Maastricht strengthens position as hotspot for artistic research

MERIAN receives €85,000 boost for artistic research

With a joint learning environment for art and research in Maastricht, artistic research network MERIAN is taking the next step in the development of the art sector. In this learning environment, students, lecturers, and researchers from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht University, and the Jan van Eyck Academie collaborate intensively at the intersection of art, science, and society. In doing so, Maastricht strengthens its position as a hotspot for artistic research in the Euregion.

Interdisciplinary learning and research

The financial boost, awarded by Maastricht University and Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, provides scope for new shared educational spaces, projects, and collaborative structures. Students will have more opportunities to work beyond the boundaries of their degree programs, for example in interdisciplinary projects and research programs. They will also benefit from continuous learning pathways from bachelor’s to PhD. This means more exchange, more practice-oriented research, and more room for experimentation. The amount of €85,000 is distributed evenly over three years, with a first tranche made available in the current academic year and the allocation for the subsequent two academic years in line with progress.

Stronger connection between art, science, and society

The artistic research network MERIAN enables artists and lecturers to work together with students and researchers on societal issues. Think of themes such as health, sustainability, or social justice. In this way, art and research are directly connected to practice and society.

Under the leadership of Ties van de Werff, Professor at Zuyd, and Flora Lysen, lecturer-researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Maastricht University, lecturers from Zuyd’s ‘What Art Knows’ research group and various faculties of UM are collaborating on this connection between art education and artistic research.

Ties van de Werff: “Thanks to MERIAN, we are building a strong infrastructure for educational innovation and practice-oriented artistic research. With this boost, we can create a truly shared educational space between our institutions, in which staff, students, artists, and other professionals collaborate on regional challenges.”

Extra boost for the arts sector

MERIAN is a network for artistic research in which artists and academics collaborate at the intersection of art, science, and society. The network is supported by Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht University, and the Jan van Eyck Academie. These three leading institutions, located within walking distance of each other in Maastricht, are jointly building a single shared learning and research environment. In doing so, they provide a boost to the arts sector and strengthen the innovative profile of Maastricht and the Euregion.