Art collections on Theatre Square
Wednesday, 2 April, 6.15 pm
Double opening: Schneeberger Geflecht and Beyond Geometry
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Schneeberger Geflecht: Art comes from making! Applied art connects this making with all our lives, brings beauty into our everyday lives, shapes relationships and living spaces. It has been created for 146 years in the workshops of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts, whose holdings meet those of the Chemnitz Art Collections here. The exhibition Schneeberger Geflecht showcases the (co-)making. Students of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts are designing a participatory workroom exhibition based on the university's workshop principle. Schneeberger Geflecht is not only the title of the exhibition, but also a call to action. Natural materials and pre- and post-consumer waste are woven, woven, sewn and spun. Stools, chairs, bags, clothes and much more will be created. The Werkraum invites visitors to try things out and make things themselves and actively encourages creativity and cultural participation.
Beyond Geometry: Frei Otto gave fundamental impetus to the architecture of the second half of the 20th century like no other. His pioneering spirit and his work in lightweight construction were a source of inspiration for numerous architects, engineers and artists worldwide. These include the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Frei Otto is rarely associated with his birthplace of Chemnitz-Siegmar. A multi-part programme, conceived by numerous partners and consisting of events, workshops and exhibitions, is intended to highlight him as an important personality in Chemnitz.
Opening and evening programme at:
https://www.kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de/event/02-04-2025-12142/
Saturday, 5 April, 10 a.m. (duration approx. 3 hours)
Workshop : Schneeberger Geflecht - Bag in Motion: Picnic
Workshop leader: Students of the 3rd semester of the fashion design programme
Location: Art Collections on Theatre Square
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Prerequisites: good knowledge and skills in sewing with a sewing machine, creativity and patience
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
The Bag in Motion is more than just a bag - it is a flexible, sustainable and functional design piece for the modern, active lifestyle. Thanks to its clever 2-in-1 concept, it can be transformed from a stylish felt bag into a comfortable picnic blanket or training mat in no time at all. Whether for outdoor adventures, sports or relaxing moments in the park - this bag adapts to the user's needs. The Bag in Motion workshop at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz offers a unique opportunity to combine creativity, craftsmanship and sustainability.
Participants make their own multifunctional felt bag under supervision, which can be converted into a picnic blanket or training mat. You will learn how to use materials, tools and sewing techniques and realise your own design idea.
Saturday, 5 April, 1 p.m. (duration approx. 4 - 5 hours)
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - Bag in Motion: Bicycle bag
Workshop leader: 3rd semester fashion design students
Location: Art Collections on Theatre Square
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Prerequisites: good knowledge and skills in sewing with a sewing machine, three-dimensional imagination, patience, curiosity, interest in cycling, possession of a suitable bicycle (frame with top tube, inner minimum length 48 cm)
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen@stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
Cycling is not only a hit in itself - it combines fun, exercise, exploring the surroundings, freedom and a healthy lifestyle, it also corresponds to the current zeitgeist in terms of a sensitive approach to the environment and climate-friendly mobility. In order to have the back-friendly option of carrying a few belongings with you during this activity, it can be useful to have a bike bag on board. This workshop involves participation, certainly a challenge, but also a surprise. In addition to learning about a product made from recycled materials, the accompanying booklet provides background knowledge about diamonds, bicycles, sport and the links between people and companies in Chemnitz. The experience of an object that is transformed into a body by assembling different parts is a special experience in this workshop. In order to achieve visual participation, the colour composition of the bag can be determined by the participants themselves using ropes and parachute silk. A self-sewn bicycle bag in a city like Chemnitz, which has an outstanding history of bicycle and racing bike culture, gives this workshop a special value.
Saturday, 5 April, 4 p.m.
Public guided tour: Combined tour Schneeberger Geflecht & Beyond Geometry
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, meeting point: ticket office
Participation: included in museum admission
In this combined tour, we offer you the opportunity to decide together with the guide on the focus of the tour of the two exhibitions.
