in the absence of a formal degree, the date of their first documented public presentation of curatorial work must not exceed five (5) years ago.
- Operational Commitment: All selected fellows must formally commit to spending the duration of their scholarship period predominantly on-site at the residency and actively participate in joint cohort events, including workshops, excursions, roundtables, and openings.
INSTITUTIONAL SCAFFOLDING & PROJECT BUDGETS
- Free Infrastructure: Suitable, fully furnished residential accommodation and dedicated artistic workspace are provided entirely free of charge for the duration of the term.
- Expert Professional Guidance: The cohort is continuously accompanied by an experienced, permanent contemporary arts professional. Fellows gain direct access to professional scaffolding, including assistance with third-party grant writing, exhibition design prep, studio visits, and specialized curatorial mentoring.
- Extended Mentorship Perk: Unique to this framework, the professional mentoring and career guidance can be extended as a sustainable support structure beyond the formal conclusion of the fellowship period.
- Dedicated Production Budgets:
- Curatorial Tandem Projects: Provided with a maximum project budget of 10,000 Euros per initiative.
- Artists' Concluding Exhibition: Provided with a maximum budget of 12,000 Euros to cover implementation.
- Budget Responsibility: The curator tandem manages the complete operational realization of these budgets in consultation with cooperating museums. This includes project concept design, artist selection, text production, public relations (PR) media planning, insurance/transportation organization, gallery installation/dismantling, and documentation. Duos are free to augment these baseline sums through independent third-party fundraising.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to register and submit portfolios).
How to Apply?
Download the official, interactive document template tailored to your specific discipline and regional connection from the organization's server. Compile your professional resume, detail your ties to NRW/Switzerland, assemble your portfolio assets or documentation of past public projects, and submit your application folder according to the formal digital portal instructions.
Key Dates
- Application Submission Deadline: Sunday, July 5, 2026.
- Active Performance Term: 2026/2027 Framework (Commencing with on-site rehearsal and studio blocks in late autumn 2026).
Location
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia (Central residency base with exhibitions mapped across associated venues and art associations throughout the NRW region).
Additional Details
Grant-winning fellows are selected through an impartial review process governed by an annually changing, independent panel of international art experts and contemporary cultural producers. Because the selection dynamic places supreme competitive weight on peer exchange, horizontal communication, and institutional collaboration, proposals are scored on their collaborative readiness and dedication to a sustained studio practice.