Since 2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been running a Writer in Residence programme in cooperation with Q21 at the MuseumsQuartier Wien for authors from Southeastern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Black Sea region, and currently Germany. In this cooperation, Q21 provides a residential studio and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a monthly stipend. Each year there is a call for applications for the following year. From the applications, a jury selects six authors who live and work in Vienna for two months. During their residence, they can connect with the Austrian literary scene with the support of the Foreign Ministry.
Similar to this programme, an Artist in Residence Programme (AiR) for visual artists started in 2016. Quartier21 provides a residential and studio flat at the MuseumsQuartier, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes over the financing of the monthly grant as well as a travel allowance. Since 2021, the programme has a focus on artists from those Eastern European countries where free artistic creation is increasingly suppressed. In cooperation with the Austrian Representations, it regularly enables artists who are at risk and tired of repression to stay in Vienna for two to three months. The aim is to give these artists the opportunity to find rest in a peaceful and supporting environment and to use their stay to develop new artistic projects with a clear head. The programme is intended as a commitment to human rights and the promotion of the freedom of the arts.
The intention of both programmes is to offer the guests the opportunity to network with the Austrian art and literature scene and to develop their work in a new context.
