The Maumaus Independent Study Programme creates a context for the comprehension and internalisation of knowledge through discussion and critical thinking. The Programme is designed to encourage the participants to analyse and develop their art practice in a stimulating, intellectually rigorous, yet informal environment. The intense Programme runs for seven months, from January to July, and is open to a maximum of fifteen participants (artists, art-related researchers or other professionals).

Besides regular critical studies and group discussions, seminars, workshops and lectures offer insights and multiple perspectives on current thinking in- and outside the wider field of art – but always in relation to it – and are devised by a range of internationally renowned artists, film-makers, art historians, philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists and cultural and political researchers. Studio visits allow the enrolled artists to develop their work through discussions with selected artists and other arts professionals.