It’s something everyone probably has when they go off to study: the dream of a life in the arts field, of successes and co-productions, exciting projects, paths to be pioneered, new approaches to things. But how can one turn this dream into reality following graduation?
Since the beginning of January, ten young musicians, fine artists, and filmmakers have been attempting to find the most concrete possible answers to these questions as participants in the mdw supplemental programme mdw_HUB – “Make a Living in Music and the Arts … und als Künstler_in meinen Weg gehen …”. Over the course of three intensive weekend workshops, they develop their own personal “career roadmaps”, analyse available resources and networks, acquire the hard facts on self-directed work, develop a business model and an online self-marketing strategy, and go through roleplay-based preparation for a project pitch—which is then presented publically.
The mdw_HUB is meant to support the participating artists in shaping their “portfolio careers” in a self-confident and self-determined manner. The tools offered—including a career roadmap, a business model canvas, workshops, and coaching sessions—help to attain clarity on artistic and personal goals as well as sketch out possible ways of achieving them. Thereafter, experienced musicians, curators, and agencies act as mentors to support the participants in getting these goals closer to becoming reality.
The mdw_HUB is run by WTZ Ost (Knowledge Transfer Centre East), a joint effort of all Viennese universities to which the mdw has belonged since 2016. Its purpose is to facilitate and sustainably establish processes of knowledge transfer in a spirit of lively transdisciplinary exchange between research, business, and society. The mdw_HUB is a cooperative effort of the Office of Research Promotion and the mdw club, the mdw’s Career Center and Center for Further Education, the mdw’s Department of Cultural Management and Gender Studies (IKM), and mica.
