Hauptgebäude, Heumarkt 14, vom Rhein aus gesehen
Hauptgebäude am Heumarkt 14
Bibliothek in der Rheingasse
Bibliothek Garten
Bibliothek Lesesaal
Bibliothek Empfang
Neubau, Filzengraben 2
Neubau, Filzengraben 2
IInnenhof, Filzengraben 2
Facts and Figures
Founding Year
1989
Official opening
On October 15, 1990 with 25 students on the postgraduate diploma course “Audiovisual Media”; 1994: expansion of the range of courses to include the undergraduate diploma programme “Audiovisual Media”; the first cohort contained 40 students; since 2004: doctoral programme; 2010: the two diploma programmes renamed “Media and Fine Art”; since 2017: new field of study “Literary Writing”.
On October 15, 1990 with 25 students on the postgraduate diploma course “Audiovisual Media”; 1994: expansion of the range of courses to include the undergraduate diploma programme “Audiovisual Media”; the first cohort contained 40 students; since 2004: doctoral programme; 2010: the two diploma programmes renamed “Media and Fine Art”; since 2017: new field of study “Literary Writing”.
The academy opened in 1990 as “a factory of talent”, “a new type of art college”, as an “electronic Bauhaus”, a “maverick”, an “experiment without guaranteed success” and as an “unloved child” of Cologne’s cultural landscape. It was initially associated with the closure of the Cologne Academy of Fine and Applied Arts and thus with the loss of training in the “liberal arts” and with the “end of the printed word”.
In the meantime the KHM has successfully secured a prominent position among Germany’s art and film schools, although it has remained true—and is as such unique—to its project-oriented approach (no masterclasses, interdisciplinary supervision by professors, diploma degrees on the undergraduate as well as the postgraduate programmes), which fosters individualistic “crossover talent” between art, media, film and science.
“The classical arts have lost their monopoly. The concept of art itself has grown. Artists no longer create with paint, on paper or canvas, in wood, bronze or stone alone. New artistic tools, video, film, laser, photography, sound and computers for example, have added to the possibilities. Modern technologies and means of communication, the achievements of this century, have also become its means of representation.” The Minister for Science and Research at the time Anke Brunn (SPD) describes the motives of the KHM’s foundation (Lab 1, KHM magazine, 1991).
“The KHM has now been searching out its own way of doing education for 20 years. The decisive combination of diligence and talent, the ability to cooperate and ruthless individuality—it appears to have succeeded. It is—for us too—a bumpy road, flanked by prizes and awards and gratitude.” (Prof. Dr. Horst Königstein in the foreword of the brochure “Best of KHM Movies”, 2010)
Corporation
According to § 1 paragraph 2 of the Kunsthochschulgesetz (Art Colleges Act) the KHM is a corporation under public law and an institution of the federal state of NRW. The responsible authority is the Ministry for Culture and Science of the Federal State of NRW with whom current agreements on goals and performance are agreed for respective periods of four years.
“Media and Fine Art” course
- Undergraduate / Diploma I (9 semesters)
- Postgraduate / Diploma II (4 semesters)
- Doctoral Programme (PhD.)
- English-language teaching: partial
- Semester fees / Semester: approx. 300 Euro
Students / Staff in numbers
- Students: (WS 2015/16) 349; (WS 2016/17) 364; (WS 2017/18) 392; (WS 2018/19) 403; (WS 2019/20) 389; (WS 2020/21) 395; (WS 2021/22) 409
- Beginners: (WS 2015/16) 77; (WS 2016/17) 72; WS (2017/18) 83; (WS 2018/19) 63; (WS 2019/20) 54; (WS 2020/21) 75; (WS 2021/22) 58
- Application: (WS 2015/16) 499; (WS 2016/17) 584; (WS 2017/18) 560; (WS 2018/19) 565; (WS 2019/20) 531; (WS 2020/21) 497; (WS 2021/22) 549; (WS 2022/23) 529
- International students (WS 2015/16) 110; (WS 2016/17) 128; (WS 2017/18) 139; (WS 2018/19) 151; (WS 202019/20) 151; (WS 2020/21) 156; (WS 2021/22) 158
- Doctoral students: (WS 2015/16) 14; (WS 2016/17) 13; (WS 2017/18) 13; (WS 2018/19) 16; (WS 2019/20) 13; (WS 2020/21) 10; (WS 2021/22) 11
- Professors: 39 with full-time and part-time professorships
- Honorary Professors : 1
Artistic-academic staff: 26 with part-time and full-time positions (without third-party funds)
- Other staff: 79 with part-time and full-time positions
KHM Rectors
Manfred Eisenbeis (founding commissioner until 1990) Klaus Katz (founding rector 1990-1994) Siegfried Zielinski (1994-2000) Anthony Moore (2000-2004) Andreas Henrich (2004-2007) Marie-Luise Angerer (2007-2009) Klaus Jung (2009-2014) Hans Ulrich Reck (since April 2014)
KHM Buildings
1989 moved into Rheingasse 8 (today’s library/media library with Studio A) and Peter-Welter-Platz 2; from 1994 the buildings at Filzengraben 18-24 and the atelier in Großen Witschgasse 11 were added; 1997 the rental of Filzengraben 8-10 followed; from 2005 the occupation of the complex of new buildings at Filzengraben 2 followed; from 2008 use of Glasmoog at Filzengraben 2a with the ateliers above and behind it. Today the KHM is spread across seven building complexes around Filzengraben.
Organigram KHM
Regulations
Address / headquarter
Academy of Media Arts Cologne
Heumarkt 14
50667 Cologne
Fon: +49 221 20189 - 0
Fax: +49 221 20189 - 17
Rector's Office
Susanne Hackländer
Fon: +49-221-20189-111
s.hacklaender@khm.de
Assistant to the Rectorate
Heidrun Hertell
Fon: +49-221-20189-130
Press / PR office
Fon: +49 221 20189 - 135 / - 330
Fax: +49 221 20189 - 49135
Fire Protection Officer
Markus Fabricius
Tel.: +49 221 20189 – 264
Guard duty
Fon: +49 221 20189 - 105
Mobil: +49 173 7480228
Mail: wachdienst@khm.de
Website administration
Mail: webmaster@khm.de
