Since 1983, the Künstlerhaus Dortmund has been run by artists themselves as a studio and exhibition space for contemporary and experimental art.

The Künstlerhaus is a venue for works of all artistic genres - painting, sculpture and graphic art as well as photography, film, video, spatial installations and new media. This spectrum is reflected both in the members' fields of work and in the exhibitions, which are organised by the members as group exhibitions with external artists.

Alongside local museums, art associations and galleries with their traditional individual presentations or primarily economic interests, the Künstlerhaus enlivens Dortmund's art scene with a location that is unique in this form. The Künstlerhaus creates a free space for art, offers artists from Germany and abroad a good working environment and reduces visitors' fear of thresholds through direct mediation.

The Künstlerhaus thrives on the active collaboration of its members, who, by taking over a studio, commit themselves to voluntary work in, among other things, the conception and organisation of the exhibition programme. The output of events has increased continuously over the years, so that a professional organizational structure became necessary. Since 1998, there has been a management that supports the association in its work.

The Künstlerhaus is regularly used by international guests for working residencies and site-specific new productions. Since 2005, a two-month summer residency with a final presentation for an international artist selected by a jury of the house has been an integral part of the programme. Through this and due to the interdisciplinary orientation of the Kuenstlerhaus Dortmund, a constantly growing network of contacts to various cultural institutions in the region as well as to international institutions is established.