Festival Manifesta seeks collaborators in the Ruhr district
The open call for socio-cultural project proposals for Manifesta 2026 is now live, inviting initiatives, collectives, institutions, and individuals from the Ruhr region to submit their ideas. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2025.
Manifesta 2026 aims to focus on the repurposing of post-war churches that are increasingly being abandoned or demolished in Germany. The goal is to create community gathering places and hubs for collaboration in the region, with a focus on relevance, sustainability, and long-term impact.
Projects sought for Manifesta 2026 are in the fields of art, music, ecology, or sport. Partners can come from various fields such as literature, ecology, sport, democracy, and more. Each selected project partner will sign a cooperation agreement with Manifesta, which includes a financial cooperation contribution of up to 15,000 euros.
Eleven project partners will be selected for the Manifesta program next year. Interested parties can attend information events in Dortmund (August 27), Essen (September 4), and online (September 11). The selection will be made by a jury of local and international cultural creators.
The Manifesta 2026 aims to create places of encounter in the repurposed churches, with the goal of promoting locally anchored projects and enabling cultural engagement beyond the festival's duration. The desecrated church spaces in the Ruhr region are intended to serve as community gathering places in the future.
For accurate and detailed information on proposals, deadlines, themes, and submission requirements for Manifesta 16 Ruhr, especially relating to projects about repurposing vacant churches, it is recommended to check the official Manifesta 16 Ruhr website or directly consult their official call for proposals. The website www.manifesta16.org/opencall provides further information.
It is important to note that the Manifesta 16 Ruhr festival will eventually be replaced by the Manifesta 2026, scheduled from June 21 to October 4, 2026, in various cities of the Ruhr region. The Manifesta 16 Ruhr festival is entering its next phase, inviting initiatives to propose socio-cultural projects. The focus of Manifesta 2026 remains on the repurposing of post-war churches in the Ruhr region, with the aim of fostering cultural engagement and local development in the region.
- The repurposing of post-war churches in the Ruhr region for Manifesta 2026 will serve as community gathering places, fostering a sustainable living lifestyle that encourages outdoor-living and home-and-garden activities.
- Manifesta 2026 invites initiatives to submit their ideas for socio-cultural projects, focusing on the fields of art, music, and ecology, with the aim of creating entertainment spaces that promote locally anchored projects and long-term impact.
- For those interested in the Manifesta 2026 project calls, it's worth noting that the festival encourages partners from various fields, such as literature, ecology, sports, democracy, and more, to collaborate and reinvent the desecrated church spaces in a manner that aligns with the principles of sustainable living.
