Adelheid Mers

Adelheid Mers is a Professor and Chair of Arts Administration & Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Her research practice, Performative Diagrammatics, integrates facilitation, performance, and installation to explore epistemic diversity. She leads the Performative Diagrammatics Laboratory, developing instruments like The Braid and Fractal 3-Line Matrix for workshops globally.

Her research spans:

• Artistic facilitation as a peace-building methodology
• Diagrammatic tools for cultural ecologies
• Embodied knowledge through participatory topologies

Recent publications analyze performative instruments, epistemic diversity, and diagrammatic theory in journals like Performance Research and International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media.

Awards & Grants:

• Illinois Arts Council Fellowship (2021)
• Erasmus Grants (2018-2020)
• SSHRC Grant (2008)
• DAAD Fellowship (1988)

She facilitates institutional retreats (e.g., Grand Valley State University) and international workshops (PSi, Vilém Flusser Archive) to advance arts-based research methodologies.