de Appel Curatorial Programme

Initiated in 1994 by Saskia Bos, the Curatorial Programme of de Appel arts centre wishes to offer young curators a condensed package of experiences and skills that can be used as tools and instruments during the further development of their professional career. De Appel is an internationally oriented arts centre located in Amsterdam that functions as a site for the production of performances, research and presentation of contemporary visual arts through a series of exhibitions, publications and discursive events. In September 2006, a remodelled version of the eight-month long Curatorial Programme was launched with a renewed curriculum and an extended tutorial team. It encompasses a dense array of theoretical seminars, thematic workshops, field trips in Europe and Asia, practice-related assignments and encounters with artists and art professionals. Throughout the programme attention is paid to the history of exhibition-making, diverse curatorial practices, collection and institution building and project management. The unique and special thematic focus is on the polarity between ‘free-lance’ and ‘institutional’ curating and on the examination of ‘context-responsive’ curating. The formats and methodologies that curators deal with in the presentation of art in the ’expanded field’, outside of the white cube, are explored in the programme. This focus culminates in a ‘site-specific’ curatorial assignment: the participants of the course are invited to investigate a specific area (in 2006/2007 this was the Amsterdam suburb de Bijlmermeer and in 2007/2008 the satellite city Leidsche Rijn near Utrecht) and realise a project that relates to this site in a direct or indirect way. Through inviting the participants to work ‘off-site’ de Appel challenges the curators to reflect upon the current status and issues of art in (sub)urban public space and to reflect upon the different ways in which art functions in processes of urban renewal/generation. Throughout the process the relationship with the ‘mother institution’ is maintained while at the same time being interrogated. The following parts of the programme are considered to be of vital importance: – the opportunity to research theoretical issues and developments in regular sessions with a tutorial team consisting e.g. of de Appel director Ann Demeester (BE/NL), curator Annie Fletcher (IR/NL), visual artist Steve Mc Queen (GB/NL), writer and curator Elena Filipovic (US/BE), curator Dieter Roelstraete (BE), independent researcher/curator Lisette Smits (NL) and philosopher/curator Henk Slager (NL). – the opportunity to meet a large number of artists, curators, critics and other professionals from the Netherlands and abroad in a very condensed period of time, and having the chance to exchange ideas with them, either during thematic seminars or during informal encounters. Guest teachers in 2007 were e.g. Carlos Basualdo (US), Gerardo Mosquera (CU/US), Paul O’Neill (GB), Jacques Rancière (FR), Simon Sheikh (SE) and Pier Luigi Tazzi (IT). – the opportunity to get acquainted with de Appel from ‘the inside’, and get a better insight into the mechanisms and governing principles of a contemporary institution for visual arts. the possibility to make a long trip outside of Western Europe and a minimum of 7 excursions within Europe. APPLICATIONS REQUIREMENTS – A letter of motivation in which your personal drive is stated and what you expect from the programme. – A proposal for a show (5-15 pages), including: concept and location of the show (main focus), the participating artists (including some image material), a budget of the show, a publicity plan (not obliged). – A résumé, including an extensive description of one\’s relevant working experience. – Two written references of (former) tutors, professors or employers, in English. On the basis of the submitted documents a pre-selection is made. Approximately ten candidates will be short-listed; they are invited to come to Amsterdam in the last week of March for an interview. Application deadline: 7th of March 2008 Send completed applications (in two-fold) to: de Appel Att: Esther Vossen Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10 1017 DE Amsterdam The Netherlands For further information please visit our website http://www.deappel.nl Contact: t. + 31 (0) 20 6255215