The “SINTI* AND ROMA* ART IN CONTEXT” Artists-in-Residence Program was established in 2022 by the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg with support from the Center for International Cultural Education of the Goethe-Institute in Mannheim and is committed to promoting the work of contemporary artists and cultural sector professionals from the Sinti* und Roma* communities on an international level.
The program offers local, national, or international artists a two-month residency. The scholarship awardees selected for the residency program will be invited to Heidelberg to allow them to further develop their artistic positions. In addition to their creative work, the artists will participate in public programs and workshops. The residency program will also provide the artists with exchange and networking opportunities with research and cultural institutions, interesting personalities, as well as local communities.
The goal of the project is to enable the artists to make an important cultural and societal contribution, taking up and representing such current topics as: the culture of remembrance, cultural politics, activism, the fight against antigypsyism, and resistance through art.
The residency will conclude with a group exhibition displaying the works created by the artists during their time in the residency program.
Who can apply?
Internationally well-known and up-and-coming artists and cultural sector professionals from the Sinti* and Roma* communities who would like to come to Heidelberg to Work on their works of art, to exchange their ideas and experiences with society and to expand their network. The program is open to all age groups. What is important is that the applicants are open to new impulses and ideas. Applicants should have a background in the following areas: photography, literature, illustration and comics, or theater and movie screenwriting and music (composition and interpretation).
We encourage artists and cultural sector professionals from the Sinti* and Roma* communities with disabilities or chronic illnesses to apply for the residency program. If you have special support needs, please indicate this in your application.
Requirements for the applicants:
- Participation in the residency over the total duration of the program from 15th September to 15th November 2023. As a matter of principle, scholarship awardees are required to be present for at least 70% of the duration of the residency program.
- Scholarship awardees are required to make their own travel and health insurance arrangements for the entire period of their stay.
- Participation in public programs, workshops and talks as part of the residency.
- Preparation of a field report covering their experiences and artistic activities as part of the residency program. The report is to be handed in before departure.
- Handover and transfer of a work of art created during the residency to the collection of the Documentation and Cultural Center.
Participation in this open call is subject to acceptance of the above project conditions.
We offer:
- Payment of travel expenses during the residency program, up to a maximum amount of EUR 500 per residency program participant.
- Furnished apartment.
- Temporary use of the meeting room in the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg.
- Scholarship grant for two months (in total EUR 3,000 per person).
- Covering the cost-of-living expenses (EUR 600 per month).
- Lump sum for material costs and food, EUR 2,100 per residency program participant for two months.
- Exchange and networking opportunities with research and cultural institutions, interesting personalities, as well as the local communities.
- General support provided by the employees of the Documentation and Cultural Center and the Goethe-Institute during the artists’ stay in Heidelberg.
- Financing and organization of a final exhibition with an accompanying program.
- Video interviews with the artists (presentation on the project websites and the channels of the institutions).
- Cross-media press and PR work provided by the institutions to promote the residency program among the general public.
If you have special support needs (e.g., accessible housing, sign language, etc.) please indicate them so we can work together to find good solutions for your participation in the residency.
Program description:
- Duration of the program: from 15th September to 15th November 2023.
- During the two months, artistic works will be created (e.g., short films, comics, photographs, theater plays) will be produced, or exposés and concept outlines will be developed, which will be presented publicly. The residency program is intended to promote exchange and networking opportunities with research and cultural institutions, interesting personalities, as well as the local communities on site while at the same time supporting all artists in their individual practice.
- During the artists’ stay in Heidelberg, participative formats so as to involve society at large will be implemented (e.g.: workshops and talks)
At the end of the residency, an exhibition will be prepared for 2024, presenting the awardee participant’s works.
APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM
The deadline for applications is July 16, 2023, 23:59 CEST (Central European Summer Time).
Required documents:
- Please send us your application exclusively in one PDF file (10 MB maximum) to: OpenCallArtistresidence@outlook.com
The application has to include the following information in German or in English:
- Website (if any)
- Confirmation that you will be available from 15th September to 15th November 2023
- Outline of the concept that is to be developed as part of the artists-in-residence program (one Din-A4 page maximum)
- Curriculum vitae
- Portfolio / structured visual material (digitally)
Selection process:
- A jury will decide on the applications.
- The applications will be evaluated based on the artistic quality of the submitted concept outline and the submitted portfolio.
CONTACT (for further inquiries)
Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum
Deutscher Sinti und Roma
Postal address:
Bremeneckgasse 2
D-69117 Heidelberg
Contact person: André Raatzsch
Phone number: +49 (0) 6221 981102
E-mail: OpenCallArtistresidence@outlook.com
Web: https://dokuzentrum.sintiundroma.de/en/participation/arts-and-culture/
*NOTE: On the gendering of the self-designation Sinti and Roma
In the German-speaking world, the term “Sinti and Roma” is the hitherto recognized self-designation of the entire group. The term pair became established with the civil rights movement more than 40 years ago. The term includes everyone, i.e., women, men and non-binary people. To make the inclusive character of the term “Sinti and Roma” even clearer, a gender asterisk can be added to the term Sinti* and Roma*.
