TGR in 2023

TGR The Green Room – Annual Report 2023

Focus: Support systems for performing artists – psychological, social, and artistic

1. Overview

2023 was a year of growth, international exchange, and the development of sustainable support structures for artists.

The central achievement was the launch of the GreenHaven Artist Residency Program, developed in collaboration with Artists-at-Risk (Finland) and supported by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

Throughout the year, The Green Room hosted artist residencies, workshops, counseling sessions, concerts, retreats, and professional events exploring artist health and systemic change.

The year concluded with a major recognition: the German Commission for UNESCO assumed patronage of the GreenHaven program, honoring TGR’s commitment to human rights and artistic freedom.

2. GreenHaven Artist Residencies

Program launch and structure

• Preparation phase January–March, funded by BAMF

• 1–2-month residencies for performing artists (music, dance, theatre) from non-EU countries, with a focus on displaced and at-risk artists

• Support includes free accommodation, rehearsal space, a €1,500 monthly stipend, opportunities for performances and public visibility

• Accompanying offers: psychological counseling, career coaching, and workshops on artist wellbeing

Cooperation & recognition

• Collaboration with Artists-at-Risk (Finland)

• Patronage by the German Commission for UNESCO

“This three-year residency program makes a fundamental contribution to the protection of human rights and artistic freedom.”
— Dr. Roman Luckscheiter, Secretary-General, German Commission for UNESCO

2023 Residents

• Daria Panteleeva (Russia) – Born to be…, an autobiographical audiovisual installation; salon and artist talk, May 2023

• Adrian Mocanu (Ukraine) – Le temps des loups concert and artist talk, June–July 2023

• Anton Mikhalevskii & Polina Babinkova (Russia) – Violin and Vibraphone concert, Sept 2023; contribution to Performing Artists’ Health Conference

• Olena Gaidychuck (Ukraine) – Music workshops for children and adults, July 2023

• Liryc Dela Cruz (Philippines/Italy) – Residency in December; research on care, hospitality, and indigenous practices

3. Events & Highlights

January–March

• Feldenkrais course with Andrea Klaßen

• Concert Duo Unconventional (Motylska & Hanke)

• Meditation retreat with Ulla König

• Artist talk with Slava Tyrnavskii & Sergei Karev

• GreenHaven – Artists United,

  • Performances by Laura Marti, Nataliya Lebedeva, Richie Beirach, and the Choir Ukraine

  • Exhibition by Evgeny Rakhmanin & Olena Shchehlova

  • Opening speech: Dr. Roman Luckscheiter (UNESCO)

  • Featured on WDR 3 Kultur am Mittag

April–July

• Presentation by Heather O’Donnell & Laura Marti at the UNESCO Cultural Committee, Bonn

• Thursday Salon with Daria Panteleeva

• Publication by Lucy Perineau & Heather O’Donnell (ENCC)

• Participation in Culture Action Europe conference, Elefsina – European Capital of Culture 2023

• Benefit concert for victims of the Kakhovka Dam disaster in Ukraine

August–September

• Creative Evolutions concert and talk with Siobhan and Heather O’Donnell

• Wake Up Call – Performing Artists’ Health Conference

  • Supported by ENCC & Oper Wuppertal

  • Participants from medicine, cultural policy, orchestras, and artist associations

  • Result: Manifesto for Artists’ Health signed by 16 institutions across Germany

• Against the Grain – Erwin Schulhoff and the Renaissance

• Philharmonic Lunch with Khreshchatyk Academic Chamber Choir (Kyiv)

• Two Goldsbys and a Test – concert with Robin & John Goldsby and Billy Test

• Solo concert by Ukrainian singer-songwriter Nataliia Galaktika

October–December

• Contemporary Iranian Theatre (film & discussion)

• Violin workshop Crash-Kurs Wurfbogen with Christoph Mayer

• Yoga courses with Anke Makai

• November/December residency: Liryc Dela Cruz (Philippines/Italy)

4. International Cooperation & Professional Networks

• ENCC – European Network of Cultural Centres
  Participation in conferences in Spain, Greece, and Serbia; contributions on culture & health and sustainability

• Culture Action Europe – input on culture and wellbeing

• On the Move – webinar Mental Health, Well-being and International Cultural Mobility with Yohann Floch, Krystel Khoury, and Joris Janssens

• Artists-at-Risk – continued collaboration on residencies and emergency support

5. Ongoing Courses & Health Offers

• Feldenkrais, yoga, meditation, and mental health workshops

• Individual and group counseling for artists

• Voice, body, and mindfulness practices

• Thursday evening salons as social-artistic meeting spaces

6. Summary

2023 marked a period of artistic, social, and institutional expansion for The Green Room.

With the launch of GreenHaven, a sustainable model was established—one that links artistic excellence with protection, healing, and social responsibility.

TGR’s work gained national and international visibility as an emerging example of an ecology of care within the arts sector.

7. Funders & Partners

• Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)

• Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community

• German Commission for UNESCO

• Artists-at-Risk (Finland)

• ENCC – European Network of Cultural Centres

• Culture Action Europe

• Oper Wuppertal

• BGZ vor Ort

• Kunststiftung NRW

• …and numerous volunteer supporters and partner organizations in Cologne, across Europe, and beyond