The “Kooperativ Ternitz” (“Cooperative Ternitz”) project is organizing an artist-in-residence programme (AIR) in spring 2026. It takes place in a former workers' settlement in Ternitz in Lower Austria/AT. Under the motto “Kooperative Dreiersiedlung” (“Cooperative Dreiersiedlung”), artists and cultural professionals from various disciplines who are interested in supporting the transformation process of the Dreiersiedlung with artistic impulses are invited to apply.

The project “Kooperativ Ternitz – New Cooperative Models for Climate-Resilient Settlement Revitalization” accompanies the future development of the Dreiersiedlung, a former workers' settlement in the Lower Austrian municipality of Ternitz. Ternitz is strongly embedded with the history of the steel industry, which, however, has been undergoing structural change and a decline in industrial production since the 1970s. Furthermore, the municipality and former workers' housing estates such as Dreiersiedlung are thus facing new challenges today. “Kooperativ Ternitz” aims to transform the settlement center, infrastructure, public spaces, and forms of mobility in a cooperative manner. As part of this project, three artist residencies for artists and cultural professionals from various disciplines will be awarded in 2026.
Kooperativ Ternitz is being implemented by a consortium consisting of Caritas Stadtteilarbeit (Caritas Neighborhood Work), the non-profit housing association Schwarzatal, eins:eins Architektur, Carla Lo Landschaftsarchitektur, Rosinak & Partner, and the municipality of Ternitz. The project is financed by a grant from the Climate and Energy Fund. The Caritas Stadtteilarbeit team is responsible for organizing the residencies and is the contact institution for interested artists during the application and implementation phases.

Locals speak mainly German. The project team speaks German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Under the motto “Cooperative Dreiersiedlung,” three ten-week residencies will take place on site in Ternitz between April 20 and the end of June 2026. The artists will be accommodated in the Dreiersiedlung and will have access to local infrastructure, such as the “Volkshaus”, which is to be used more intensively as a community center in the future. As cooperatively designed art residencies, they will be supported during their stay by the project team and the municipality of Ternitz.

They are looking for artists who are interested in using local narratives and/or the current transformation process in the settlement as a starting point for their work. Moreover, for those who are willing to open their artistic practice to residents and neighbors. The aim is to provide contemporary artistic impetus on site that supports the multifaceted transformation process of the Dreiersiedlung and makes cooperative potential visible and accessible. Contributions involving local initiatives, associations, artists, and cultural workers are very welcome. So are contributions that creatively address the following questions of settlement revitalization: What narratives and identities can be found in the settlement, and how can these be continued or reinterpreted? What might local supply and mobility look like in the future? How can the "Volkshaus” be a place for all? What role can art and culture play in future coexistence living? How can community spaces develop sustainably?

Criteria
• The artists will live and work in the Dreiersiedlung for ten weeks throughout the art residencies (from April 20 to the end of June 2026).
• The theme of the artistic work is freely selectable, with reference to the development process of the Dreiersiedlung.
• Active collaboration with community representatives, local cultural workers, cultural associations and initiatives, volunteers, clubs, children and young people, and related institutions is desired.
• The results of the work done on site must be presented for the first time at the end of the residencies in the Dreiersiedlung. In addition, skill sharing of one's own artistic practice with residents and other interested parties is planned during the art residency.