Schneeberger Geflecht: Art comes from making! Applied art connects this making with all our lives, brings beauty into our everyday lives, shapes relationships and living spaces. It has been created for 146 years in the workshops of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts, whose holdings meet those of the Chemnitz Art Collections here. The exhibition Schneeberger Geflecht showcases the (co-)making. Students of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts are designing a participatory workroom exhibition based on the university's workshop principle. Schneeberger Geflecht is not only the title of the exhibition, but also a call to action. Natural materials and pre- and post-consumer waste are woven, woven, sewn and spun. Stools, chairs, bags, clothes and much more will be created. The Werkraum invites visitors to try things out and make things themselves and actively encourages creativity and cultural participation.
Beyond Geometry: Frei Otto gave fundamental impetus to the architecture of the second half of the 20th century like no other. His pioneering spirit and his work in lightweight construction were a source of inspiration for numerous architects, engineers and artists worldwide. These include the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Frei Otto is rarely associated with his birthplace of Chemnitz-Siegmar. A multi-part programme, conceived by numerous partners and consisting of events, workshops and exhibitions, is intended to highlight him as an important personality in Chemnitz.
Wednesday, 9 April, 4 to 9 p.m. (duration approx. 30 minutes each)
Workshop : Schneeberger Geflecht - carving snails
Workshop leader: Lotte Pönnighaus and Jannik Zielke
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, meeting point: ticket office
Participation: free of charge, walk-in workshop without registration
Simple pieces of round wood are carved and then transformed into a scroll with wire wrapping.
Wednesday, 9 April, 4 pm
Workshop: Schneeberg weaving - Schicki Shibori
Workshop leaders: Rose Marie Güttler and Thekla Nowak / Rose Marie Güttler and Franziska Heinze
Location: in good weather on the theatre square, otherwise in the studio
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
Shibori from shiboru, to squeeze or wring out, is a Japanese dyeing technique that offers countless pattern possibilities. Geometric shapes or even pictorial motifs can be created by folding, binding, sewing or inserting wooden discs. The textile technique was used 1000 years ago to create elaborate, mostly indigo-coloured fabrics for kimonos, among other things. Together we will take up the shibori technique, learn about different approaches and dye individual cloths.
Saturday, 12 April, 2 to 6 pm
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - embroidery as a refinement of the forgotten
Workshop leaders: Anna Rudert, Laura Coellar
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Prerequisites: Experience in embroidering with beads is not necessary, but a little dexterity makes the work easier
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
In a three- to four-hour workshop, participants will learn how to embellish simple fabrics with glass beads and sequins. It is possible to bring your own special textiles, long-kept treasures and items of clothing and embroider them or work with fabric remnants. Participants will be shown various techniques and possibilities of bead and sequin embroidery and will work on their own motifs and embroideries, which will create shiny accents on even the simplest fabrics. Working with needle, beads and thread is suitable for the limited time frame, as it is more intuitive and easier to learn than classic tambour embroidery. The community and the conversations, the exchange of stories and memories that arise during the work are an important part of the workshop concept. The knowledge transfer about the history of bead embroidery in the Vogtland/Erzgebirge region and the craft of tambour embroidery, which is almost extinct in Germany today, does not take place via a formal lecture, but in conversation and while embroidering. Participants are invited and encouraged to use the framework of creative togetherness and meditative embroidery to share their own experiences, memories and stories. At the end of the workshop, the embroideries created will be documented and taken home by their creators.
Sunday, 13 April, 2.30 pm
Family tour: Schneeberger Geflecht
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, meeting point at the ticket office
Participation: Museum admission (children under 18 are free) + 2 euros material fee for adults and 0.50 euros material fee for children
Registration: at the ticket office of the Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, on 0371 488 4424 or info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de
Together we will explore the exhibition Schneeberger Geflecht - Die Angewandte Kunst invites you in a playful way. In addition to experiencing the design process up close and personal and an extensive presentation of applied art, the exhibition offers the opportunity to discover unusual objects, materials and the possibilities of contemporary design. Afterwards, we will create our own small works of art to take home.
Wednesday, 16 April, 4 pm, 5.30 pm and 7 pm
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - MOVE YOUR ASS
Short workshop, workshop leader: 3rd semester students specialising in wood design
Location: Art Collections on Theatre Square
Participation: 22 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 5 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen@stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
In this workshop you will assemble an unconventional stool. The individual parts required are already available. You will drill the holes in the wooden legs for the seat and base, then weave the seat with a climbing rope. A carrying strap makes it possible to take the stool anywhere, for example to the lake, a picnic or a concert.
