What is promoted in spades?
The “pik” program aims to improve the working situation of artists with disabilities: cultural institutions are to be encouraged and further empowered to work inclusively and hire artistic staff with disabilities.
The aim is to accompany a necessary change in cultural institutions that will benefit all artists: In a society characterized by diversity, inclusive culture encourages us to focus on the abilities and needs of different people and to allow new perspectives on artistic practice and collaboration. It stimulates a process that ultimately benefits everyone.
The program aims to enable artistic innovation and compensate for existing disadvantages for people with disabilities. It consists of three modules, each aimed at different groups and sectors of an inclusive cultural scene in Germany: an open-application mentoring program for disabled leadership, a network for the performing arts and an advisory service provided by a nationwide advisory team for culture and inclusion, which will develop a public academy program for cultural actors and evaluate and communicate the results of the program.
The individual support services are aimed equally at people with physical, mental and cognitive disabilities. The person’s self-identification is decisive.
The program for inclusive art practice pik has a duration of four years (2022-2025) and is funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation with 3.9 million euros.
The cross-disciplinary mentoring program for Disabled Leadership supports artists with disabilities as mentees on their way to qualifying for leadership positions in cultural projects and institutions of all disciplines. The aim is to compensate for a lack of opportunities for advancement and to discuss new leadership models.
The program is open to applications from people with disabilities who work as artists or in art-related fields such as curation, dramaturgy or art education.
As part of their application, the mentees themselves approach their desired mentors and ask them to confirm the planned collaboration in the form of a mentoring session. In the course of their mentoring, the mentees reflect together with their mentors on their planned artistic career, their career opportunities, but also possible obstacles to taking on leadership roles in cultural institutions. As a rule, the mentors are themselves nationally or internationally active artists, dramaturges or curators with disabilities. Mentors without disabilities can also be selected if their experience is useful for the further development of the mentee.
In the years 2023 to 2025, a total of up to 45 mentees can be supported. In addition to advice from experienced mentors, the mentees also receive project funding of 500 euros per month for eight months.
Closing date: December 13, 2024