Friends of the Karlsruhe Art Academy

Supporting the Arts - I join in!

The association supports the work of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe with great commitment. We promote and finance student projects, lectures, conferences and professionalisation programmes for graduates.

As a central support measure, we regularly award travel scholarships that enable students to spend time in art metropolises such as New York, Milan, Amsterdam or Vienna. Selected reports of travels by the scholarship holders, you can read below:

Travel-logue Laurene Bartels - New York

The Friends of the Academy occasionally take part in renting vacant spaces in downtown Karlsruhe as exhibition rooms for students.

The Circle of Friends also maintains contact with the students by visiting their studios during the summer exhibition. The members are present at the openings of masterclass student, diploma and graduate exhibitions. At the same time, the association also offers the opportunity to meet the professors. This takes place in the form of studio and exhibition visits.

Members of the association are also welcome to attend the Tuesday lecture series hosted by the Art Academy, which takes place at 7 pm in the lecture hall. During the lecture period, artists and art scholars are invited to give insights into their work and research. The Friends of the Academy receive information and invitations via the mailing list.

The Circle of Friends has existed for over 60 years and has been presided by Horst Marschall since 2012.

 

The Board of the Association of Friends of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe e.V. is consisting of:

Horst Marschall, President
Prof. Marcel van Eeden, Deputy by virtue of office
Bernhard Graf , Treasurer
Veith Ruser, Secretary

Become a member!

The State Academy of Fine Arts and its students have a circle of friends and supporters who are involved in many ways.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to them.

If you would like to support student contemporary art and its development in Karlsruhe and the surrounding area, then become a member of the Vereinigung der Freunde der Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste e.V. (Association of Friends of the State Academy of Fine Arts).

The association is open to all citizens - including institutions - who would like to contribute to the promotion of young artists. The annual contribution is 60 euros, 120 euros for institutions. By joining, you will be able to take part in guided tours of exhibitions organised exclusively for the Circle of Friends by students or professors. You will receive information about events at the Kunstakademie and its connected area and thus participate in the Academy's sphere of influence.

If you would like to know more about our commitment and are interested in becoming a member, please contact Jule Doll, who is in charge of the Freundeskreis office. You can reach her by phone on Wednesdays from 2 to 3 p.m. at +49 721 926 5237.

Or you can send an e-mail to Jule Doll

Application for membership

Travel Scholarships


The Friends of the Karlsruhe Academy of Fine Arts annually award five travel scholarships to students, each valued at €1,000. The classes eligible for the scholarships rotate regularly. The decision on who receives the scholarship is made by the class professor.

2024 Scholarship Recipients:

  • Benjamin Belhocine, Class of Prof. Schinwald – Skopje, North Macedonia
  • Magdalena Huonker, Class of former Prof. Vitorelli / now Prof. Fasshauer – Vienna, Austria
  • Mara Olschowka, Class of Prof. Doll – Los Angeles, USA
  • Amanda Röling, Class of Prof. Wasmuht – Oslo, Norway
  • Christian Rupp, Class of Prof. van Eeden – Athens, Greece

Friends Association T-shirts

A T-shirt sale to support a student project at the Academy's summer exhibition—this was the idea proposed by members of the Friends Association. Following an internal design competition, the design by Clara Stang and Tessa Balduz was selected and brought to life. The shirts, produced in a limited edition of 99 pieces plus a special edition, were printed in the Academy’s screen-printing workshop.

By the time the rescheduled summer exhibition—the October Rundgang—took place, T-shirt weather had long passed. However, the Friends Edition was still offered, and there are still some T-shirts available. The design is partly on the front and partly on the back. The pink color is intentional, symbolizing the Academy as an open university. Each piece is branded with an artistic motif and individually numbered as part of the edition. This transforms the T-shirt into a work of art—and perhaps even a collector’s item.

Most importantly, buyers are contributing to a good cause: the proceeds, in coordination with the Academy’s AStA (student council), go directly into the Academy’s new Student Fund. This fund is designed to provide quick and unbureaucratic financial support to students in urgent financial distress. The revenue from the Friends’ T-shirt sale forms the financial foundation of the fund.

If you're interested in purchasing a T-shirt, please contact the office of the Friends of the Academy Association.

The T-shirts are available in sizes M and XL. A preferred number can be requested.

Pricing:

  • Students: €20
  • Non-students: €30 minimum (a donation receipt can be issued).