Our aim was to share the long-term experience of the Schering Stiftung when it comes to project work at the interface of art and science with participants from the communications offices of universities and research institutes and thus pave the way for, and foster, long-term science-art collaborations at these institutions.

“ArtScience 101: How to Organize an Art-Science Collaboration” was characterized by a lively and inspiring workshop atmosphere. With the assistance of the artist Agnes Meyer-Brandis and Ellen Blumenstein, curator of HafenCity, the 50+ participating science communicators worked to identify the most important organizational aspects that need to be taken into account during transdisciplinary collaborations.

The workshop was divided into five thematic blocs: project management, formats, contract issues, curation, and collaboration with an artist. Based on a fictive case study, the experts shared with the participants all important and significant aspects for a successful art-science collaboration, which were then expanded and enlarged upon in group work. You can find the case study and the guiding questions on the various thematic areas in the Download section.

The most important message across all thematic fields is:

Have the courage to take risks!

The speakers and participants developed the following guiding questions for the successful design and implementation of projects at the interface of art and science:

• How to find and select the artist?
• How to ensure that the project has the proper contacts and scientific support from the institute?
• What could be meaningful formats promoting an open encounter and collaboration?
• How to achieve a good balance among freedom, leadership, and structure?
• How much time does it take to develop an artistic concept?
• Who owns the product? (copyright law, German Employee Invention Act)
• What liabilities do I have to be aware of? (institute, exhibition)
• What language guidelines need to be established?
• What specifics need to be considered in terms of the Künstlersozialkasse (German artists’ social insurance)?
• What role do collecting societies play?
• What is the role of the curator?
• How scientifically sound do the created objects have to be?
• How can I prepare stakeholders for the fact that the artists will not simply translate but transform scientific research?
• Do the scientific methods/results have to be explained?
• Do the objects need to come with labels/an explanation?
• Where is the emerging work to be shown?