International Visitors Programme

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International Visitors Programme

International cultural mediators encounter North Rhine-Westphalia’s art and cultural scene and create lasting transnational networks.

Since 2009, artists, cultural politicians, cultural mediators, journalists and other protagonists from around the world come to North Rhine-Westphalia in the framework of the international visitors programme. Networks are created, international projects developed and transnational cooperation expanded in a personal dialogue with potential partners and international guests. Participants
Internation

ally acting cultural institutions, creative artists and cultural offices in NRW consult in collaboration with the overseas offices of the Goethe-Institut, embassies and other foreign cultural organisations on the selection of visitors and the composition of the programme. Visitors
Participants in the international visitors programme are curators, artists and creative artists from around the world. They are interested in lasting contacts and future collaboration with protagonists of the art and cultural scene in NRW. They also have command of the English or German language. The visitors are proposed by the partners from the state’s cities and the overseas offices of the Goethe-Institut. Programme
The trip is planned together with the visitors. They generally come to North Rhine-Westphalia for two to five days or tag their visits onto existing stays in the state. Apart from opportunities to exchange ideas with artists, experts and journalists, the programme also offers visits to performances, concerts and exhibitions.

03/09/2026

MANIFESTA 16 Ruhr ✨

After an intense summer and a short moment to catch our breath, our next International Visitors Programme is already around the corner! From 14 to 19 September, we’ll be heading to the Ruhr region for MANIFESTA 16 Ruhr.
The takes place every two years in a different host city or region, bringing together contemporary art, culture, architecture and social questions in dialogue with local contexts. This year, MANIFESTA 16 Ruhr unfolds across twelve vacant post-war churches in Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum.
Exploring the architectural, social and historical legacy of these spaces, the biennial looks at questions of transformation, reuse and the future of the Ruhr region.

Our programme will include visits to selected MANIFESTA projects and exhibitions, encounters with the team and artistic advisory board, and meetings with important cultural institutions and initiatives in the region, including , and .

Before the programme begins, we’ll introduce the international professionals joining us — stay tuned! ✨

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Photo: friend (working title), Gülbin Ünlü (photo: Ivan Erofeev) © Manifesta 16 Ruhr

31/08/2026

: PACT Zollverein Residencies 2027 ✨ PACT Zollverein

About PACT Zollverein is now accepting applications for its residency programme from January to July 2027. Since 2002, the programme has provided artists and cultural professionals from around the world with space and support to develop artistic projects and productions, with a focus on interdisciplinary practice, exchange and artistic process.

WhoShouldApply? International artists and cultural professionals working individually or collaboratively (max. 4 people) in: Performing Arts // Inter- & transdisciplinary artistic practices // Film & Moving Image // Artistic practice engaging with digital technologies // Socially engaged arts
(Student projects are not eligible)

OnOffer 🔸 Residency period of 3–6 consecutive weeks 🔸 Studio space and local accommodation for up to 4 participants 🔸 Weekly grant allowance of €400 per person 🔸 Travel costs for one journey to and from PACT Zollverein 🔸 Technical equipment and professional support 🔸 Possibility to share projects through open studios or showings
Projects in all development phases are welcome — from initial research and conception to technical development and production-related work.

ApplicationCriteria 🔸 Applications must be submitted in English via the online form 🔸 Only one application per applicant 🔸 Low-emission travel is encouraged

🗓️ Application deadline: 28 September 2026, 23:59 CET 
🔎 More info and application via the PACT Zollverein website (see our linktree!)

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photo: c PACT Zollverein

21/08/2026

InternationalVisitorsProgramme 🤝 55th moers festival 2026

From 21 to 25 May, three international music journalists from Japan, the UK and the USA travelled to this year’s 55th moers festival with the support of our individual trip funding.
The five-day visit offered the guests the opportunity to discover the festival’s diverse programme, meet artists and musicians, and gain insights into the current direction and international perspectives of the moers festival. The festival team reports: 
💬 “Alongside exchanges with international artists there was a particular emphasis on innovative projects this year, such as having an Improviser in Residence, Evi Filippou, and, for example, the multi-day composition project entitled ‘Modern Man and the Holy Mountain’ by Gellért Szabó’s Ideal Orchestra, which premiered over three days at different venues. A series of face-to-face, professional discussions took place with the artistic director of the moers festival, Tim Isfort, where the festival’s current direction and future international collaborations were addressed. The guests conducted interviews and held informal discussions with local musicians – including both international stars as well as innovative protagonists and emerging artists from North Rhine-Westphalia’s vibrant jazz and improvisation scene.”

✍🏼 Following the visit, the international coverage of this year’s festival is already taking shape: AJ Dehany reported on the festival for UK Jazz News UKJazzNews and also covered the partnership between moers festival and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival hcmf// (hcmf//). Kazue Yokoi shared her impressions of the festival in JazzTokyo .

🔗 Find all the links to the articles in our story!

