Curatorial Programme Open Call 2020-2021

We invite you to apply to the 26th edition of De Appel’s Curatorial Programme September 1, 2020–June 30, 2021.

Application deadline: January 31, 2020

De Appel invites local and international curators, artists and cultural practitioners to apply to its ten-month long, full- time educational platform in Amsterdam. With Monika Szewczyk’s leadership, De Appel redoubles its investment in the Curatorial Programme, understanding the unique values of this 25-year strong endeavour.

De Appel’s Curatorial Programme (CP) is a life-changing opportunity for motivated individuals who seek experience in making art public, beyond what academic degrees can offer. This intensive 10-month period of residency in Amsterdam involves full immersion in the local scene with De Appel as an institutional base. Following a rich curriculum intended to provide direct insight into the work of artists, the building of institutions, and forms of social life, each year’s six participants collectively determine De Appel’s public offering in Spring.

The 2020-2021 CP will unfold through a series of workshops, sessions, meetings, and studio visits, which are punctuated by intensive site visits and research trips. Throughout the course, participants gain full access to De Appel’s distinctive three-part institutional structure comprised of an open Archive, our free-thinking, hands-on Curatorial Programme, and varied Public Programmes including exhibitions, events and education initiatives. Through collective study and shared responsibility they shape the very DNA of our experimental institution.

The six participants, chosen by a jury of leaders in their field, will join a strong network of alumni and advisors who continue to transform the social life of art. People from different social and cultural backgrounds are invited to bring their knowhow and experience to the table, where they will learn from each other and from the leaders in their chosen field.

Over the last 25 years, CP alumni have gone on to lead and to found world-renowned and locally grounded initiatives; many have made strides as curators of biennials and signature exhibitions, and as the artistic directors of the last and the next editions of documenta. De Appel’s CP now aims to nurture a new generation of curators who are allies of artists and builders of institutions. At stake is the role of art as a space and time to pose vital questions—to pause, to reflect, to deliberate in our rapidly evolving and increasingly polarized society. Defending such a space-time for a broader public sphere takes great resourcefulness and organizational agility. It also involves imagination, wisdom and joy. 

De Appel’s Curatorial Programme is supported by the Stichting Hartwig Foundation.

More info on De Appel Curatorial Programme, it’s previous participants and advisors may be found here. 

Based upon the submitted documents approximately twelve candidates will be short-listed. Interviews will take place end of Februari 2020, conducted by an experienced jury, after which the final six participants will be selected. 

Application requirements

1. The application form, completed and signed (see website under “practical information”)
2. Motivation letter, max. 500 words
3. Response of max. 300 words each, to the following questions:
–What is the social role of an exhibition in your experience and how do you want to change this? 
–Please introduce one artwork that you feel makes sense in Amsterdam, as you understand the city at this time. 
–Motivate one project you would most eagerly like to realize in the next two years.
4. CV, max. 2 pages
5. Two written references of (former) tutors, colleagues, or employers, in English or Dutch.

Please prepare one single Pdf-document with items in the above order. This Pdf and any questions can be emailed to the Curatorial Programme Coordinator, Liza Nijhuis: liza [​at​] deappel.nl