Grant program

Founded in 2012 as an initiative with municipal support, the Academy of the Arts of the World is a cultural institution of a new type and a production platform in the city of Cologne. Its focus is on activating intercultural and decolonial practices in the arts, fostering alternative ways of thinking and acting under increasingly troubled global conditions beyond the romance of multiculturalism.

In addition to producing its own curated program (Pluriversales, Salons, Workshops etc.), the Academy also supports external projects by artists, groups, and institutions.

The Academy of the Arts of the World is a cultural institution of a new type and a production platform in the city of Cologne. The Academy is composed of an expert team, an artistic director and a general manager, as well as a collective of members from different backgrounds and continents. Thematically, its main focus is on non–Western art and postcolonial issues. One of its key questions is the following: How can artistic practices foster alternative ways of thinking and acting, which incite or support decolonial processes and are based on an intercultural and globally connected community?

In addition to producing its own curated program the Academy also supports external projects by artists, groups, and institutions. “Open Call 4” offers support to cultural productions carried out by individuals and institutions based in Cologne.

Conditions for applicants:

• Applications are accepted from artists, groups of artists, theorists, curators, cultural producers and cultural institutions, and initiatives of all art forms, who have their place of residence or headquarters in Cologne.
• The academy can award grants of up to € 8,000.00 per project
• The academy only awards grants for artistic productions (including artists' fees, travel expenses, costs for production, etc.)

Project proposals:

• Projects should be consistent with the content and substance of the academy’s mission.
• Applicants are solely responsible for research, production, management, public relations, and presentation of their projects, and they should present their expertise, resources, and/or identify the corresponding partners in the application.
• Estimated production costs must be included in the proposal.
• The final project should be presented or shown in Cologne.
• Work on projects should begin in February 2016 and should be realized and closed within the space of a year.
• The projects must use the logo of the Akademie der Künste der Welt on all media and printed matter together with the phrase "Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Akademie der Künste der Welt / Made possible by the kind support of The Academy of the Arts of the World." All publicity material must be presented to the academy’s communication and press department for approval before release in print and other media.
• Applications should be submitted in digital form to call4@academycologne.org. They should contain:
• A brief project overview of up to 500 words
• A more detailed project description of up to 1,500 words
• Additional material: media files, samples, trailers etc. Files that are larger than 10 MB should be uploaded and shared via weblink
• A short biography of up to 300 words for each artist involved must be included with the applicant (not in table form)
• If available: Presentation plan
• A cost and finance plan based on the template
• A timetable of deadlines for the project’s realization
• The submission of concepts in German or English language
• The deadline for application of the proposal is December 7th 2015

Jury: The jury is made up of academy members and staff together with other invited external jury members. The jury will announce the results by the end of January 2016.

The jury has decided on the following projects submitted in the Academy of the Arts of the World's Call 3:

2016
En-titled (from the series ‘Works and Days’) exhibition at ACADEMYSPACE by Marianna Christofides in the frame of Pluriversale IV

14 11 – 18 12 2015

Essential Happiness Possibility, Exhibition at ACADEMYSPACE by Desearch Repartment in the frame of Pluriversale III

26 10 2015 and 2016 “The Alphabet of Feeling Bad”, film presentation at ACADEMYSPACE. An event in frame of the lecture series Depression ohne Alternative? / Depression without Alternative, curated by Christian Werthschulte

19 9 2015 

Post-Colonia(les) Stadtrauschen, Musical Project by alba Kultur, Int. Büro für globale Musik, Birgit Ellinghaus in the frame of Kölner Musiknacht

13 9 – 24 10 2015

Tejal Shah – Some Kind of Nature, exhibition at Kunsthaus Rhenania curated by Anna Christine Fricke

5 9 – 20 12 2015

I See So, I See So Group exhibition by Temporary Gallery curated by Regina Barunke and Anja Dreschke

2 9 - 5 9 2015 

Unstumm. Cologne-Istanbul Project for Real-Time-Films by Nicola Leonard Hein and Korhan Erel



20 6 2015
 Manifeste Assi, a composition by Thierry Tidrow, concert premiere at ACADEMYSPACE in the frame of Pluriversale III

5 6 2015

One more Pioneer by Maciej Sledziecki and Marion Wörle , Digitales Musiktheater

22 5 2015
As we begin, so shall we go by Lili M. Rampre Performance at ACADEMYSPACE in the frame of Pluriversale III

17 4 – 28 6 2015

Performance series by Sina Seifee in the frame of Pluriversale III

The members of the jury were: Ekaterina Degot (Artistic Director, Academy of the Arts of the World), Martina Hochmuth (curator of dance/performance), Felix Klopotek (journalist, author), and David Riff (Head of Publications, Academy of the Arts of the World).