Triggered by the climate crisis and social and geopolitical developments, established structures are increasingly being called into question.

The Stiftung Künstlerdorf Schöppingen deals with questions of an alternative corporate culture related to its residency program. In doing so, interior and exterior space are considered together and aspects of more sustainable and fairer cycles of resources are included. During the project, a vernacular kitchen garden will be created, a connection to the program design will be established and a guideline with policies about mobility, the use of resources and the temporary communities located in the Künstlerdorf will be developed.

As part of this process, we invited visual artist Yoeri Guépin who has been working with gardens as artistic and social medium, to intervene in the ecosystem of the Künstlerdorf. “Drawing connections between current and past functions of the Künstlerdorf, I aim to initiate novel ecosystems that shape and operate both inside and outside the infrastructure for art. Gardens are able to form communities around plant species, facilitating long lasting structures for care, (un)learning and reveal our co-dependencies with other organisms.”

In April and May 2022, the fellows Ona Juciūtė, Nolwenn Salaün, Agata Szymanek and Evangelia Spiliopoulou (virtual participation) will expand the project with their artistic perspectives and individual experiences.

The project takes place in cooperation with the Horstmar Schöppingen Secondary School and the Research Transfer Office (AFO) of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and is funded by the Regional Culture Program of the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW, the Kultursekretariat Gütersloh and the Friends of the Künstlerdorf Schöppingen.
The mobility grants are funded by i-Portunus Houses. The i-Portunus Houses pilot scheme is implemented, on behalf of the European Commission. Coordinated by the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam), the i-Portunus Houses consortium involves MitOst (Berlin) and the Kultura Nova Foundation (Zagreb).

The Stiftung Künstlerdorf Schöppingen shows solidarity with the people of Ukraine and those who had to leave their country because of the war.

As a concrete aid measure, we are joining the „Kultur hilft Kultur“ campaign initiated by the NRW Culture Council and accompanied and supported by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science. This makes a culture-specific contribution to help artists and cultural workers from Ukraine with opportunities for cultural life. Free apartments and studios including a monthly grant are now available for this purpose in the Künstlerdorf.

We are also in close contact with the municipality of Schöppingen regarding further housing needs. The district government of Münster has announced that it will “temporarily reactivate the state’s former central accommodation facility (ZUE) in Schöppingen for the exclusive admission of war refugees from Ukraine. Subject to necessary furnishing and repair work, the state facility will be ready for occupancy again from the fourth week of March and will then be able to accommodate between 300 and 400 people, depending on the family composition of the war refugees.”