RUNDGANG AND NEUSTART
Working in a protected environment in the studio classes is one thing; presenting the resulting works to the public is another; yet the two are mutually dependent. For this reason, the Academy of Fine Arts Mainz opens its studios and exhibition spaces to the public every year at the end of the semester for the ‘Rundgang’ or ‘Neustart’.
At the ‘Rundgang’, all students from the twelve fine art classes show their newest works over a three-day period. It is not only the studio rooms, but the entire building that becomes an exhibition space for painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography, film, media art and performance. This is also an opportunity for people from outside to take a look behind the scenes and get an impression of what art students are currently working on.
While the ‘Rundgang’ is for all students at the end of the summer semester and the limited space must be used accordingly, the ‘Neustart’ at the end of the winter semester offers graduates more exclusive and generous conditions. It represents a hopeful start into the profession as a teacher or as a freelance artist. For their ‘new start’, they are each given individual rooms in which they can present their final works in solo exhibitions. The class studios and storage rooms are also made available for this purpose in order to allow the public to participate. The examination and exam exhibitions are essential components of an art degree, for which the ‘Neustart’ serves as a final conclusion.