Until July 20: Apply now for the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2026, “Violence. Power. War—Art and Culture in Polarized Times”

In close collaboration with leading cultural institutions in Dresden, the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School will once again offer a multifaceted, practice-oriented program in 2026 for young cultural professionals and researchers from Germany and abroad who have a good command of German and are active or conducting research at the intersections of art, politics, and education.
From October 25 to 31, 2026, participants can look forward to a multifaceted program of intensive exchange—featuring lectures, discussions, workshops, and a supporting program that offers a behind-the-scenes look: This includes visits to current exhibitions, attending rehearsals for theater performances, and personal conversations with curators, artists, and leaders of major cultural institutions. Workshops, seminar-style discussions, and group reflection sessions will provide space for an in-depth exploration of how cultural institutions can serve as spaces for education, reflection, and democratic discourse in times of crisis. The Summer School thus offers the opportunity to engage intensively with issues of violence, power, and war in a cultural context. It sees itself not only as an academic program but also as a place for encounter and collaborative work on ideas for an open and democratic cultural practice.

Violence, power, and war are contemporary realities that shake political orders, tear apart social bonds, and confront cultural institutions with fundamental questions. At a time when armed conflicts on the European continent and worldwide are reshaping the way we think and act, the question of the role of art, culture, and scholarship takes on new and urgent significance. The Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2026 is dedicated to exploring whether and how art and culture can and must respond to violence, power, and war. Do they document violence, create spaces for dialogue, preserve memories, or do they themselves become entangled in political conflicts? What scope for action remains for cultural institutions in times of crisis, and how do they respond to polarization, disinformation, and authoritarian tendencies? Central to this is the unique capacity of art and culture to make the cultural history of violence visible and to translate it into spaces for social reflection through representational and expressive means. The Summer School examines how art and culture process different eras of war and violence—from historical distance to the immediate present.

Young researchers in relevant departments, as well as young theater professionals and experts in museums, archives, and libraries, are now invited to apply for the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School by July 20, 2026. Further information is available on the website.

www.dresdensummerschool.de

Partners of the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2026:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden
DRESDEN-concept
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) / Museum of Decorative Arts / Archive of the Avant-Gardes
Dresden State Theater
Dresden City Museum

Information / Contact:
Julia Müer
Coordinator

Phone: +49 (0)351 463 37313

Hanna Kahler
Project Staff Member