Wednesday, 16 April, 7.30 pm
Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch: Lecture on the work of Núria Quevedo by Brigitta Milde, former curator at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Contrary to the official cultural scene in the GDR, a hotspot of the alternative art scene developed in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) at the beginning of the 1970s. With the Galerie Oben and the Clara Mosch artists' group (1977-1982), which also ran a producers' gallery, there were two institutions in the city that attracted art lovers from all over the country with their unconventional exhibition programme, actions and events. At the same time, these venues also served as platforms for artists who were not recognised as such by the state. Here they were given their first exhibition opportunities within the framework of the unofficial scene.
The exhibition uses numerous original documents, photos, posters, postcards and letters to tell the story of both galleries and bring them back to life. Changing monthly presentations introduce artists who were present in the gallery between 1973 and 1990, allowing visitors to experience a broad spectrum of artistic trends from this period.
Saturday, 19 April, 2 to 5 pm
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - creating paper on the theatre square
Workshop leader: 3rd semester students specialising in textile art
Location: Art Collections on Theatre Square
Participation: free of charge, walk-in workshop without registration
In this workshop, visitors can create their own paper and incorporate silhouettes of Chemnitz. Each postcard will be unique with a personal reference to Chemnitz. As part of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, unique postcards will be created that bring the unseen to light. Participants have the option of either creating simple cards or incorporating silhouette patterns into the paper. We will provide our laser-cut motifs for this, or alternatively each person can cut out their own patterns by hand.
Wednesday, 23 April, 5 pm (duration approx. 3 hours)
Workshop : Schneeberger Geflecht - Bag in Motion: Picnic
Workshop leader: 3rd semester fashion design students
Location: Art Collections on Theatre Square
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Prerequisites: good knowledge and skills in sewing with a sewing machine, creativity and patience,
Registration for the workshops at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
The Bag in Motion is more than just a bag - it is a flexible, sustainable and functional design piece for the modern, active lifestyle. Thanks to its clever 2-in-1 concept, it can be transformed from a stylish felt bag into a comfortable picnic blanket or training mat in no time at all. Whether for outdoor adventures, sports or relaxing moments in the park - this bag adapts to the user's needs. The Bag in Motion workshop at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz offers a unique opportunity to combine creativity, craftsmanship and sustainability.
Participants make their own multifunctional felt bag under supervision, which can be converted into a picnic blanket or training mat. You will learn how to use materials, tools and sewing techniques and realise your own design idea.
Saturday, 26 April, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
Sunday, 27 April, 11 am to 4 pm
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - Wood in Motion (two-day block workshop)
Workshop leader: Jan-Erik Schützhold
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Participation: 56 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 16 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
The aim of the workshop is to produce customised stools based on digital and physical models. These are designed to be flexible and able to follow body movements. Participants will use a series of simple jigs and fixtures to modify the semi-finished components with manual and digital tools and assemble them into stools.
Sunday, 27 April, 3 pm
Public guided tour: Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, meeting point: ticket office
Participation: included in museum admission
The special presentation shows works by Núria Quevedo. The exhibition uses numerous original documents, photos, posters, postcards and letters to tell the story of both galleries and bring them back to life. Changing monthly presentations introduce artists who were present in the gallery between 1973 and 1990, allowing visitors to experience a broad spectrum of artistic trends from this period.
Wednesday, 30 April, 4 to 9 pm
Workshop: Schneeberger Geflecht - Experiment Fashion Design - Collage & Drapage: From an idea to the first draft
Workshop leader: Alina Herzau
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Participation: 28 euros incl. day ticket (full payer), 8 euros excl. day ticket (reduced)
Registration at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or on 0371 488 4424.
The workshop Experiment Fashion Design - Collage & Drapage combines two creative methods for developing designs. Collages enable a playful approach to colours, shapes and proportions. Materials such as photographs, textiles and papers form the basis
basis for individual compositions. Cutting, tearing and layering create variations that open up new creative possibilities and take aesthetic and conceptual aspects into account. Collages not only serve to visualise, but also to analyse and further develop designs. In the next step, these ideas are transferred to drapage on the dressmaker's dummy. Simple basic shapes are used to create three-dimensional silhouettes that bring volume, balance and proportions to life. The combination of both methods creates an experimental approach to fashion design and opens up new perspectives in the design process.
