Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ
Your Visit
The Center for Art is a cultural institution where independent artists from the fields of music, dance, theater, and visual arts can create and present their work. Several rehearsal rooms and two event halls are available free of charge upon request.
The Center for Art is operated by the Senator for Culture of the City of Bremen. It serves as a support instrument for Bremen’s professional independent art scene.
The Center for Art Bremen is located in the so-called Tabakquartier in the Bremen district of Woltmershausen. In the immediate neighborhood are the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boulevard Theater. The Bremen Training and Further Education Center (AFZ) is also located on the 75,000-square-meter site, which is being developed by the real estate company Justus Grosse.
The entire site of the Tobacco Quarter was formerly the location of the tobacco company Brinkmann. The building of the Center for Art was one of the large factory halls, where mainly the packaging of cigarettes took place. More information can be found here.
The Center for Art opens one hour before the start of an event. There are no regular opening hours for visitors.
However, the office at the Center for Art is usually staffed Monday to Friday.
The public program on the ground floor regularly takes place in two event halls. Here, the audience experiences, for example, classical theater performances and concerts. Children’s and family events, as well as contemporary dance performances, also take place here.
On the first floor are the studios used by visual artists as workspaces. This floor is opened for special events such as open studios, artist talks, performances, or catalog presentations.
The basement, which contains rehearsal and storage rooms, is not accessible to the public.
At all events in the halls of the Center for Art, seating is unassigned (free seating). The doors to the hall open in coordination with and at the request of the respective artists, sometimes only shortly before the event starts. All seats offer a good view of the stage. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Persons with disabilities are given priority when entering the hall but are kindly asked to register with the evening staff in advance.
The Center for Art has an accessible main entrance on the side of the building at Hermann-Ritter-Straße 108e. There is an elevator that provides access to the ground floor with offices, rehearsal rooms, and event halls, as well as to the first floor with the studios. The elevator is unlocked one hour before events begin.
There are accessible restrooms on both floors. There is no tactile guidance system for the visually impaired. Persons with disabilities are given priority when entering the hall but are kindly asked to register with the evening staff in advance.
For more information on accessibility, please read here.
The following groups are entitled to a reduced admission price: pupils, students, apprentices, people under 18 years old, people with severe disabilities, unemployed persons, and volunteers.
In addition, students of the University of Bremen, Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Bremen University of the Arts, and the University of Arts in Social Work Ottersberg have free admission to all events at the Center for Art as part of the Bremen Culture Semester Ticket. More information can be found here.
Discounted cultural tickets for each event are available through Nordwest-Ticket. More information can be found here.
The ticket prices for events are set by the artists themselves.
The Center for Art is located on the grounds of the Tobacco Quarter in the Bremen district of Woltmershausen. The address is Hermann-Ritter-Straße 108e, 28197 Bremen. The entrance is inside the Tobacco Quarter and is not visible from the street. Visitors enter the courtyard either through the stone archway to the so-called FABRIK next to the Sparkasse Bremen branch or from the MOBI I parking garage.
Visitors can find parking at the MOBI I parking garage, Am Tabakquartier 4, 28197 Bremen.
The best public transport option to reach the Center for Art is the Huder Straße stop, accessible via bus line 24. This stop is about 500 meters away.
Halls and rehearsal rooms
The Center for Art is a department of the Senator for Culture and is therefore 100% municipally funded. It supports and produces theater, dance, and music productions by professional independent artists residing in Bremen. It serves as a rehearsal and performance venue with an ongoing seasonal program.
It has two halls (Large Hall: max. 199 people, Small Hall: max. 125 people), various rehearsal rooms, some with dance floors, as well as a recording studio and meeting rooms.
The criteria for working at the Center for Art are the professional status of the independent artists and their outstanding artistic quality.
The Center for Art includes all genres and styles.
