Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin

What Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin does

Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin is a non-profit, public art and design university located in the Weißensee district of Berlin. Founded in 1946 in the spirit of democratic renewal and the Dessau Bauhaus tradition, the institution operates as a Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts (public law corporation) under the Berlin Higher Education Act, governed by the Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit, Pflege und Gleichstellung. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs across nine departments — Product Design, Fashion Design, Textile- and Material-Design, Visual Communication, Fine Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Stage and Costume Design), Art Therapy, and Spatial Strategies — supported by 20 specialized workshops and studios (including bronze foundry, bookbinding, ceramics, digital printing, knitting, weaving, XR, and rapid prototyping), plus dedicated research laboratories such as greenlab for sustainable design and eLab for interactive technologies.

The institution serves approximately 800+ students, primarily prospective and enrolled art and design learners at the BA, Diploma, and MA levels, alongside international exchange students and continuing-education cohorts in art therapy. Revenue is derived from state public funding rather than tuition, as German public university education is largely tuition-free; students pay only nominal semester fees covering administration, student services, and a Semesterticket for public transport. The institution supplements core state funding with project-based grants (notably from DAAD) and a portfolio of named scholarships. Operational delivery is on-campus in Berlin across multiple sites — the main Bühringstraße campus, Concordia building, Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, the Art Therapy location in Schönstraße, the Bronzegießerei Johannisthal foundry, and a meeting facility in Rietz-Neuendorf — supported by digital infrastructure including CampusCore for admissions, Incom for course communication, and Moodle as LMS.

Distribution and admissions are handled via direct enrollment through the CampusCore portal and a formal academic admissions process with portfolio reviews and entrance examinations. The institution runs an annual two-day open house (Rundgang) and information sessions as primary recruitment touchpoints, complemented by a digital presence across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and email newsletters. International outreach is channeled through partnerships with peer universities (University of Minnesota, HBK Braunschweig, HGB Leipzig) and clinical partners (Park-Klinik Berlin for Art Therapy), with the academy functioning as a publicly funded node in the regional creative and cultural economy rather than as a commercial education provider.

Name

Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin

Legal name

weißensee kunsthochschule berlin

Website

https://kh-berlin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin is a public, state-funded art and design university offering BA, Diploma, and MA programs across nine departments to roughly 800+ students in Berlin, supported by 20 workshops and research labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

akta.pro primary industry

Design Colleges (Graphic, Industrial, UX/UI, Interior) (EDAHAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA)

Keywords

• Fine arts education
• Design degree programs
• Art therapy training
• Creative workshops
• Public art university

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. State Public Funding: As a public corporation under German law (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts), the institution receives primary funding from the Berlin state government (Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit, Pflege und Gleichstellung). Education is largely tuition-free for students under German public university framework.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin is a public art and design university offering BA, MA, and Diploma degree programs across 9 academic departments, including Product Design, Fashion Design, Textile/Material Design, Visual Communication, Painting, Sculpture, Stage/Costume Design, Art Therapy, and Spatial Strategies. Instruction is delivered through an interdisciplinary foundation year, 20+ specialized workshops and studios, and dedicated research laboratories (eLab for interactive technologies, greenlab for sustainable design).

Product overview

Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin is a public art university offering comprehensive undergraduate (BA/Diploma) and graduate (MA) degree programs in Fine Arts and Design. The academic portfolio consists of 9 departments: BA/MA Product Design, Fashion Design, Textile- and Material-Design, Visual Communication (Design), and Fine Arts specializations in Painting, Sculpture, Stage and Costume Design (Diploma), plus MA programs in Art Therapy and Spatial Strategies. The institution operates research laboratories including greenlab (sustainable design), eLab (interactive technologies), and workshop facilities for digital fabrication, XR technologies, and prototyping. Educational technology infrastructure includes CampusCore for admissions, Incom for course communication, and Moodle for learning management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BA/MA Product Design

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint exhibition project 'BERLIN – MINNEAPOLIS/faraway, so close' bringing together students from both institutions. Project includes exhibition at KUNSTPUNKT BERLIN, reciprocal exhibition in Minneapolis, and documentation through a joint catalog. Funded by DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).
• Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner VolksbankmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Exhibition partnership featuring 'Klasse in Weißensee! Wolfgang Peuker und seine Schüler:innen' at the foundation's venue, showcasing 80 years of institutional heritage.
• Werkbundarchiv – Museum der DingemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration exhibition 'Gestalten für Berlin. Design aus der Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee' at the museum, curated by Silke Ihden-Rothkirch & Florentine Nadolni, featuring design heritage and alumni work.
• Galerie PankowcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Annual hosting partner for Mart Stam Prize exhibition - the academy's prestigious award for outstanding graduate works, featuring award-winning students from all departments.
• HBK Braunschweig, HGB LeipzigminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration exhibition 'Gespiegelt – Perspektiven zeitgenössischer Radierung' bringing together printmaking students and faculty from three German art academies.
• Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst BuschminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating institutions for symposium 'Kultur im Umbruch. Die drei künstlerischen Hochschulen im Osten Berlins', organized with Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam.
• Park-Klinik BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partner for MA Art Therapy program - hosts information days and provides real-world context for art therapy training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal College of Art: Globally leading postgraduate-only art and design university in London. Comparable in offering top-tier art and design education but operates as a larger, more internationally recognized, tuition-charging institution.
• Central Saint Martins (UAL): Part of University of the Arts London, offering fashion, fine art, product, and graphic design programs. Comparable academic scope but with much larger scale and stronger global brand recognition.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD): Premier US private art and design college offering fine arts, architecture, and design programs. Comparable in academic mission and selectivity, though operates as a private tuition-charging institution.
• Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture: Nordic public university combining art, design, and architecture with strong sustainability and digital fabrication focus. Comparable in combining fine arts with applied design disciplines within a public research university structure.

Direct peers

• Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: German public university with direct Bauhaus heritage, offering art, design, media, and architecture programs. Closely comparable in pedagogical lineage and public-university structure to Weißensee.
• Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach: German public design university specializing in visual communication, product design, and media. Comparable public funding model and curriculum overlap in design-focused higher education.
• Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig (HGB Leipzig): One of Germany's oldest public art academies offering painting, graphic arts, book art, photography, and media arts. Collaborates with Weißensee on cross-institution printmaking exhibitions and competes for similar applicants.
• Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (HBK Braunschweig): German public art university with fine arts, design, and art education programs. Direct peer in the small cohort of major German state-funded art schools and partner on joint exhibition projects.
• Kunsthochschule Kassel: Public German art school within the University of Kassel system offering product design, visual communication, and fine arts. Comparable in size, public funding model, and curriculum mix.
• Universität der Künste Berlin: Berlin's other major public art and design university, offering fine arts, design, music, and performing arts. Directly competes for the same Berlin-based applicants and faculty, and operates under the same Berlin Senate governance framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kunsthochschuleberlin
• Facebookfacebook.com/weissenseekunsthochschuleberlin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wei-ensee-kunsthochschule-berlin
• Instagraminstagram.com/kunsthochschuleberlin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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