May 30–June 5, 2016
This summer, Independent Curators International (ICI), in partnership with RAW Material Company, will organize the Curatorial Intensive in Dakar, Senegal.
With this fourth Intensive in Africa—following past programs in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Marrakech—ICI maintains its commitment to supporting the development of curatorial practice and international networks in Africa. This program will build upon ICI’s collaborations with Koyo Kouoh and RAW Material Company, and will coincide with the 12th Edition of the Dak’Art Biennale, curated by Simon Njami.
The Curatorial Intensive, a weeklong professional development program, offers curators the opportunity to discuss, among colleagues, the concepts, logistics, and challenges of organizing exhibitions, public programs, and other curatorial models. It is designed to immerse a peer group of participants in a rigorous schedule of seminars and conversations, which support the process of developing an idea for an exhibition into a full proposal. The program is targeted toward self-motivated individuals—working independently or in institutions—who would benefit from a weeklong itinerary of discussions around the issues that arise for curators. In addition, the Curatorial Intensive will expose participants to the historically vibrant art scene of Dakar, a city known as one of the major sites for artistic and intellectual production in Africa.
Seminars, site visits, individual meetings, and roundtable discussions will be led by a group of professionals that includes: Nancy Adajania (cultural theorist and curator, Bombay, India), María del Carmen Carrión (Director of Public Programs & Research, ICI), Babacar Mbaye Diop (curator and art critic; Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar), Koyo Kouoh (Artistic Director, RAW Material Company, Dakar), Riason Naidoo (independent curator, Cape Town, South Africa), El Hadj Malick Ndiaye (art historian, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar), Simon Njami (Curator, Dak’Art Biennale 2016, Dakar), Renaud Proch (Executive Director, ICI), and Franklin Sirmans (Director, Pérez Art Museum, Miami), among others.
Application guidelines
12–14 applicants working internationally will be selected to participate in the Curatorial Intensive. The applicant must have 3+ years of curatorial experience or a similar track record of organizing art projects. All applications must include a 500-word description of an exhibition or program idea that the applicant would like help in developing. Also required are a current 250-word bio, a 500-word letter of intent, and a 300-word text that describes a recent curatorial project that has made an impact on the applicant. To apply, and for full application guidelines, visit ICI’s website.
Applications are accepted in either English or French. This program will be held in English, with assistance to French speakers.
Fees and scholarships
The program fee is 1,900 USD. Participants are also responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. Numerous scholarship packages that subsidize or eliminate the program fee are available and awarded based on merit. To apply for a scholarship, please include a letter of motivation with your application.
Scholarships for this program are provided in part by a grant from the Institut Français, ICI’s Access Fund, and the Gerrit Lansing Education Fund. As part of a new partnership with the Joyce Foundation to support richer diversity in the curatorial field, scholarships are available to African, Latino/a, Asian, Arab, or Native American (ALAANA) curators based in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin. A scholarship for a curator from Turkey will be supported by SAHA. A scholarship for a curator from Mexico will be supported by Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo (PAC).
For more information or questions, visit ICI’s website or email kimberly@curatorsintl.org.
The Curatorial Intensive is made possible in part by grants from the Institut Français, the Hartfield Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and by generous contributions from Mercedes Vilardell and ICI’s Leadership Council, the ICI Board of Trustees, the ICI Gerrit Lansing Education Fund, and the supporters of ICI's Access Fund.
About Independent Curators International
Independent Curators International (ICI) produces exhibitions, events, publications, research and training opportunities for curators and diverse audiences around the world. Established in 1975 and headquartered in New York, ICI is a hub that connects emerging and established curators, artists, and art spaces, forging international networks and generating new forms of collaborations. ICI provides access to the people and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art.
About RAW Material Company
RAW Material Company is a center for art, knowledge and society established in Dakar, Senegal in 2008. It is an art initiative involved with artistic education, residencies, knowledge production, and the archiving of theory and criticism. It works to foster appreciation and growth of artistic and intellectual creativity in Africa. The program is trans-disciplinary and is informed equally by urbanity, literature, film, architecture, politics, fashion, cuisine, and diaspora.
