pik

The programme pik aims to improve the working situation of artists with disabilities. Its funding measures help cultural institutions carry out their operations more inclusively and hire artistic personal with disabilities.

The programme aims to initiate a necessary transformation within cultural institutions, from which all artists can benefit. In a society where diversity plays an influential role, inclusive culture encourages us to focus on the abilities and needs of different people and to consider new perspectives on artistic practice and collaboration. It initiates a process which ultimately benefits everyone.

The programme promotes artistic innovation and offers support to persons with disabilities. It consists of three modules, each of which targets different groups and artistic areas and aims to establish an inclusive cultural scene in Germany. These include an application-based mentoring programme for disabled leadership, a network for the performing arts, and consultation services offered by a nationwide operating team of advisors specialised in culture and inclusion. The advisors are tasked with developing a public academy programme for cultural participants and evaluating and communicating the results of the programme.

The individual funding measures are targeted at people with physical, psychological and cognitive impairments. The decisive factor is the person’s own self-designation.

The Programme for Inclusive Artistic Practice – pik will run for four years (2022-2025) and has been allocated 3.9 million euros in funding from the Federal Cultural Foundation.

The cross-disciplinary mentoring programme for disabled leaders supports artists with disabilities on their path to obtaining qualification for management positions in cultural projects and institutions in all artistic areas. Consequently, the programme serves to promote career opportunities for disabled persons and encourage discussion on new leadership models.

The programme accepts applications from all persons with disabilities who are either already working as artists or are involved in artistically related professional fields such as curation, dramaturgy and art education.

As part of the application process, the participants reach out to their desired mentors and ask them to confirm a proposed mentorship. During the mentoring period, the mentees discuss their planned artistic career path with their mentors, their prospects of promotion and the potential obstacles to assuming leadership tasks in cultural organisations. Most of the mentors are German and international artists, dramaturges and curators who have disabilities themselves.

A total of up to 45 mentees can be sponsored in the years 2023 to 2025. In addition to receiving advice from their experienced mentors, each mentee will be granted up to 500 euros per month in project funding over a period of 8 months. The Executive Board is responsible for awarding funding and selecting the mentees on the basis of recommendations provided by an independent jury.

The application modalities will be adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.

The network is comprised of seven partnerships between city and state theatres, an international production firm and independent theatres or theatre groups which have adopted inclusive working methods in the performing arts in the past and wish to broaden their expertise in these model projects even further. The Federal Cultural Foundation will accompany and evaluate the new projects developed by the network’s members. The results will be subsequently presented in an education programme / academy so that the experience gained from the model projects can be shared on a broader scale.

The Federal Cultural Foundation will appoint a team of experts to supervise the programme, offer nationwide consultation to institutions implementing inclusion-related projects, and develop a public academy programme comprised of various artistic areas. The team will bring together political decision-makers, trade association representatives and professionals from the field of culturally specific inclusion, provide ongoing evaluation of the programme and inform participants and the public about the results of the programme. The team of disabled creative artists and their allies will work together to address issues of mutual interest.