Art, city and community. During the Warm-Up Programme for Manifesta 16 Ruhr, places for exchange and encounter already emerge before the biennial begins. Many activities are taking place like the square around the former St Josef Church, the headquarter of Manifesta 16 Ruhr in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf, on Bochumer Straße and inside St Anna Church in Schalke-Nord. Everyone is welcome! Admission is free!

The Manifesta 16 + programme presents projects from local, grassroots initiatives selected via an Open Call. During Manifesta 16 Ruhr they will transform vacant church buildings in ten cities across the Ruhr Area into spaces for gathering, exchange and collective practice. 16 projects will take place in Dortmund, Herne, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Marl, Bottrop, Essen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg and Oberhausen.

The Education and Mediation Programme is a central part of Manifesta 16 Ruhr. The Mediation Programme offers public walks for groups, individuals and schools with specially trained mediators. The Communities & Education Programme offers many different projects for young people of the Ruhr Area in cooperation with local artists and community associations.

Manifesta 16 will take place in four cities across the Ruhr Area. In Bochum, Duisburg, Gelsenkirchen and Essen, former churches will be transformed into cultural community hubs. The artistic programme will include events, performances, workshops, interventions and exhibitions, all showcasing how these churches can be transformed into something new that is shaped by and for its surrounding community. Our full programme will be announced in June.