Ongoing exhibitions:
(until 15 February 2026)
Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch - artistic free spaces in Karl-Marx-Stadt
Location: Art collections on Theatre Square
Contrary to the official cultural scene in the GDR, a hotspot of the alternative art scene developed in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) at the beginning of the 1970s. With the Galerie Oben and the Clara Mosch artists' group (1977-1982), which also ran a producers' gallery, there were two institutions in the city that attracted art lovers from all over the country with their unconventional exhibition programme, actions and events. At the same time, these venues also served as platforms for artists who were not recognised as such by the state. The exhibition uses numerous original documents, photos, posters, postcards and letters to tell the story of both galleries and bring them back to life. Changing monthly presentations introduce artists who were present in the gallery between 1973 and 1990, allowing visitors to experience a broad spectrum of artistic trends from this period. Furthermore, the so-called "Wednesday events" at Galerie Oben will be revived in the form of artist talks, lectures, readings and film screenings, inviting visitors to enter into dialogue with the artists of the time.
(from 3 April to 29 June 2025)
Beyond Geometry - Frei Otto x Kengo Kuma
Location: Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
Frei Otto gave fundamental impetus to architecture in the second half of the 20th century like no other. His pioneering spirit and his work in lightweight construction were a source of inspiration for numerous architects, engineers and artists worldwide. These include the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Frei Otto is rarely associated with his birthplace of Chemnitz-Siegmar. A multi-part programme, conceived by numerous partners and consisting of events, workshops and exhibitions, aims to highlight him as an important personality in Chemnitz
(from 3 April to 29 June 2025)
Schneeberger Geflecht - The applied arts invite you
Location: Art collections on Theatre Square
Art comes from making! Applied art connects this making with all our lives, brings beauty into our everyday lives, shapes relationships and living spaces. It has been created for 146 years in the workshops of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts, whose collections meet those of the Chemnitz Art Collections here. Students of the Schneeberg University of Applied Arts are designing a participatory workroom exhibition based on the university's workshop principle. Schneeberger Geflecht is not only the title of the exhibition, but also a call to action. Natural materials and pre- and post-consumer waste are woven, woven, sewn and spun. Stools, chairs, bags, clothes and much more will be created. The workroom invites visitors to try things out and do it themselves and actively encourages creativity and cultural participation
Museum Gunzenhauser
Saturday, 26 April, 6 pm
Opening: European Realities
Location: Museum Gunzenhauser
For the first time, the exhibition is dedicated to the diverse realism movements that were visible almost everywhere in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. It tells of poverty and misery, of the economic boom and cultural prosperity, of scientific and technological progress, of the big city and nightlife, emancipation and diversity. Never before has this artistic epoch been presented on such a scale.
The exhibition includes artists from northern, central, south-eastern, southern and western European countries and presents artistic networks that transcend national borders. It builds on Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub's eponymous presentation of New Objectivity from 1925, which, after Mannheim and Dresden, made a stop at today's Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz in Chemnitz. European Realities combines the local tradition with pan-European realist tendencies. Realism of the 1920s and 1930s not only has many names such as Nuovo Realismo, Realismo mágico, Pittura metafisica, Novecento, Neue Sachlichkeit, Neoklassizismus, Magischer Realismus, Neorealisme, Nové realismy and many more, it also has its roots in different countries and has many faces. With around 300 works from 20 countries, the exhibition shows not only a European panorama, but also how artistic approaches spread and develop through the transfer and migration of ideas.
Current exhibitions:
(from 27 April to 10 August 2025)
European Realities
Realism movements of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe
Location: Museum Gunzenhauser
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Sunday, 6 April, 2 pm
Opening: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Location: Clubkino Siegmar, Zwickauer Straße 425
Interested parties are invited to the opening of the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House at 2 pm at the Clubkino Siegmar. The film premiere of "Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Passion and Rebellion" (ARTE/MDR, 52 min.) in the presence of Anna Schmidt, director and producer of the film.
Due to limited seating in the Clubkino Siegmar, please register by 31 March at kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or call 0371 488 4424.
