In close cooperation with Dresden's leading cultural institutions, the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School will once again offer a multifaceted, practice-oriented program in 2025. It is aimed at young professionals in the cultural and creative sectors, as well as researchers from Germany and abroad who work at the intersection of art, politics, and education. From October 20 to 28, 2025, participants will enjoy a diverse program of in-depth exchange, including lectures, discussions, workshops, as well as a supplementing program that offers a glimpse behind the scenes. It includes visits to exhibitions, rehearsals at theater performances, and personal conversations with curators, artists, and directors of important cultural institutions.

The program will focus not only on theoretical reflection, but also on meaningful dialogue about challenges and opportunities for action in the cultural sphere. The Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School is an opportunity to actively engage with questions of freedom and democracy in a cultural context. In addition to being an academic program, it is also a place to meet and work together on ideas for open and democratic cultural activities.

Freedom is a key prerequisite for democracy—and at the same time one of its most vulnerable cornerstones. In a time of profound social, political, and technological upheaval, it is being put to the test: Authoritarian tendencies are gaining influence, democratic institutions are losing trust, and social debates are becoming increasingly polarized. The cultural sector is not immune to this development. The issue of how freedom can be secured, communicated, and defended in democratic societies is taking on a new urgency today. Cultural institutions are not only repositories of collective memory, but also places of debate, reflection, and vision. As contributors to civic education, they convey complex content, provide access to historical and current perspectives, and encourage social participation. However, their autonomy cannot be taken for granted. Political influence, economic pressure, and cultural instrumentalization threaten their independence. It is precisely for this reason that it is essential to strengthen their role as free and critical spaces—as places where dissent is possible and ambiguity is allowed.

Young researchers from relevant academic fields as well as young theater professionals, museum, archive, and library specialists are invited to apply for the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School by July 20, 2025. More detailed information is available on the website.

www.dresdensummerschool.de

Partners of the 2025 Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden
HELLERAU - European Center for the Arts
Kunsthaus Dresden
Saxon State and University Library Dresden
Saxon State Opera Dresden
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections)
Staatsschauspiel Dresden (State Theater Dresden)
Stadtmuseum Dresden (Dresden City Museum)

Information / Contact:
Julia Müer
Coordinator

Tel.: +49 351 463 37313

Hanna Kahler
Project associate