Folkwang University of the Arts

The Folkwang University of the Arts is the central place for artistic training in music, theatre, dance, design and academic studies. In line with the Folkwang idea of the cross-disciplinary interaction of the arts, a plurality of different art forms and disciplines have been united under one roof here since 1927. Folkwangers from the photography, communication design and industrial design programs have been re-included as of 2007. Today there are Folkwang campus and venues in Essen, Duisburg, Bochum and Dortmund.

The “Folkwang School of Music, Dance and Speech” was founded in 1927; in 1928 the name of the pre-existing Essen School of Trades and Applied Arts was changed to “Folkwang School of Design”. For more than 80 years the name Folkwang has stood for outstanding artistic teaching, learning and production – and it has long since become a cultural brand name, far beyond national borders.

Despite our advanced age we feel younger and livelier than ever. That’s due partly to our approx. 1600 students from almost every country in the world, and partly to the more than 300 public events we hold each year – always realised in a fresh and new way on our own eight in-house stages or together with cultural institutions and partners around the region. But it must also be due in part to the constant process of evaluation and the modularisation of our course range: the most recent idea to emerge was (for example) the Folkwang LABs, which have been giving interdisciplinary Folkwang projects a definitive new form as of the 08/09 winter semester.

Last but not least, the Folkwang University of the Arts is special on account of its unique historic buildings and the many special people who have always been – and still are – here: Pina Bausch (dancer and choreographer), Armin Rohde and Caroline Eichhorn (actors), Frank Peter Zimmermann (violinist), Lothar Zagrosek (conductor), Hagen Rether (cabaret artist), Timm Rautert (photographer) to name just a few, did their study at the Folkwang. A whole array of important cultural, scholarly and creative pathways has been forged here. And every single day new highlights are being reached – in terms of aesthetics, content and setting cultural directions for the whole region and the international scene.

The Folkwang University of Arts is a place of interdisciplinary artistic, pedagogical and scientific research, teaching and practice. We are the main training centre for music, theatre, dance, design and academic studies in North Rhine Westphalia and firmly anchored in the Ruhr metropolis with our five campus - Essen-Werden, Essen-Zollverein, Duisburg, Theatre Centre Bochum and Orchestra Centre|NRW in Dortmund. The Folkwang University is thus in the heart of one of the largest industrial-cultural centres in Europe. We have a large impact in the region as a whole, and from there our network spreads out on a global basis.

The name ‘Folkwang’ has become synonymous with a unique concept for artistic learning and communication. The basis for the foundation of the first Folkwang school in 1927 is due to a vision Karl Ernst Osthaus had over a hundred years ago: he wanted to create an interdisciplinary cooperation of the arts, and anchor all the arts in the centre of a democratic society. Then as now, the Folkwang University of the Arts has been following social realities, and has thus helped the arts become a living and breathing factor of society by setting innovative as well as creative accents, thereby setting pioneering impulses for the future.

Folkwang University of the Arts prides itself in training and fostering personalities that are characterised by their outstanding artistic, scientific and pedagogical competence, a broad horizon of knowledge and a large degree of individuality, creativity and social responsibility. We understand artistic education as an unalienable element of general education, and perceive the Folkwang University of the Arts as a home of young personalities, which will be further developed both with them and through them. We shape these development processes fully conscious of our cultural heritage, remain focussed on the continually evolving needs of the artistic professions and realities, and in this manner contribute to the further development of the career and everyday world of artists, scientists and pedagogues.

The Folkwang idea for interdisciplinary cooperation is entirely unique in terms of an artistic-pedagogical concept. Not least for this reason, the Folkwang University of the Arts has assumed a leading role as an international contact partner for artistic learning and practical application as well as for development projects in the areas of art and academic studies. In this manner, global partnerships, university exchanges and international projects have on an increasing scale become an inherent part of teaching and research – as key pillars of our strategy oriented to the future.

At the Folkwang University of the Arts, students and teachers with European as well as international backgrounds enrich the overall profile in a sustainable manner from the very beginning. They provide an environment of creativity far beyond national borders. We perceive the diversity of all university students as a long-term potential. This diversity is for us a contribution to both educational equality and to excellence. We therefore actively promote the productive diversity of our students, teachers, colleagues and alumni not only by gender mainstreaming measures, but also by diversity management. We attach great value to open communication, a social sense of responsibility and a participatory style of leadership designed to ensure the involvement in the further development of our university at all levels.

The Folkwang study programme comprises some 40 study courses in its wide range of university subjects with internationally recognised Bachelor, Master and Artist diplomas as well as possibilities for doctorate and post doctorate qualifications. In addition, further education courses serve to optimally develop the individual potentials with regard to lifelong learning. The interdisciplinary Folkwang idea and the active, transdisciplinary exchange are fostered with particular emphasis in the Folkwang LABs. These discipline transcending project laboratories are an integrative component of the study programme. Thanks to more than 300 public events, including many cooperation projects with theatres, concert halls, museums, galleries and schools, students of all disciplines at Folkwang experience a practice-oriented and vibrant exchange at an early stage.