Following the opening event, there will be a shuttle service to the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus at Limbacher Straße 382.
The Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus will be open on Sunday, 6 April, from 3 to 7 pm.
Opening programme at:
https://www.kunstsammlungen-chemnitz.de/event/06-04-2025-12042/
Sunday, 13 April, 2 pm and 2.45 pm (duration approx. 30 minutes each)
Public guided tour: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Location: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, Limbacher Straße 382
Participation: included in museum admission
Places on public guided tours in the Künstlerhaus are limited. Please register at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or 0371 488 4424. Groups of 5 people or more are requested to pre-book guided tours due to the limited number of participants.
Get to know the newly opened Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House and its namesake during the public impulse tours. He was born in Rottluff (now Chemnitz) in 1884 and co-founded the Brücke group of artists.
The exhibition shows two collections that were donated especially for the house: the exquisite collection of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's handicraft works from the former property of Dr Victor and Hedda Peters, which is on permanent loan from the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, and a private collection of objects from the artist's former personal possessions. Prints, oil sketches and temporary loans are also on display in the exhibition rooms. Together with the neighbouring mill, where Karl Schmidt-Rottluff spent his childhood, the house will become another hotspot of Expressionism in Chemnitz. As a "place of new beginnings", the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House is one of the intervention areas of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.
Sunday, 20 April, 2 pm and 2.45 pm (duration approx. 30 minutes each)
Public guided tour: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Location: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, Limbacher Straße 382
Participation: included in museum admission
Places on public guided tours in the Künstlerhaus are limited. Please register at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or 0371 488 4424. Groups of 5 people or more are requested to pre-book guided tours due to the limited number of participants.
Get to know the newly opened Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House and its namesake during the public impulse tours. He was born in Rottluff (now Chemnitz) in 1884 and co-founded the Brücke group of artists. The exhibition presents two collections that were donated especially for the house: the exquisite
collection of works by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff from the former estate of Dr Victor and Hedda Peters, which is on permanent loan from the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, and a private collection of objects from the artist's former personal possessions. Prints, oil sketches and temporary loans are also on display in the exhibition rooms. Together with the neighbouring mill, where Karl Schmidt-Rottluff spent his childhood, the house will become another hotspot of Expressionism in Chemnitz. As a "place of new beginnings", the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House is one of the intervention areas of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.
Sunday, 27 April, 2 pm
Guided tour: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House
Location: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus, Limbacher Straße 382
Participation: included in museum admission
Places on public guided tours in the Künstlerhaus are limited. Please register at info.kunstsammlungen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de or 0371 488 4424. Groups of 5 people or more are requested to pre-book guided tours due to the limited number of participants.
Get to know the newly opened Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus and its namesake during the curator's tour. He was born in Rottluff (now Chemnitz) in 1884 and co-founded the Brücke group of artists. The exhibition shows two collections that were donated especially for the house: the exquisite collection of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's handicraft works from the former property of Dr Victor and Hedda Peters, which is on permanent loan from the Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung, and a private collection of objects from the artist's former personal possessions. Prints, oil sketches and temporary loans are also on display in the exhibition rooms. Together with the neighbouring mill, where Karl Schmidt-Rottluff spent his childhood, the house will become another hotspot of Expressionism in Chemnitz. As a "place of new beginnings", the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House is one of the intervention areas of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.
Current exhibitions:
(from 8 April 2025)
A new museum for Chemnitz - Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Haus
Location: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House, Limbacher Straße 382
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, co-founder of the Brücke group of artists, is one of the most important German Expressionists. His birthplace in Chemnitz has been redesigned as an artists' centre and cultural hotspot for 2025.
Karl Schmidt was born in Rottluff (now Chemnitz) in 1884. He was a co-founder of the Brücke artists' group and an important representative of Expressionism in Germany. After many years of initiatives and preliminary planning, the city of Chemnitz decided to convert Karl Schmidt-Rottluff's former parents' house at Limbacher Straße 382 into an artists' centre. Together with the neighbouring mill, where Karl Schmidt-Rottluff spent his childhood, the house will be developed into another hotspot of Expressionism in Chemnitz. As a "place of new beginnings", the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff House is one of the intervention areas of the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.