rtwork
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Open-source software for cultural institutions

Softwarefor the workbehind culture.

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01 / 03
01artwork / Daily overview
02Inventory & availability
03Staff & shift planning
01artwork / Daily overview
02Inventory & availability
03Staff & shift planning
artwork / Daily overview

artwork brings projects, calendars, spaces, staff, inventory, contacts and budgets into one shared working environment for cultural institutions.

artwork is currently used in production by 8 cultural institutions; the longest-standing organisation has used it since 2025.

Discover artwork Learn more →

For theatres, museums, festivals, concert halls, production houses and other cultural institutions.

From the artwork communityOrganisations shaping artwork
View all references01Kampnagel Hamburg02HAU Hebbel am Ufer03HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts04Sophiensæle05Tanzhaus Basel06Lausitz Festival07Stadttheater Gießen08Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm

The modular system

One shared data foundation for the areas you use.

artwork connects information where relationships matter. Each organisation decides which areas of work it actually wants to manage in the system.

Select a module to explore its possibilities

Shared data foundation

artwork

Projects, people, spaces and resources can be connected without giving up control of structures or data.
  • Data ownership stays with you
  • Open source without vendor lock-in
  • Individually configurable
  • Developed together
Use the included modules individually, together or step by step, with no additional licence fee per module.
InputImport & migration

Bring in existing data from CSV, Excel and other agreed formats, with integrations available by arrangement.

OutputExport & interfaces

PDF, Excel, ICS, an open inventory API and further interfaces for your own data flows.

From modules to your daily work

Find out how artwork can make your daily work easier.

Choose the area you work in and go directly to the functions and workflows most relevant to your responsibilities.

Choose your perspective
8cultural institutions in production
8connected functional areas
AGPLfree and permanently open licence
DE · ENmultilingual interface

Which organisations is artwork right for?

artwork has no licence fees (AGPL) and its modules can be enabled as needed — the same software, in four typical configurations:

  1. Independent groups and collectives:

    projects, calendars, contacts, tasks and simple budgets — without shift planning or inventory.

  2. Smaller organisations:

    a shared overview of projects and dates, space bookings and budget tracking — one data source instead of distributed Excel files.

  3. Production houses, festivals and concert halls:

    parallel productions, changing teams, shift planning, equipment and third-party funding.

  4. Repertory and ensemble theatres:

    the full configuration — daily scheduling, workshops, collective-agreement-based shift planning and cost units.

Find your starting point

What would you like to organise with artwork?

Different responsibilities call for different starting points. Choose your perspective and go directly to the relevant functions.

01

Scheduling & production

Plan spaces, events, projects and participating teams in context.

Explore calendars, spaces & projects 02

Technical teams & inventory

Record inventory, schedule equipment and check availability.

Explore inventory & equipment 03

HR & shift planning

Connect staffing demand, shifts, working time and approvals.

Explore shift planning 04

Administration & controlling

Structure budgets, funding, reporting, contacts and contracts.

Explore administrative areas 05

IT & digital transformation

Assess operations, data sovereignty, migration and technical integrations.

Explore operations & implementation

Open source as a foundation

Freedom to choose how you run, own and develop the system.

01ARTWORK / PRINCIPLE

Data sovereignty

Your organisation decides where artwork runs, who has access and how data is backed up or exported.

Own server · intranet · hosting of your choice
02ARTWORK / PRINCIPLE

No vendor lock-in

Source code and data remain accessible. You can change the operating model or continue development independently.

AGPL · open source · portable data
03ARTWORK / PRINCIPLE

Invest together

Developments can be funded by several organisations and benefit the entire community.

Share requirements · pool development
04ARTWORK / PRINCIPLE

Adaptable

Modules, master data, workflows and project structures can be tailored to different organisations.

Modules · roles · fields · workflows
Learn more

In-house operations or managed service

Your infrastructure, your decision.

One open system · free choice of infrastructure

01 · Self-managed operations

Run it yourself

Your own IT team installs and runs artwork independently. There are no licence fees.

What this path includes

  • Your own server, data centre or closed intranet
  • Take responsibility for updates, backups and maintenance
  • Keep source code, data and technical control in-house
For organisations that want to organise technical operations themselvesView source code ↗

02 · Optional managed operations

Outsource responsibility

Caldero Systems can take care of technical operations as artwork’s development team, on your own infrastructure or on a dedicated hosted instance.

What this path includes

  • Choose the hosting location together
  • Updates, backups and monitoring from one team
  • Support and migration directly with the development team
  • Service without requiring custom development
For organisations that want to preserve internal capacity and outsource operational responsibilityExplore optional support ↗

From venues. For venues.

Experience from cultural institutions shapes the software.

artwork was created with cultural institutions. Experience from scheduling, technical, administrative and production teams shapes its functions, priorities and ongoing development.

SchedulingTechnical teamsProductionAdministration

In use, in testing and developed together

  1. 01Kampnagel Hamburg
  2. 02HAU Hebbel am Ufer
  3. 03HELLERAU
  4. 04Sophiensæle
  5. 05Tanzhaus Basel
  6. 06Lausitz Festival
  7. 07Stadttheater Gießen
  8. 08Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm

“Thanks to the phased introduction, the final switch to artwork was far less dramatic than we had feared.”

Benjamin Willems · Head of IT, Kampnagel

Frequently asked questions

What organisations usually clarify before implementation.

Concise answers about use, operations, data and collaboration, without hiding the practical details.

01Can artwork really be used without licence fees?

Yes. artwork is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License and can be installed and used without licence fees. Costs may arise for infrastructure, implementation, maintenance, support or requested development.

02Do we need to use every module?

No. Your organisation decides which areas it manages in artwork. Modules can be introduced individually, together or step by step, with no additional licence fee per module.

03Can artwork run inside our own intranet?

Yes. artwork can run on your infrastructure, in your data centre or inside a closed intranet. Caldero Systems can alternatively operate it on your infrastructure or on a dedicated hosted instance.

04Where is our data stored and who can access it?

Your organisation and the chosen operating model determine the hosting location, access rights, backups and exports. Data sovereignty remains with the cultural institution.

05Can data from existing systems be migrated?

Yes. Contacts can, for example, be imported from CSV or Excel. Complete migrations from legacy systems, databases or other file formats are planned after the existing structure has been assessed.

06What is Caldero Systems’ role?

Caldero Systems is the development team behind artwork, a partner for further development and the service partner for implementing, migrating, hosting, operating, supporting and training artwork in your organisation. These services can be commissioned independently of any custom development. With development and operations in one team, you get direct routes and first-hand technical support.

07Can we run artwork ourselves or work with another provider?

Yes. The source code is publicly available. Your internal IT team or another suitable provider can handle installation, operations and adaptations while complying with the AGPL licence.

08What does a typical implementation look like?

The process begins by defining goals, participating teams and a useful starting scope. Infrastructure, roles and permissions, potential migration and key-user testing follow. Additional areas can then be introduced gradually.

Explore artwork for your organisation

Bring a workflow you would like to organise better.

During the demo, we map your questions to the relevant areas and show those functions directly in artwork.

  • Discuss one of your workflows
  • Explore the relevant modules
  • Clarify rollout and operations
Request a demo by email Or browse the documentation first ↗