Our Dates

In "Ecology of Care", we draw on impulses from Sonja Leboš and Hannah Mevis to explore how social and ecological responsibility can be brought together. Care is understood here as a systemic, ethical, and political attitude that extends beyond humans to include plants, animals, and other non-human actors. Feminist and posthumanist perspectives on everyday, often invisible care work form a central focus. Kunstverein Rügen e. V. and Circus Eins Projekte present this workshop as part of "Art Living Lab to Repair the Land", a collaboration between international New Patrons initiatives.

Mediator Diana Wesser is a guest at the “Botanical Salon” of the Botanical Garden/University of Leipzig. In this edition of the Botanical Salon, participants will discuss on site how art in public space comes into being. Who commissions such works, and what possibilities do artists have to realize their ideas? How long does such a process take, and what does “public space” really mean when private interests and societal expectations come into play? Practical examples from Leipzig will illustrate these questions.

"The Art of Assembly" is a nomadic series of talks on the potential and limits of assemblies in art, activism and politics, curated by Florian Malzacher. Guests of the XXXI edition "The arbitrary constellations of neighbourhood" are Ulf Bohmann (Technische Universität Chemnitz), Alexander Koch (New Patrons) and Anna Rispoli (artist). The event takes place within " Chemnitz European Capital of Culture 2025".

The German Association of Cities and the German Association of Towns and Municipalities support Neue Auftraggeber's participation model for public artworks and recommend it as “a cultural, social and urban policy model that can complement and enrich cultural life in the city.”

The State Capital Kiel is the first municipality in Germany to implement the New Patrons model in its own local structures. In the Mettenhof district, a three-year participatory process for a public artwork has now been launched, commissioned by local residents and accompanied by mediator Pascal Simm. In connection with the district and in the spirit of the community, the commission is intended to address site-specific local issues, wishes, pressing concerns or challenges.

In 2024, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart will become an anchor point of the New Patrons, meaning a local partner institution and regional contact point for activities of the New Patrons in Stuttgart and Baden-Württemberg. On this occasion, Kathrin Jentjens and Gerrit Gohlke will be guests at Künstlerhaus Stuttgart on April 13, 2024 and will report on their experiences from the pilot phase of the New Patrons in Germany.

Exchange and knowledge transfer are important foundations of our mediation practice. At a network meeting of all "Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance" program participants in Sophiensäle Berlin, the mediators talk about their work, share their experiences and take part in an artistic workshop by mediator and choreographer Zwoisy Mears Clarke.

In Europe and beyond, citizen-commissioned art has become a broad movement since the 1990s that continues to grow, generating more and more voices, commissions, and formats. Seven national organizations representing close to 100 mediators of the New Patrons network in their respective countries now have joined forces and founded the Societé Internationale des Nouveaux Commanditaires – the International New Patrons Society.

Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation) again supports New Patrons

There is reason to celebrate at New Patrons! We are delighted that the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation) today announced its decision to fund a nationwide program for dance and performance commissioned by citizens.

Around 15 artistic projects can be initiated from 2023 to 2028 by civic groups and implemented together with international artists. The German Federal Cultural Foundation is providing five million euros for this purpose.

The funding is an important step toward expanding and establishing citizen-commissioned art in Germany – and a recognition of this innovative model, which was already successfully funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation in a pilot phase…

We mourn the passing of Kobe Matthys (1970-2023), who died at the age of only 52. 

As part of Ruth Buchanan's project A Garden with Bridges (Spine, Stomach, Throat, Ear) for the New Patrons of Mönchengladbach, Kobe Matthys was a guest advisor in Mönchengladbach in 2021 and 2022 to reflect on the development of a (community) garden with the commissioning groups. As a place that renews itself on many levels, this garden is a reflection of a city that is undergoing radical change due to the transformation of industrial processes, late capitalism and changing needs of its inhabitants. We reflected with Kobe Matthys on the process involved in creating a community garden. He generously shared his experience and immense knowledge. As an artist living in Brussels, he was a member of the Zenne…