Participants of the Curatorial Programme and the Gallerist Programme 2013–2014. Photo: Shinji Otani.
“There is an abc-ignorance that precedes knowledge, and there is another learned ignorance that comes after and that is created through ‘knowing’ and that will equally like the first be annihilated and annulled by knowledge.” Michel de Montaigne*
Initiated in 1994, the Curatorial Programme of de Appel arts centre aims to offer young curators a condensed package of experiences and skills that can be seen as instruments to refine their thinking and enhance the development of their professional career. It is one of the oldest curatorial programmes in the field, but continues to adjust its curriculum to new circumstances in the curatorial field.
The ten-month-long full-time Curatorial Programme is practice-based and structured along the principle of ‘learning by doing’ and ‘collective curating’. A select group of six participants, based in Amsterdam, partakes in a dense array of tutorials, workshops, excursions, practice-related assignments and encounters with artists, art professionals and cultural producers. They finalise their stay in Amsterdam with a ‘collective curatorial’ endeavor, realising an exhibition, festival, conference or book project.
The participants of the Curatorial Programme are supported and coached by a large team of tutors, experts in their own field. The tutors—with backgrounds in philosophy, curating, art history and art – examine particular tendencies and developments in the field of contemporary visual art. Each individual tutor has a thematic area of focus, which he or she explores in a series of three to six sessions. In 2013–2014 the tutorial team consists of Floris Alkemade (architect, NL), Mieke Bal (art historian, NL), Liesbeth Bik (visual artist, NL), Ann Demeester (director de Appel arts centre, BE/NL), Charles Esche (director Van Abbemuseum, UK/NL), Annie Fletcher (curator, Van Abbemuseum, IR/NL), Elena Filipovic (curator Wiels, US/BE), Ann Goldstein (former director Stedelijk museum, US), Henk Slager (philosopher/curator, NL), Lisette Smits (independent researcher/curator, NL), Jan Verwoert (art critic, DE) and Barbara Visser (visual artist, NL).
Apart from regular sessions with the tutorial team, the programme also offers various excursions (including a research trip to a destination outside of Western Europe, such as India, South Korea, Brazil or Indonesia), practice-related assignments, and the opportunity to meet with a large number of artists, curators, critics and other international professionals, through thematic seminars, studio visits and other encounters. For more detailed information about the programme, please see our information flyer, or consult the programme’s website: www.deappel.nl/cp.
Guest/former teachers over the past years include Teresa Gleadowe, Pablo Helguera, Jan Hoet, Adam Kleinman, Ieva Misevičiūtė, Gerardo Mosquera, Paul O’Neill, Nicolaus Schafhausen, Simon Sheikh, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Ulay, and many others.
Application requirements:
1. A letter of motivation in which you state your personal drive as well as your expectations of the programme
2. A proposal for a project (maximum 3,000 words, see the guidelines on our website) including concept and location of the project (main focus, explanation of context and relevance), the participating artists (including some image material), a realistic budget, a publicity plan (not mandatory). Please note that this is a hypothetical project, to help familiarize the jury with your interests, ideas and curatorial approach
3. A CV, including an extensive description of your relevant work experience
4. Two written references of (former) tutors, professors or employers, in EnglishOn the basis of the submitted documents twelve candidates will be short-listed. These candidates will be invited to come to Amsterdam in the first week of April for an interview with an international jury, who will select the final six participants of the Curatorial Programme 2014–2015.
Send applications digitally to cp-application@deappel.nl
Application deadline: January 13, 2014
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