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WorkART Kunstverein Fellowship Program
Summer internship fellowships in Germany for undergraduate and graduate students
Application deadline: February 4, 2013.
Art is an integral part of civil society and Minnesota is justly proud to be known nationally and internationally as a place with a long tradition of artistic excellence and broad public engagement with art. Germany also is renowned for its vibrant art scene. Its nonprofit Kunstverein community organizations play a special role.
Piloted in 2011, the WorkART Fellowship Program provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students with a strong interest in art to gather valuable work experience at one of Germany’s over 300 community-based nonprofit art galleries and museums. WorkART offers unique insights into Germany’s art world, into exhibiting and organizing art events, and into urban life and cultural politics in Germany at large. WorkART fellows also enjoy opportunities to develop social and professional networks in Europe as building blocks for future careers in art. WorkART is a unique partnership between the University of Minnesota and Germany’s ADKV, a national association of community-based nonprofit art galleries dedicated to exploring and presenting contemporary art. Additional local partners are Macalester College and Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD).
The DAAD Center for German & European Studies each year provides ten summer fellowships for outstanding students with a demonstrated interest in art to serve as interns at a German Kunstverein. Participating chapters are located anywhere in Germany. Fellows are placed individually based on best fit. Internship fellowships last from 4 weeks (minimum) to 8 weeks (maximum) between mid-May and mid-August. Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the University of Minnesota system, at Macalester College, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
- Background: Germany’s Kunstverein Tradition
- Are you a potential WorkART Fellow?
- WorkART fellowship internship in brief
- WorkART fellowship internship application materials
- Read what WorkART Kunstverein alumni say about their experience
Background: Germany’s Kunstverein Tradition
The German Kunstverein tradition goes back to civil society initiatives that fostered contemporary art in the first half of the 19th century. Today, about 300 of those member-based art associations dot cities, towns and even some rural areas across all parts of Germany. They are active centers of art critique, art promotion, and art appreciation. Rather than following the traditional museum agenda of collecting and preserving art, Kunstvereine showcase contemporary art in their galleries and organize artist talks, lectures, and educational programs. Individual Kunstverein membership size varies greatly. The smallest chapter has two dozen active members; the largest boasts several thousand members. Since art is international and collaborative, Kunstverein chapters are especially open to international cooperation and exchange.
Are you a potential WorkART Fellow?
WorkART fellows are outstanding students with a demonstrated interest in contemporary art. They have skills that help augment the day-to-day functioning of a local Kunstverein. Internship fellows help set up and guard exhibits, assist the curating director and board members at art openings or other social events, help design or update or translate website pages and flyers, help organize a symposium or a workshop for children. Think gopher with tasks that range from the mundane (paint a wall, hold a ladder, adjust lights, put up posters, sell tickets, serve finger food and drinks) to advanced (help with workshops, translations, design). Fellows are comfortable with new people, are responsible and reliable, have experience living away from home, are independent, are flexible, and easily adjust to new environments. Demonstrated office skills and other organizational skills are a plus. German language abilities are desired but not required.
Each internship fellow works with the head and the staff of the respective Kunstverein according to an individually negotiated schedule for the full internship period. The Kunstverein, in return, will host the intern. The head of the Kunstverein will either arrange for a member to provide accommodation, or offer a guest room in his or her home. Fellows may thus stay in the household of a single person, a couple, a family, or a Wohngemeinschaft, ie. in a shared apartment. All shared living arrangements will be visited and pre-approved by the program’s German partners. Some Kunstverein chapters have extra living quarters that are used as artist residences and may be offered to the intern fellow. All fellows will have a private room with a bed and space to store belongings, access to a shared bathroom, and access to kitchen space to prepare meals. Grocery stores are within walking distance or easily accessible by public transportation. The art associations are usually placed in the city or town center or in neighborhoods with cafés and restaurants. Living expenses during the internship should therefore not exceed the costs of living in Minnesota. CGES provides a travel reimbursement grant of $350 and health insurance for the fellowship period to all fellows. The balance of airfare is the responsibility of the individual fellow. To receive the travel reimbursement, fellows agree to write and submit a blog/journal/report about their internship experience and a short research paper on an annually changing topic. Fellows may have their internship credited according to the requirements of their respective degree program.
