Dr. Barbara M. Eggert is the new president of the Merz Akademie

Dr. Barbara Margarethe Eggert, an art and cultural scholar, has become president at the Merz Akademie, University of Applied Arts, Design and Media, Stuttgart since February 1, 2023.

With a PhD in art history, she has been active in the field of higher education development for many years, most recently at the University of Art in Linz in the Institute for Art and Education. Professional stations led her, among others, to the Donau University Krems, where she worked as a course director in the field of art and cultural studies. With her design research-relevant focus on text & image, she is well connected through her many years of international lecturing and publishing activities in the fields of Textile Studies, Museum Studies and Comics Studies.

Since 2019, Barbara M. Eggert has been part of the core team of the international NEXTCOMIC festival. As an inaugural gift, the new president brings the cooperation with the Austrian Comics Festival to Merz Akademie. On March 10 and 11, 2023, the online comic science symposium “FR|ENEMY MINE – Friendship and Enmity in Comics” will take place, aimed at both professionals and the interested public.

The Merz Akademie offers space for a visionary dialogue of design, art, media and theory on the shoulders of a critically-reflective tradition,

says Barbara M. Eggert. As president of the Merz Akademie, she will be responsible for the academic affairs of the university.

Stefan Grünenwald, Managing Director of the Merz Akademie welcomes Barbara M. Eggert to the university’s management team:

I am very much looking forward to working with Barbara M. Eggert and combine my warm welcome with best wishes for her tenure as president.