Diversity is the prime focus of our cultural commitment

In line with its self-image and its commitment to Darmstadt headquarters, Merck sustainably promotes local cultural initiatives. Thus a diversity of the arts – including the fine arts, the performing arts and music – is fostered, creating an environment that can be described as inspiring and attractive to live in, for both the citizens of Darmstadt and our employees.

Decisive for gaining sponsorship by Merck is not the size of an institution, for example, but the quality of the concept and a partnership-based approach. As a sponsor we ask ourselves how we can make a valuable contribution in terms of social and artistic culture. In return, we expect project proposals that make a contribution to Merck, for instance by offering new ideas. For even the Irish dramatist and Nobel Prize winner of 1925, George Bernard Shaw, knew that ideas are multipliers: “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” 

The following presents a selection of projects that are sustainably promoted by Merck: Since 2005, Merck has supported the Darmstadt Days of Photography and, since 2008, has donated the Merck Prize that is awarded to outstanding photographic artists.
Every year, the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (German Academy for Language and Poetry) awards the Johann  Heinrich  Merck Prize for literary essays, which is donated by Merck and awarded along with the Georg Büchner Prize.

Since 1999, Merck has partnered with the Centralstation, sponsoring jazz concerts in the scope of which famous jazz musicians from around the world have performed in Darmstadt. In 2010, the collaboration was extended by the festival “Merck-Sommerperlen”.

In addition to music, Merck is also dedicated to theater like the halbNeun-Theater. Our range of sponsorship activities also includes exhibitions, for instance at the Hessisches Landesmuseum (state museum) and at the Jazz Institute, as well as various other projects. From January to April 2011, Merck will be the prime sponsor of the exhibition “Faszination Kirchner – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Experiments in Photography and Painting” at the Kunsthalle Darmstadt, which is taking place in the scope of the project “Phenomenon Expressionism” that is realized by the FrankfurtRheinMain art fund.

Our cultural commitment is rounded off by smaller activities. These include Atelierhaus Vahle, Theatertage im Fürstenlager and the Forest Art Path.