Mentoring-Program 2026/27

Deadline: Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026, 11:00am

The Mentoring Program Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna aims to support graduates with independent artistic practices in building a professional artistic career. Positioned between academic studies and freelance artistic activity, this one-year scholarship program is open to graduates from all fields of study at the Academy who seek mentoring during the initial phase of their postgraduate careers.

The program emphasizes one-to-one knowledge and experience transfer with external mentors from the art and culture sector, complemented financial support. It also offers workshops led by practitioners, produces an annual booklet featuring essays by renowned authors on the fellows’ artistic practice, and in 2027 provides an opportunity to participate in an exhibition at Exhibit Galerie.

The Mentoring Program Art nurtures emerging artists from the Academy, advances gender equality in the arts, and equips graduates with diverse insights into the art industry and practical tools needed to establish a professional artistic career.

Program partners include the Association of Women Artists Austria (VBKÖ) and the Federal Ministry for Housing, Art, Culture, Media, and Sport (BMWKMS).

Advisory Board Members

Ingeborg Erhart, Vice-Rector for Art | Teaching, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Luisa Kasalicky, Institute of Fine Arts, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Verena Kaspar-Eisert, Heidi Horten Collection Vienna
Dorit Margreiter Choy, Institute of Fine Arts, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Elias Molitschnig, Federal Ministry for Housing, Art, Culture, Media, and Sport (BMWKMS)
Annmarie Neher, Federal Ministry for Housing, Art, Culture, Media, and Sport (BMWKMS)
Stephanie Misa, Artist, Vienna
Susana Ojeda, Association of Women Artists Austria (VBKÖ)
Olga Okunev, Federal Ministry for Housing, Art, Culture, Media, and Sport (BMWKMS)
Barbara Pflanzner, Program Manager, Mentoring Program Art, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Scholarship Benefits

Scholarship amounting to a flat rate of € 9,000 per person, paid quarterly. (Any travel expenses or other program-related expenses incurred during the program year are not separately covered and must be paid from the scholarship).
Individual Mentorship: Personal mentoring by an art or culture professional (3–5 meetings during the program year).
Input Workshop for Mentees: Focused on defining participant roles and structuring the mentor-mentee relationship.
Practical Workshops: Topics are tailored in collaboration with participants at the beginning of the program year.
Ongoing Peer Exchange: Includes peer-group meetings and collaborative sessions with program participants, mentors, and organizers.
Publication: Features essays by authors on the artistic practice of each scholarship holder (e.g., see 2025 booklet).

Mentors 2026/27

Anneke Essl, architect and building culture advocate; LandLuft – Association for the Promotion of Building Culture
Fina Esslinger, curator, program management, Festival of Regions
Alix Eynaudi, choreographer, dancer, and author
Judith Fegerl, artist
Paul Feigelfeld, cultural and media theorist
Thomas Feuerstein, artist
Verena Gamper, curator, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
Nikolaus Gartner, architect, gartner.dunkl architektur
Monika Georgieva, curator
Thomas Hörl, artist
Felix Hoffmann, Artistic Director, Foto Arsenal Wien
Barbara Holub, artist and architect/urbanist; co-founder of transparadiso
Nika Kupyrova, artist and curator
Barbara Mahlknecht, curator, co-program director, Künstler*innenhaus Büchsenhausen
Christian Kosmas Mayer, artist
Katrina Petter, Head of Public Art, Lower Austria
Ivana Pilic, curator and cultural manager; co-founder, D/Arts – Project for Diversity and Urban Dialogue
Markus Proschek, artist and curator
Dietmar Schwärzler, Managing Director, sixpackfilm
Jenni Tischer, artist
Laura Welzenbach, Head of Export, Ars Electronica
Vina Yun, journalist and publicist

Eligibility Criteria

Degree (Diploma/Master's) at the Academy in the academic year 2025/2026 or 2024/2025 (graduation in June 2026 at the latest).
Application Form.
CV with details of education and artistic career (exhibitions, scholarships, awards).
Portfolio featuring five selected works/projects (maximum 25 pages, 10 MB).
Proof of residence (Meldezettel).

Selection Criteria

Quality of application
Academic achievement
Artistic CV and past exhibitions
Motivation aligning with program objectives

Timeline

By September 15, 2026: Deadline for applications
By mid-November 2026: Selection and approval of scholarship recipients by the Advisory Board, as well as assignment of scholarship recipient–mentor pairs, taking into account the priorities listed in the application. The Advisory Board reserves the right to assign pairs differently than specified in the application.
January 13, 2027, 9-12h: Input Workshop for mentees (with Dr. Martina Friedl).
January 27, 2027, 15–17h: Kick-off event for all participants.
May 12, 2027, 14-17h: Working meeting with all participants in the program
December 1, 2027, 15-17h: Final program meeting.
December 2027: Participant and mentor feedback collection.

Please keep these dates free!

Submission

Save your portfolio and CV as a single PDF file (max. 25 pages, 10 MB)
Save your residence and degree proofs as a separate PDF file (max. 5 MB)

Rückfragen und Kontakt

For further information please contact Barbara Pflanzner (b.pflanzner@akbild.ac.at, +43 1 588 16-1204)

submission form

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