Location: Museum Alte Pfarrhäuser Mittweida
Time: June 18-23, 2025
Organizer: City of Mittweida, Museum Alte Pfarrhäuser Mittweida
Organization: Museum Alte Pfarrhäuser Mittweida and Rolf Büttner
Artistic director: Rolf Büttner, graduate designer
Call!
Apply to take part in a symposium for sculptors.
Who was Friedrich Schilling?
The sculptor Johannes Schilling was born in Mittweida in 1828 as the fifth child of a noble family. He grew up in Dresden and attended the art academy there at the age of 14. He was a master student of Ernst Rietschel and was taught by other leading sculptors of his time: Christian Daniel Rauch, Friedrich Drake and Ernst Julius Hänel. He soon worked in his own studio for Gottfried Semper, among others. In 1861, Schilling was commissioned to create the “Four Times of Day” group of figures on Brühl’s Terrace on the banks of the Elbe in Dresden. This commission brought him his breakthrough as a sculptor. The original of the four monumental sandstone sculptures has been on the Schlossteich in Chemnitz for over 100 years. In total, Schilling created around 280 sculptures in Germany, Austria, France and Italy. The sculptor was immortalized as an important personality of his time on the famous Fürstenzug in Dresden. Friedrich Schilling died in 1910 (Source: Wikipedia)
The history of the symposium in memory of Schilling in Mittweida
Schilling’s entire surviving estate is exhibited for the first time in 2000 in the “Alte Pfarrhäuser” museum in Mittweida. In the years that followed, close contact was established with the Schilling family association. Extensive permanent loans come to Mittweida. The “Johannes Schilling” inventory catalog is published in 2003. In 2005, the Johannes Schilling House in Mittweida (Kirchplatz 4) is opened to the public. (Source: www.museum-mittweida.de)
This gave rise to the idea of bringing Schilling’s art to life in a very practical way. Numerous sculptors are active in the region, and Mittweida contributes to the preservation of this tradition. The first symposium took place in 2003, followed at not entirely regular intervals in 2010, 2013 and 2018. 21 sculptures were created in total and placed in Mittweida’s public spaces. The artistic director, initiator and organizer of the event series was the Chemnitz sculptor Volker Beyer (1943-2023). He left behind numerous works in public spaces, often with a statement, sensitive and occasionally ironic.
2025 Rolf Büttner took over the artistic direction of the symposium. In 2018, he himself takes part in Beiers’ symposium. As an artist and director of the folk art school in Oederan, he is equally dedicated to creation and mediation. He has organized sculpture workshops in Burgstädt and Oederan with national and international participants.
Theme of the 2025 symposium
You could say: “The theme of the symposium is sculpture itself”. It always appears as a reflection of its time, and in surviving longer periods of time it becomes a rear-view mirror. There is no predetermined motif for the participants, only an indication of the awareness that we will look back on ourselves at some point through the long-lasting sculpture.
We are looking for 5 participants
5 professional or semi-professional sculptors who have a background in the genre of sculpture.
Conditions
The invited artists conclude a fee contract with the city of Mittweida, which includes services (participation in the symposium, creation and provision of a sculpture) and remuneration (fee of 1000 €, material, meals, accommodation, if necessary, public relations).
Material and working technique
Pirna sandstone will be provided for the symposium. This will be obtained directly from the quarry in the form of waste stone. The shape and size of the stones will be documented so that the design can be adapted to the stone before the symposium.
During the symposium, work will be carried out exclusively by hand using mallets and iron. Mechanical work can only be carried out before or after the symposium.
The following are provided
- Sandstone (unformatted)
- Work tent for protection from the weather
- Work protection (goggles, gloves, hearing protection) by arrangement, if necessary: for installation:
- Tools (mallets, iron) – Sockets
- Working trestles – Labeling
Application and selection
Please send an informal and informative application for participation in the symposium to:
Museum Alte Pfarrhäuser
to the attention of Ms. Karsch
Kirchberg 3
09648 Mittweida
The 5 participants will be selected by Sybille Karsch, Director of the Alte Pfarrhäuser Museum, and Rolf Büttner, Artistic Director of the symposium. The selection of participants will be announced on May 12, 2025, so that there is still enough time for individual preparation.
The installation of the resulting sculptures
The city of Mittweida will decide where the sculpture will be placed. The artists will be informed accordingly.
The course of the symposium
Symposium closing 23.06. 2 p.m.
Application until 05.05.2025
Announcement of participants 12.05.
Requests for stone formats until 01.06.
Symposium 18.06.2025, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
19.06. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
20.06. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
21.06. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
22.06. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
23.06. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Application deadline: May 5, 2025