All internship fellows will be placed based on their individual strengths and best fit with the participating Kunstverein chapters. The Organization of German Art Associations (Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutscher Kunstvereine, AdKV) in Berlin co-ordinates all matching of fellows in collaboration with CGES. Decisions on acceptance into the WorkART program will be made by a CGES award committee with experts from the university and the TC art world.
Timeline:
Feb. 4, application deadline
Feb. 15 late afternoon, finalists are notified and interviews are scheduled
March 7 and March 8, individual 30-minute interviews
March 14, notification of 2013 fellowship winners
March 26, deadline for 2013 fellowship winners to accept fellowship
April 4, 4:00-6:00 PM orientation workshop #1, Blegen Room 210
April 26, 4:00-6:00 PM orientation workshop #2
Submit applications to:
WorkART Fellowship Committee
DAAD Center for German & European Studies
University of Minnesota
214 Social Sciences Building
267 - 19th Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
tel: 612-626-7705
fax: 612-625-0528
www.cges.umn.edu
WorkART Kunstverein fellowship internship in brief
The DAAD Center for German & European Studies at the University of Minnesota invites U of M students enrolled in any discipline to apply for 4 to 8 week internships in community-based art organizations, Kunstvereine, in Germany. Students enrolled at Macalester College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design and all U of M campuses—Morris, Duluth and Crookston are also encouraged to apply.
What? |
Live and work at a vibrant art organization in Germany as an internship fellow and gather valuable insights into Germany’s art world, into exhibiting and organizing art events, and into urban life and cultural politics in Germany at large. Each internship fellow will work with the head and the staff of a Kunstverein chapter according to an individually negotiated schedule during a four (minimum) to eight (maximum) week internship between mid May and mid-August. 20 to 30 hours of work per week. Ten fellowships are available. |
Where? |
anywhere in Germany: large cities to small towns and rural areas |
When? |
mid-May to mid-August, 2013. Internships run from 4 to 8 weeks. Fellows will arrange the specific dates for the internship and weekly work hours individually with the hosting Kunstverein. |
Who? |
Outstanding U of M system, Macalester College, and Minneapolis College of Art and Design undergraduate and graduate students in any discipline or field; minimum age 20; demonstrated interest in art; strong organizational skills; German language proficiency desired but not required. US citizenship required. |
Fellowship package |
Accommodation; international health and liability insurance for fellowship period; $350 reimbursement grant to support airfare costs. Airfare support will be paid out after full completion of the program and all requirements. |
Additional Requirements |
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Your cost? |
Balance of airfare; meals; public transportation fees; personal expenses; passport application fees |
Application deadline |
Monday, February 4, 2013 by 4:30 PM (received in CGES offices) |
APPLICATION MATERIALS: To apply, please submit to CGES, attn. "WorkART Fellowship":
- Application Form
- Letter of interest—describe how this fellowship fits into your course of study and benefits your career objectives. Include special skills (office, organizational, work experience) that might be of interest to an art organization. Please include a statement on your level of German language proficiency.
- Current resume
- Unofficial transcript
- One confidential letter of recommendation from a regular faculty member—may be emailed directly to ENGEL056@umn.edu or submitted in a sealed envelope to the CGES office. Letters from graduate student instructors are not acceptable.
- Proof of a valid US passport (or proof that you have applied for one; passport renewal/new issuing currently takes a minimum of 3 months, so don't delay)
Questions? Please contact Margo Fredericks at cges@umn.edu or 612-626-7705. There also will be an information meeting for prospective applicants where you can meet some of last year's fellows: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 5:15-6:00 PM, 710 Social Sciences, West Bank Campus.
