MAC

Merit Art Collective (MAC) was founded on a shared understanding among creatives and arts professionals that, despite being deeply connected - locally and internationally - through networks and communities, we often work in isolation. Independent practitioners frequently rely on institutions due to an inherent power imbalance between the established and the independent.

We recognise the precarity of arts work and the volatility of the cultural sector, shaped by the political and social contexts of each country, city, and place. MAC is a platform that unites creative minds, strengthens our independence, and fosters collective resilience. Merit Art Collective is an interdisciplinary institute for artistic and creative engagements, research, and exchange. We support, create, and produce.

At Merit Art Collective, we embrace reality as a state of permanent misunderstandings from which we derive an active and constant curiosity. We function like an ensemble - in situ, digital, in transmission, on the ground, in spirit - with shifting constellations shaped by each project and its needs. Our limitations are invitations for others to join and become part of the process.

Our work unfolds through:
A global network of independent artists and creatives. We consolidate an evolving index of people, practices, places, and ideas, curating meeting points and departure points for creative exchange.
A research initiative. Developing ideas, methodologies, and publications at the intersection of academia, art, and curation.
An institution that produces projects, residencies, and interventions. Including all aspects of the ecosystem to hosting an archive of traces, capturing the processes and moments that shape our work.
A bureaucratic tool for active members. A structure to secure funding with guaranteed project ownership, providing accounting, management, and reporting support.

Merit Art Collective seeks a spectrum of answers, a process of ideas, and an ongoing interplay between local and global citizens.
We favor intuitive processes, disagreements, and slippages in creative engagements, while establishing clear and structured methodologies, MoUs, and briefs - offering the widest possible framework for play. We partner with individuals, initiatives, and institutions through research and production, offering our expertise as a sounding board and advisory service for specific inquiries. Merit Art Collective is a registered Verein in Berlin.

Merit Art Collective is built as an organism, learning from its members as we work together and share our respective skills.
The main purpose of MAC lies in exchange - of ideas, projects, and knowledges - to foster a network that is democratic in its behaviour and diverse in its output. We do not strive for sameness but celebrate differences as the superpower of our generation.

Our work is always collaborative and multidisciplinary. MAC follows a method of attentiveness and deep care for both the subject matter and participants. It is about being an active part of a process - an exchange between people and objects. It also reflects an openness to engage with and nurture topics and experiences, even - or especially - when they are unfamiliar. We acknowledge the multitude of realities and knowledges that exist within diverse lives. We embrace constructive criticism and a willingness to learn new or different ways of working, thinking, and articulating projects.

A core idea of MAC is the sharing of knowledge, ideas, and thoughts among members. Nurturing each other's minds and creative output is central to our ethos. We are inclusive of diverse people and perspectives, providing a safe space for them to exist and be shared. We foster exchange and collaboration through projects we create, produce and facilitate. These projects can come from our Board of Directors and from our Members. For this we have equipped MAC with an institutional structure for independent projects to use as a platform, network and a bureaucratic administrative tool.

But we wanted to extend the communal idea of our founders further and offer an international Network too, consolidated through MAC, we bring people together, make connections and connect which is done through our index on the website or direct inquiries. As a non for profit organisation we appreciate supporters that belief in what we do and thus help us grow our structures. To manage the above, we have designed four types of memberships, depending on what you are looking for: Network, General, Funding, and Donor.

This institution is carried by the belief in creative connections and the power of recognising one another. Our aim is to create meeting points worldwide - whenever and however needed - to bring art projects to life.
MAC, as a system, is itself an index of curatorial and artistic methodologies and modes of self-organisation, fostering active interactions and new ways of gathering and working. This led us to create the Network Membership.

We offer institutional infrastructure - both legally and bureaucratically - to facilitate access to funding, ensuring proper accounting and reporting in line with funder guidelines. This support is provided for the General Membership. Every active member is invited to shape MAC, foster collaborations, and expand exchanges beyond its mandate. We understand art’s soft power and advocate for the recognition of its impact as an integral part of human life.

Funding Memberships acknowledge the importance of MAC’s work, offering the option to be actively involved, while Donor Memberships support the association’s operations and vision. We also collaborate with organisations, institutions, and universities on specific projects—expanding our partnership network and enhancing each member’s participation.

If you are interested in becoming a member or exploring a collaboration, please contact us: info@workofmerit.org