In the uniquely dense cultural landscape of the Ruhr area, the network of the KunstVereineRuhr has existed since 2007 as a constantly growing association of Kunstvereine (art associations) and Künstlerhäuser (artists’ houses) in the cultural metropolis Ruhr. With collaborative projects such as GrenzGebietRuhr (2010), BLOWIN‘ FREE (2013), Canale Grande (2014) and RuhrResidence (2016-2018), local art associations and artists’ houses present themselves as diverse spaces for contemporary art production and presentation as well as discursive engagement with contemporary art.

Beginning in 2018 Urbane Künste Ruhr in cooperation with KunstVereineRuhr, has been organizing the Residency Zu Gast bei Urbane Künste Ruhr // Zu Gast bei KunstVereinenRuhr. Since then, 8 artists have been invited each year to spend 3 months in a Ruhr area city of their choice.

By establishing direct contacts between art producers and recipients, art associations and artists’ houses open up innovative and individual approaches to contemporary art. With the involvement of many volunteers, they traditionally work on the cutting edge, often with only a small planning lead. This enables them to act flexibly and react to changing cultural, social and economic parameters. As a cultural-political force, the KunstVereineRuhr formulate a constant plea for artistic experiment with joint projects, actions and events, for strengthening civic engagement and for the participation of as many as possible in the current art scene.

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 galerie januar, Bochum
Kunstverein Bochum
Künstlerhaus Dortmund
Dortmunder Kunstverein
Hartware MedienKunstVerein, HMKV, Dortmund
Kunstverein Ruhr, Essen
Kunsthaus Essen
KAM, Kunst am Moltkeplatz, Essen
Neuer Essener Kunstverein
Kunstverein Recklinghausen
Kunstverein Duisburg
Kunstverein Gelsenkirchen
Kunsthaus Mülheim
Makroscope, Mülheim
Mülheimer Kunstverein
Kunstverein Unna

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