Independent Curators International announces the Curatorial Seminar in Istanbul
June 11–September 25, 2013
Application deadline: May 8, 2013
Developed by Independent Curators International (ICI), the Curatorial Seminar will offer a small group of curators the opportunity to engage closely with mentors and their peers to explore pertinent issues relating to exhibition-making, commissioning, running non-profits, and other activities curators are now regularly expected to perform. This program will be open to curators working all over the world who have 6+ years of experience, and alumni of the Curatorial Intensive program are welcome to apply.
The Curatorial Seminar will focus on Istanbul as a case study, exploring a number of key issues that challenge our understanding of what constitutes an emerging art scene, the strengths and pitfalls of working within such a context, and questions of how to develop a curatorial practice that supports the development of artists and local infrastructure within the international art world.
Between June 11 and September 20 the seminar will be conducted via online sessions that will include lectures from curators, roundtable discussions, reading groups, and workshops to explore each participant’s research topic. Between September 21 and 25 the seminar will be held in Istanbul, and will include site visits to artists’ studios and selected venues, an in-depth study of the Istanbul Biennial, and seminar sessions with guest curators.
The activities will be led by the following faculty: Zoe Butt (Executive Director and Curator at Sàn Art, Ho Chi Minh), María del Carmen Carrión (Associate Director of Public Programs & Research, ICI, NY), Kate Fowle (Chief Curator at Garage, Moscu, and Director-at-Large of ICI, New York), Hou Hanru (Curator of the 5th Auckland Triennial), Vasif Kortun (Director of Research and Programs, SALT, Istanbul), and Sally Tallant (Director of the Liverpool Biennial), among others.
Application Guidelines
Visit ICI’s website to apply for the Curatorial Seminar online. All applications must include a 1000-word description of a research project that the applicant would like to develop during the seminar. This description should outline the main thesis, a methodological framework, and specify the concrete and theoretical questions the research seeks to address. Also required are a current CV (up to 3 pages), a short bio (250 words), a letter of intent (500 words), and a writing sample (published or unpublished).
Fees and Scholarships
The program fee is 1,900 USD. Participants are also responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses for the week the program will be conducted in Istanbul. Scholarship packages that subsidize or eliminate the program fees, accommodation, and travel expenses are available and awarded based on merit. Turkish nationals can apply for scholarships provided by SAHA.
For more information, visit ICI’s website or contact Public Programs & Research Coordinator, Misa Jeffereis, at misa [at] curatorsintl.org.
About the Curatorial Seminar
The Curatorial Seminar evolved from ICI’s successful short-term, low-cost training program, The Curatorial Intensive. This new model emphasizes the importance of curatorial research and writing. In contrast to the fast pace and rigorous concentration of our Curatorial Intensive model, this one proposes a longer duration in which to conduct in-depth analysis of a single topic that will spread out in time. Taking advantage of the tools available for online knowledge sharing and collaborative work, the Curatorial Seminar enables participants to remain at their workplaces and still engage in an international dialogue. The purpose of the Curatorial Seminar is to offer a small group of curators the opportunity to engage closely with mentors and their peers to explore pertinent issues of contemporary curatorial practice.
The Curatorial Seminar is made possible by the generous support of SAHA and by grants from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Dedalus Foundation, the Hartfield Foundation, and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, the ICI Board of Trustees, and the supporters of ICI’s Access Fund.
About Independent Curators International
Independent Curators International (ICI) connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions to forge international networks and generate new forms of collaboration through the production of exhibitions, events, publications, and curatorial training. Headquartered in New York, the organization provides public access to the people and practices that are key to current developments in curating and exhibition-making around the world, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. Since it was established in 1975, ICI has worked with over 1,000 curators and 3,700 artists from 47 countries worldwide.
