In 1995, Villa Aurora became an artist residence and, once again, a place for international cultural encounters. As such, the house stands as a memorial to all the artists and intellectuals who found refuge from Nazi persecution and had tremendous impact on the cultural life of the United States’ West Coast.

Villa Aurora houses visual artists, writers, filmmakers, composers, and performance artists. In addition, the organization awards the "Feuchtwanger Fellowship" for up to six months to writers or journalists whose freedom of expression is suppressed in their own countries. In this way, the organization pays homage to Villa Aurora’s former owners and commemorates the history of European exiles in the 1930s and the 1940s.

Since 1995, more than 400 artists have revitalized this historic place and have in turn been inspired by U.S. culture and nature, the exiles’ traces, and the artists who lived and worked at Villa Aurora with them .

Many of our alumni have since secured a permanent place in the German and international artistic and literary sphere.