The furtherance competition “Young People Interpret Art” is being held for the ninth time this year, thanks to the commitment of our project partners Deutsche Bank Stiftung and the City of Duisburg. The competition gives talented students from all over Germany an opportunity to show what they have in them in the way of creative and organizational potential. The participating school classes spend an entire day at the MKM accompanied by a member of our art education staff – looking, sketching, and discussing. Finally they are asked to interpret their experience of art in an art project of their own.

The challenges for the students’ independent creativity come from none other than the artists represented at the MKM. Student groups are expected to work as a team, developing an interesting, original idea and putting it into practice. A distinguished jury of experts (including Markus Lüpertz and Coordt von Mannstein) will evaluate the students’ works, and the winners will receive a Deutsche Bank Stiftung Youth Art Prize in the amount of EUR 5,000, 2,000, or 1,000. The engagement of all the schools participating will be honored by a joint exhibition at the MKM. Seen in this light, this is a competition in which everybody wins!

Openness is just as desirable in “Young People Interpret Art” as imagination and team spirit. Art is a means of expression, enhances the quality of life, can awaken curiosity or concern, or just be plain fun – as students will discover in their direct involvement with art in front of originals in the museum. In this way, art becomes a fascinating encounter with new ideas, and encourages original thinking.