What matters is a recognizable artistic ability in the development and presentation of a dramaturgical, choreographic, or musical work. Furthermore, a well-founded approach in the selection, adaptation, and realization of the respective themes, relevant contemporary references, or an artistic concentration of socially relevant topics.
Artists who meet several of the above criteria can use the Center as a free rehearsal space upon request and depending on availability. A subsequent performance at the Center is possible but not mandatory.
The two halls are available for guest performances. The Center for Art acts as the organizer, meaning it handles basic public relations, sets up ticketing, provides technical support (within the scope of the available equipment), and manages GEMA and KSK accounting.
The performing artists or ensembles do not pay rent for the halls.
They receive a percentage share of the ticket revenue. Multi-day performances (with a reasonable prospect of sufficient ticket sales) are expressly welcomed.
Requests for guest performances should be directed to Lena Riechmann (Advisor KBB) and Hans König (Curator), who compile and manage the Center for Art’s program according to the above criteria. (See contact).
The Center hosts five residencies each season from September to June in the fields of music, dance, and theater.
These resident ensembles develop two productions each within a year or, under special circumstances, even beyond that. They receive technical support, as well as assistance with advertising, marketing, and cultural management training. Additionally, they receive cultural funding from the Center for Art in the form of a grant to support the realization of their projects. Further third-party funding usually needs to be raised independently by the ensembles.
The residents apply annually through calls for proposals with detailed applications. A rotating expert jury decides each year on the allocation of the residencies. The calls are published on this website, through professional associations, and the Senator for Culture.
The ensemble members or artists meet regularly during their residency with staff from the Center for Art in the “Small Advisory Board.” Here, the program of the venue is coordinated with the guest performances.
Studio use
The Center for Art is a department of the Senator for Culture and is therefore 100% municipally funded. It offers free, professional visual artists from Bremen studio spaces through three-year scholarships and supports projects with expertise and, in consultation, also with personnel.
The Center for Art has 18 spacious studios, which are currently used rent-free by about 40 female artists for periods of three years. The rehearsal rooms and halls can also be used by visual artists for events and rehearsals upon request.
Professional visual artists residing in Bremen can apply for the three-year studio scholarships.
Artists apply with their artistic works, concepts, and biographies in response to the call for applications. A rotating expert jury makes the selection.
Both individual artists and groups or collectives can apply.
There are no specific artistic focuses or age limits. Requirements include proof of artistic training or equivalent professional experience or reputation, as well as residency in Bremen. Additionally, a CV and portfolio must be submitted that demonstrate professional artistic work (exhibitions, catalogs, etc.).
The calls for applications are published on this website, through professional associations, and the Senator for Culture.
The studio rooms cannot be rented. They are exclusively allocated through studio scholarships.
The Center for Art is not a gallery, meaning exhibitions take place only on special occasions and/or by artists with a studio scholarship. Collaborations with artists and collectives holding a studio scholarship at the Center for Art are possible. These collaborations are decided upon, initiated, and carried out by the artists themselves.
The visual artists participate once or twice a year in the so-called Open Studios, where current works, performances, or other artistic interventions are presented to an audience.
Interactions with the performing artists or musicians in the building are encouraged. These can relate to the Open Studios as well as to further projects.
The halls are also available to the visual artists as presentation spaces for performances and similar events. Additionally, the corridor/foyer on the ground floor can be used for temporary projects such as exhibitions by arrangement. During these events, they receive full support from the venue.
The artists regularly meet in a Large Advisory Board together with the management of the Center for Art to discuss and prepare projects.
Recording studio
The studio in the basement offers the possibility for professional audio recordings. A video camera and a greenscreen, as well as an editing workstation, are also available. However, the room does not have fixed lighting equipment.
The premises and equipment are available to the artists in the building as well as to external artists. The technical management of the center provides an introduction to the technical equipment before each use. Recording sessions must be conducted by external technical professionals. The conditions for using the studio correspond to those applied for the use of the rehearsal rooms. The KBB coordinates room allocation based on availability. Inquire here.
