Jul 20, 2026
Application deadline for the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2026 extended to August 30
The Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2026 will take place from October 25 to 31, 2026. Under the title "Violence. Power. War – Art and Culture in Polarized Times," the interdisciplinary program offers young cultural professionals and researchers from Germany and abroad a platform for expert exchange. Applications are open through August 30, 2026.
The Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School is an interdisciplinary program for early-career researchers and cultural professionals that has taken place annually at TU Dresden since 2012 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer. In cooperation with leading cultural and academic institutions in Dresden, it brings together international participants each year for a multi-day program of lectures, discussions, workshops, and institutional visits addressing current social and cultural-political questions. The program is named after Henry H. Arnhold (1921–2018), honorary senator of TU Dresden. Born in Dresden into the Arnhold banking family, he emigrated to the United States as a young man, where from 1960 he served as chairman of the investment bank Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder in New York. Following the peaceful revolution of 1989, he revived his family's philanthropic tradition and supported numerous projects and initiatives in his native city of Dresden—true to his lifelong motto, "Continue to build bridges."
The 2026 Summer School addresses how art and culture respond to violence, power, and war—and must respond. Against the backdrop of current armed conflicts in Europe and worldwide, the question of the role of art, culture, and scholarship takes on renewed significance: Do cultural institutions document violence, create spaces for dialogue, preserve memory—or do they themselves become entangled in political conflicts? The program also explores the scope of action available to cultural institutions in times of crisis and how they respond to polarization, disinformation, and authoritarian tendencies, as well as how art and culture process different eras of war and violence—from historical distance to the immediate present.
The program includes lectures, discussions, and workshops, complemented by visits to current exhibitions, rehearsal visits at theater performances, and conversations with curators, artists, and leaders of the participating institutions. Seminar-style discussions and joint reflection sessions examine how cultural institutions can become places of education, reflection, and democratic engagement in times of crisis.
The Summer School is organized by TU Dresden together with leading cultural institutions in Dresden: the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden, DRESDEN-concept, HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts, the Kunsthaus Dresden, the Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden / Kunstgewerbemuseum / Archiv der Avantgarden, the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, and the Stadtmuseum Dresden.
Master's students, doctoral candidates, and early-career researchers in relevant disciplines, as well as young theater professionals and experts in museums, archives, and libraries, are invited to apply. Further information on how to apply is available on the website.
Information / Contact:
Julia Müer
Coordinator
Phone: +49 (0)351 463 37313
Hanna Kahler
Project Staff Member