BACKGROUND OF THE ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
The initiative to establish a residency program for artists and cultural sector professionals of the Sinti* and Roma* minority was created in 2007 during the Biennale in Venice when the first “Paradise Lost” Roma pavilion was shown there. André Raatzsch — who took part as an artist back then and who is today Head of the Documentation Department of the Documentation Center — recognized that there was a lack of knowledge of the art and culture of the Sinti* and Roma* in Europe and that it was especially contemporary art which needed more (free) space. The artists-in-residence program is intended to stimulate a change of perspective and to intensify the exchange of ideas within and outside the art and culture scene.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE DOCUMENTATION AND CULTURAL CENTER OF GERMAN SINTI* AND ROMA*
The Documentation and Cultural Center is the result of decades of successful civil rights work. Since 1997, the first permanent exhibition has been shown here documenting the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis of Sinti* and Roma* men and women, starting with their gradual exclusion from society and the gradual deprivation of their rights to their systematic extermination. In addition, the Center organizes further events and educational programs intended to encourage visitors to develop a critical awareness of history.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CENTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EDUCATION OF THE GOETHE-INSTITUT
The Centers for International Cultural Education of the Goethe Institutes in Germany create a bridge spanning the entire world. They make international perspectives found in cultural education accessible nationwide while at the same time promoting social cohesion in a multifaceted Germany. Thus, it is planned to set up a platform on which a strategic exchange of experiences between institutes promoting cultural education can evolve. This is to be a long-term project aiming to combat right-wing extremism, racism, antigypsyism, and antisemitism. The centers are supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE FAQ
What is the task of this residency program?
The goal of the residency program is, first and foremost, to strengthen the visibility and the networking of Sinti* and Roma* artists. With this project, they are to be perceived as empowered artists who make an important cultural and societal contribution, taking up and representing such current topics as: the culture of remembrance, activism, the fight against antigypsyism, resistance through art.
When will the residency begin and end?
The residency will begin on 15th September 2023 and end on 15th November 2023.
Will the artists-in-residence program take place on site or remotely?
As a matter of principle, scholarship awardees are required to be present on site for at least 70% of the duration of the residency program.
Will you accept late applications?
No, the applications should be received by the specified deadline of July 16, 2023, 23:59 CEST (Central European Summer Time).
Where and how do the applications have to be submitted?
You can send us your application by e-mail or by post. Please send us your digital application exclusively in one PDF file (10 MB maximum) to: OpenCallArtistresidence@outlook.com or by post on a USB stick to the following address:
André Raatzsch
Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma
Bremeneckgasse 2
D-69117 Heidelberg – Germany
Who can apply? Do I have to work with a specific medium to qualify to apply?
Internationally well-known and up-and-coming artists from the Sinti* and Roma* communities who would like to come to Heidelberg to work on their works of art and to exchange ideas. They should have a background in the following areas: photography, literature, illustration and comics; or theater or movie screenwriting and music (composition and interpretation). The program is open to all age groups.
Will you accept international applicants?
Yes, international applicants will be accepted.
What documents are required for an application?
- Website (if any)
- Confirmation that you will be available from 15th September to 15th November 2023
- Outline of the concept that is to be developed as part of the artists-in-residence program (one Din-A4 page maximum)
- Curriculum vitae
- Portfolio / structured visual material (digitally)
When will I receive feedback on my application?
You will receive feedback from us three weeks after receipt of your application at the latest.
Can you tell me whether I should apply?
Yes, please feel free to contact us beforehand should you have any questions.
Contact person:
André Raatzsch
E-mail: OpenCallArtistresidence@outlook.com
Is any particular training required to participate in the residency program?
No, but you should have some experience in the cultural business and in the exhibition business.
If I have a disability, how will the residency program accommodate me?
We will look for the most individual barrier-free solutions for you. Please indicate any additional support needs you may require in your application.
How much is the scholarship grant per artist?
- Accommodation in a single room with private bathroom, and a meeting room in the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma in Heidelberg
- Scholarship grant for two months, EUR 3,000 per person
- Cost of living expenses, EUR 600 per month
- Lump sum for material costs and food in the amount of EUR 2,100 per residency program participant for two months
Does my application have to be in English?
We accept applications both in German and in English.
Who will review my application?
The applications will be reviewed by a jury. The exact composition of the jury will be published on the website shortly.
Are letters of recommendation required?
No, letters of recommendation are not required.
Information on data processing and data privacy protection for applicants
Dear applicant,
You applied for a scholarship at the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma. Your data was collected online and will be stored in our database. You need to provide your data to us, and we need to process your data, to allow us to perform the selection process. After the selection process is closed — after six months at the latest — your data will be deleted.
In the following, we are providing information on the processing of your data in accordance with Art. 13 and Art. 14 of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If required, you can also find this information as well as further information on the Internet:
- Specification of the Controller as defined by Art. 4 para. 7 of the GDPR
Dokumentations- und Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma
Bremeneckgasse 2
69117 Heidelberg
Telephone: +49 6221 981102
info@sintiundroma.de - Data protection officer:
Dr. Dina von Sponeck datenschutz@sintiundroma.de
