Scholarship Programs

A program of Kulturvermittlung Steiermark in cooperation with the Cultural Department of the City of Graz in the context of the Graz – City of Human Rights.

Arbitrary work bans, persecution, convictions, imprisonment, torture, and murder due solely to political caprice constitute clear violations of international human rights. In 1997, the Graz city government published a statement in response to the increase in the repression of critical writers, journalists, and artists globally.

The Writer / Artist in Exile program represents the city of Graz’s concrete solidarity with this group of individuals. Through a well-functioning international network, the exchange about endangered authors, journalists and artists takes place. Invitations are extended after assessing current requirements in collaboration with the Cultural Department of the City of Graz.

During residencies, which are limited in time and designed according to individual needs, guests are supported in their physical and mental recovery and encouraged to continue their literary, journalistic, artistic, or activist work. The bureaucratic effort and support varies depending on the events that led to their exile, which is often involuntary. The conditions for granting visas or residence permits and organizing follow-up scholarships—when a return to their home country is no longer possible—pose significant challenges that must be overcome. The scholarship provides housing and financial support for basic living expenses.

photo © Nina Todorovic

Residency and work scholarships for writers and translators not only enable them to further develop their work but also serve as a crucial milestone in their careers. Furthermore, these scholarship programs are significant for the locations where they take place. Guests engage with their place of work to a greater or lesser degree. Artistic works are created that reflect the location (Graz/Styria) and contribute to establishing it on the international map of literary and cultural production. For the most part young international authors and translators are invited to focus on their work, use their time to research, and participate in the local scene through personal contacts, readings, etc.

Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to work without significant financial pressure. Many well-known, widely esteemed artistic and literary works would not have come into being without the “freedom” offered by scholarship programs.

Engaging with the local scene is an integral part of the stay. The opportunity to immerse oneself intensely in a new linguistic and cultural environment gives rise to new artistic and societal perspectives on both sides. The scholarship provides housing and financial support for basic living expenses.

Contact: luise.grinschgl@kulturvermittlung.org

photo © Nina Todorovic

The Artist in Residence scholarship primarily offers young, international visual artists from all disciplines a limited-time opportunity to live and work in Graz.

Residency and work scholarships for artists not only enable them to further develop their work but also serve as a crucial milestone in their careers. Furthermore, these scholarship programs are significant for the locations where they take place. Guests engage with their place of work to a greater or lesser degree. Artistic works are created that reflect the location (Graz/Styria) and contribute to establishing it on the international map of literary and cultural production. The invited artists’ individual approaches and interests are at the center of the projects and occur in an open dialogue. Engaging with the local scene is an integral part of the stay. The opportunity to immerse oneself intensely in a new linguistic and cultural environment gives rise to new artistic and societal perspectives on both sides. The scholarship provides housing and financial support for basic living expenses.

Kontakt: luise.grinschgl@kulturvermittlung.org

photo © Nina Todorovic

What connects internationally renowned authors like Radka Denemarková, Dževad Karahasan (†), Angela Krauß, Fiston Mwanza Mujila, Ivana Sajko, Saša Stanišić, Kinga Tóth, Nazar Hončar, Andrea Scrima …? They, along with other international authors, have lived and worked in Graz as the city’s Writer in Residence.

The Cultural Department of the City of Graz has revisited and redefined the concept of the traditional Writer in Residence or town clerk of the Middle Ages, who served as a scribe during council sessions. In the spirit of a literary cultural exchange and of actively fostering connections with Graz’s literary scene, the City of Graz provides free accommodation to the Writer in Residence from September to the end of August of the following year. Additionally, a monthly stipend is awarded to support their living expenses during their stay. Graz offers the guest an optimal environment to engage in literary activities and immerse him- or herself in the city’s atmosphere and cultural scene.

The year-long fellowship is an initiative of the Cultural Department of the City of Graz and is internationally announced through an annual open call.

The guests are supported by the Kulturvermittlung Steiermark team through Graz’s International House of Authors, in cooperation and coordination with the Cultural Department of the City of Graz.

http://www.kultur.graz.at/kulturamt/33

photo © Julia Cimafiejeva