CALLS FOR TENDERS

Purpose of the Center for Art in the Tabakquartier

Spread over three floors and approximately 5,500 square meters, the Center for Art in the Tabakquartier in Bremen-Woltmershausen has become a strong, visible forum for Bremen’s independent art scene. It includes two halls, various rehearsal rooms and studio workspaces, an audio recording studio, and spaces for gatherings, concerts, as well as dance and theater rehearsals.

Professional, freelance artists living and working in Bremen are invited to apply for one-year residencies at the Center for Art through this call. With its spatial and technical facilities, the Center for Art provides the foundation for qualified artistic work in the fields of performing, visual, and musical arts.

The following focuses on the conceptual use by the performative arts.

residencies

The artists or ensembles/collectives are given the opportunity to apply for residencies at the Center for Art for the 2025–2026 season with two projects.

The Center for Art represents the artistic diversity of Bremen’s independent scene. A decisive criterion for the art produced and presented here is the professionalism of the artists working here and the social context of their productions or works.

The projects of the resident ensembles/collectives or individual artists can be rehearsed and performed at the Center for Art. Rehearsal rooms and performance halls are available for this purpose. The productions receive technical and organizational support according to the house’s possibilities (e.g., public relations, ticketing). Furthermore, the Center for Art supports the residencies with cultural expertise and resources for the realization of the projects (see below).

Applications relate to the following disciplines:

• (Spoken) Theater, narrative and performative forms
• Interdisciplinary forms: Performing Arts & Music
• Children’s and Youth Theater
• Contemporary Dance and Dance Theater
• Music

In principle, individual artists or ensembles/collectives can be involved in all fields. The call and the selection process (independent expert jury) are organized in coordination with the relevant professional associations: for Performing Arts, the State Association of Independent Performing Arts Bremen e.V. (LAFDK), for Music, the State Music Council Bremen (LMR), and the German Tonkünstlerverband (DTKV).

Artists apply for a one-year residency. The productions within the residency start from September 2025 and end with the 2025/26 season in June 2026. In justified individual cases, an extension of the period is possible.

The application must contain a precise project description including at least the following points:

• Concepts of the planned productions (at least 2) / planned timeline (expected number of rehearsal/performance days, possibly stage construction days; max. 3 pages)

• Content, methods, goals, artistic intention (max. 1 page)

• Necessary financial resources / detailed budget / financing plan (max. 1 page)

• Motivation regarding the Center for Art as a place of production and performance, possibly local context (max. 1 page)

• Detailed CVs of all involved artists as well as references regarding previous artistic work

Please submit, if possible, one PDF document not larger than 10 MB (for time-based media, please include links to online documentation and images).

Each of the two productions described can be supported with cultural funds of up to €20,000 each.

The independent expert jury decides on the awarding of the residencies and their assignment. Representatives of the associations are part of the jury.

Target Agreements

As part of their residency, the artists commit to realizing two productions per season. Taking into account the available funds, the artists receive a budget for their productions, the amount of which depends on the respective planned projects. A maximum of €20,000 per production. This budget also covers programmatic activities within the residency. The artists independently seek additional third-party funding for productions from relevant sponsors. The artists are responsible for budgeting their projects or productions and managing their financial accounting independently. When calculating their budgets, the artists adhere to the recommended fee guidelines of the professional associations. Support from the team can be utilized if needed.

The Center for Art team provides rehearsal spaces, assists with planning and technical conception, and supports public relations. Additionally, some overhead costs, such as GEMA fees and event organizer insurance, are covered.

Artists are explicitly encouraged to work interdisciplinarily across disciplines within the center, for example, in collaboration with Visual Arts, Music, and Performing Arts. Accompanying professional development opportunities, workshops, networking, and further training offerings are to be developed in cooperation with the professional associations and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the residents will be involved in an advisory program committee.

Guest Performances at the Center for Art as well as Rehearsal Opportunities

The Center offers professional artists the opportunity to rehearse free of charge and/or perform their productions as guest performances, even outside of residencies. Depending on availability, the Center provides rooms, for example, for final rehearsal phases in the halls. No formal applications are required for these guest performances or rehearsal opportunities. Written inquiries to the team are sufficient.

Consultation and viewing appointments for all disciplines on site:
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 2 p.m. with Hans König, Curator at the Center for Art, and Lena Riechmann, Advisor at the Center for Art.

Submission of Applications:

Application deadline for residencies in all disciplines:

Sunday, February 16, 2025, 24:00 (midnight)

Please send your detailed application including all of the above-mentioned information exclusively in digital form by email or via WeTransfer, for example, with the subject line “Residency” to:

zfk@kultur.bremen.de

Ms. Lena Riechmann
Advisor for Artistic and Organizational Operations at the Center for Art
Center for Art
Hermann-Ritter-Straße 108 E
28197 Bremen

www.kultur.bremen.de
www.zentrum-fuer-kunst.de

Late applications cannot be considered. By participating, the applicant agrees to the procedure as well as to the storage of their data.

For artistic content-related questions, please contact Hans König (Curator) at hanskoenig.zfk@gmx.de, Tel. +49 177 4085266 or Lena Riechmann at lena.riechmann@kultur.bremen.de, Tel. +49 421 361 32 460.

A binding agreement on the rights, obligations, and funds associated with the residency will only be concluded with a residency contract following the jury’s award. The binding implementation of the residencies is currently subject to budget approval for the 2025 fiscal year. The Senator for Culture reserves the right to negotiate the conditions individually.

This call concerns exclusively artistic residencies at the Center for Art; it is not a tender subject to public procurement law.