13-14 November Greylight Projects, Heerlen & Kunsthaus NRW, Kornelimünster
AiR Cross Border meeting is a two-day expert meeting including presentations, panels, workshops, and a field trip, for artist-in-residence organisations and art professionals, about working in the border region and the wider context of cross-border collaboration.
The work-related mobility of individual artists, and the welcoming culture of artist-in-residence (AIR) programs contribute significantly to an on-going cultural and social cohesion between countries and regions, which is crucial to the European understanding. Many residency programs that operate in the cross-border regions are located in rural areas, either in small villages or in the countryside. Here they provide space and time for artists to conduct research, engage with their community, and provide facilities and contacts to produce new work. Similarly, they function as platforms for presentation and exchange through organizing open studios, exhibitions, workshops or talks, promoting professional as well as civic and neighborly exchange.
DutchCulture|TransArtists and IGBK, together with a consortium of regional partners, initiated this meeting amongst peers who share transregional contexts and interests, to foster reflection on how local conditions intersect with broader European discourses around mobility, cultural policy, and border dynamics. What are the artistic and political implications of borders in 2025, given current developments in the EU? Can we understand borders as transitions, which (new) cultural borders do we encounter in practice, and how do artists deal with this?
The program consists of a two-day gathering upon invitation (approx. 50 persons). On the first day, participants will come together at Greylight Projects. Keynote speakers Dr. Norbert Cyrus (Viadrina Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION), and Joep Vossebeld and Ingrid Misterek-Plagge of Borderland Residencies Program, will introduce the border region from a social-political and artistic stand point, followed by in-depth exchanges and dinner together.
On the second day we start with a field trip to the lignite mines of Hambach and Garzweiler, in collaboration with the Borderland Residencies program. We will lunch together at Kunsthaus NRW in Kornelimünster where we will participate in the Reading the Region conference hosted by the trinational cross-border network Very Contemporary. In different panels and presentations, the conference will address the connections between artists and institutions, as well as the challenges and opportunities in fostering collaboration across borders.
This event is intended for professionals and organizers working with or related to Artist-in-Residence programs. If you are interested in joining the program, please send an email to wouter@greylightprojects.org
The event takes place in English.
The AiR Cross Border Meeting is initiated by DutchCulture|TransArtists (Amsterdam) and the Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK) (Berlin), organized in partnership with Greylight Projects (Heerlen), Landesbüro für Bildende Kunst NRW, and Kunsthaus NRW (Kornelimünster), in collaboration with Borderland Residencies Program, with the support of Pictoright Fonds and Goethe Institute Amsterdam.
Thursday, 13 November – Greylight Projects, Heerlen
Afternoon: welcome with coffee and a tour of Greylight Projects with Wouter Huis, followed by program and participant introductions by Wouter Huis (Greylight Projects), Constanze Brockmann (IGBK), and Heidi Vogels (DutchCulture | TransArtists).
Afternoon: keynotes by Dr. Norbert Cyrus (Viadrina Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION, Frankfurt/Oder) on Constraining and Enabling – How Borders Shape Realities and Imaginations, and Joep Vossebeld (Odapark Venray) with Ingrid Misterek-Plagge (Kulturraum Niederrhein e.V.) on the Borderland Residencies Program, followed by a Q&A with Dr. Susanne Ristow (Landesbüro für Bildende Kunst NRW).
Late afternoon: panel discussion with Wouter Huis, Julia Haarmann (Künstlerdorf Schöppingen), and Brenda Guesnet (IKOB, Eupen), moderated by Heidi Vogels, followed by hands-on workshops in small groups. Presentation on European funding opportunities by Jelle Burggraaff (Head Creative Europe Desk NL at DutchCulture).
Evening: shared dinner at Greylight Projects and walk to accommodation.
Friday, 14 November – Kunsthaus NRW, Kornelimünster (Aachen)
Morning: field trip to the lignite mines of Hambach and Garzweiler with Joep Vossebeld (Borderland Residencies) and artist Silke Schatz, exploring art, activism, and regional transformation.
Afternoon: lunch and Reading the Region conference by Very Contemporary, with panels including Lene ter Haar (Cultural Attaché, Consulate General of the Netherlands, Düsseldorf), Natalie Giorgadze (Culture Action Europe), moderated by Constanze Brockmann, focusing on cross-border collaboration in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion.
Late afternoon: optional guided tour through current exhibitions at Kunsthaus NRW.
DutchCulture|TransArtists is part of DutchCulture, and serves as an international platform for information on artist-in-residence opportunities worldwide. In addition to the comprehensive online database, TransArtists supports the position of AiR organisations in the Netherlands through the AiR NL network. It fosters professional exchange and collaboration by organizing symposia, meetings, and other knowledge-sharing formats, connecting the Dutch AiR field with international developments.
The Internationale Gesellschaft der Bildenden Künste (IGBK) represents visual artists in Germany on national and international levels as an umbrella organization. It acts as a network, information hub, and advocacy body, supporting mobility, exchange, and better working conditions in visual arts. The IGBK and its projects are funded by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media and by the Kulturstiftung der Länder.
The Borderland Program was initiated in the Lower Rhine region as part of the Regional Culture Programme NRW. It is a collaborative network of residency initiatives located in the border region between mid-southern Netherlands, Belgium and Nordrhein-Westfalen. Now in its fifth edition, it promotes cross-border artistic exchange and aims to strengthen the visibility and infrastructure of AiR programmes in the region.
Greylight Projects is an artist-run space and residency program based in Heerlen, located in the border triangle between the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. It offers space for artistic experimentation, research, and presentation, with a strong focus on the local and transregional context. Greylight connects visiting artists with its surroundings through site-specific projects, events, and collaborations with local partners.
The Landesbüro für Bildende Kunst NRW is a regional institution that supports the development of contemporary visual art in North Rhine-Westphalia. It acts as a mediator between artists, cultural institutions, and policymakers, offering advice, funding opportunities, and coordination for visual arts initiatives. The Landesbüro für Bildende Kunst NRW is a division of the Kunsthaus NRW.
Kunsthaus NRW in Kornelimünster is dedicated to showcasing and supporting contemporary visual arts from the region of North Rhine-Westphalia. It functions both as an exhibition space and a platform for artistic production, and hosting events that foster dialogue between artists and the public.