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Photo: moers festival 2026 | WDR Big Band feat. Nduduzo Makhathini © Dennis Hoeren

13/08/2026

Our IVP travel bag has reached another destination — this time, Budapest, Hungary! 🎒🇭🇺

Sophie Zoletnik Sophie Zoletnik joined us in May 2026 for the International Visitors Programme NRW on the occasion of CircusDanceFestival 2026. Sophie is a circus artist, artistic manager, and co-founder of OneTwoMany Collective OneTwoMany . She is also the Artistic Director of the MUCH Circus Festival MUCH Circus Festival , organised in collaboration with Trafó House of Contemporary Arts Trafó Kortàrs Művészetek Háza , initiator of the MORE mentoring programme, and recently joined Sziget Festival Sziget Festival as a circus programmer. Her artistic practice explores themes of trust, interdependence and collective responsibility through contemporary circus.
During the programme, Sophie took part in several days of performances, discussions and encounters with artists, curators and cultural institutions across Cologne and Recklinghausen, exploring current developments in contemporary circus and dance while expanding her international network!

📍The photo was taken at Heroes‘ Square in Budapest, where our IVP travel bag has now arrived. ✨

From one programme to the next, our IVP travel bags keep connecting people, places and ideas across borders. 🌍

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06/08/2026

: Perform Europe 2026–2028 ✨
European Commision

About Perform Europe supports cross-border touring of existing performing arts works while fostering fairer, greener and more inclusive international collaboration across the 41 Creative Europe countries. The programme invites partnerships to develop impactful touring projects that strengthen international exchange and contribute to positive change in the performing arts sector.
This edition focuses on two key priorities: 🔹 Inclusion and diversity 🔹 Fighting climate change

WhoShouldApply? Organisations and professionals working in the performing arts and legally based in one of the 41 Creative Europe countries. Applications must be submitted by partnerships consisting of at least three partners from three different Creative Europe countries.

OnOffer 🔸 €1.4 million in funding for at least 25 partnerships 🔸 Grants of €15,000, €25,000 or €55,000 🔸 Support for cross-border touring across at least three Creative Europe countries 🔸 Access to the Perform Europe Matchmaking Platform to connect with potential partners

ApplicationCriteria 🔸 Partnerships must include at least one finished performing arts work (new productions are not eligible for funding) 🔸 Projects must be presented in at least three different Creative Europe countries (excluding live music and opera) 🔸 Proposals should primarily focus on either Inclusion & Diversity or Fighting Climate Change 🔸 Projects should promote quality, innovation and fair practices, and are encouraged to foster collaboration

🗓️ Application deadline: 22 October 2026
🔎 For more info and application, see the link in our bio!
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photo: c Perform Europe

04/08/2026

🌍 Call for submissions: International Visitors Programme 2027
InternationalVisitorsProgramme

International exchange begins with personal encounters. We invite cultural institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to submit proposals for festivals, events and international guests to be considered in our programme 2027!

The International Visitors Programme, run by the NRW KULTURsekretariat NRW KULTURsekretariat in conjunction with the Ministry for Culture of North Rhine-Westphalia Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft NRW , assembles key players from across the globe working within cultural journalism, cultural mediation and cultural policy, as well as heads of institutions, festival organisers, curators and other multipliers, and connects them with the arts scene in NRW.

💡We are looking forward to your ideas!

Types of visitors’ programmes:
* Event trip: 4 day programme linked to a festival, event or conference.
* Press trip: 3–4 day programme for journalists aimed at media coverage, with both event- and theme-related options.

📅 Submit your proposals by 15 October 2026!

🔗 Find all information about the programme and the application process on our homepage (link in bio!)

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Photo: IVP CircusDanceFestival 2026, photo: Carolin Ritter © Heike Becker

28/07/2026

: Promotion of International Cultural Exchange (formerly `Export- und Kooperationsförderung´) 2027 ✨ Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft NRW

About The State of North Rhine-Westphalia supports artists, companies, and cultural institutions in presenting their work internationally and building sustainable partnerships through the Promotion of International Cultural Exchange (formerly known as `Export- und Kooperationsförderung´). The programme is part of the state’s strategy for international cultural exchange.
☝🏽Projects initiated through the International Visitors Programme InternationalVisitorsProgramme receive preferential consideration when applying for the Promotion of International Cultural Exchange.

WhoShouldApply? Professional artists, companies, and cultural institutions based in NRW (for Cooperation Funding also municipalities and associations of municipalities). Both funding lines require international partners and a shared financial contribution.

🗓️ Application deadline: 31 October 2026 (for projects taking place in 2027)

🔎 Further information will soon be available on the website of the Ministry for Culture and Science NRW Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft NRW (link in our bio)!

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Photo: IVP 58th Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik & ORBIT , April 2026, photo: Bettina Porstmann © NRWKS

23/07/2026

This week’s stop for our IVP travel bag takes us to Warsaw, Poland! 🎒🇵🇱
Monika Pasiecznik joined our very first International Visitors Programme of the year in May 2026 on the occasion of the 58th Wittener Tage for New Chamber Music Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik and ORBIT – Festival for Contemporary Music Theatre ORBIT . Monika is a freelance writer and music critic whose work has appeared in publications including Odra, Glissando Glissando , Res Facta Nova, Dissonance and World New Music Magazine.
During the programme, she explored contemporary music and experimental music theatre through performances, conversations and exchanges with artists, curators and cultural institutions in Cologne and Witten. 🎶
The photo was taken in Warsaw, where our IVP bag has now arrived, accompanying Monika on her bike rides!

We are delighted that our IVP travel bags continue their journey from one destination to the next, serving as a reminder of the inspiring encounters, friendships, ideas and artistic connections that continue long after the programme. 🌍

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Adresse

Döppersberg 19
Wuppertal
42103

Telefon

+4920269827222

Webseite

https://www.nrw-kultur.de/programme/internationales-besucherprogramm

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