Curatorial Intensive in Manila

This November, Independent Curators International (ICI) produces the inaugural Curatorial Intensive in Manila, Philippines, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and with the support of the Office of Senator Loren Legarda.

This weeklong professional development program offers a peer group of curators the opportunity to discuss the concepts, logistics, and challenges of organizing exhibitions, public programs, and other curatorial projects. ICI continues to build upon its past initiatives in Asia with its fifth Curatorial Intensive program in the region, following Intensives organized with the Mohile Parikh Center in Mumbai, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.

The Curatorial Intensive is designed to immerse participants in a rigorous schedule of seminars, presentations, site visits, and one-on-one meetings that support the process of developing an idea for an exhibition into a full proposal. This program is targeted toward self-motivated individuals, working independently or within institutions. Topics of the seminars range from the pragmatics of exhibition-making and funding models to building working relationships with artists.

Seminars, individual meetings, and roundtable discussions will be led by a group of professionals that includes: Jessica Berlanga (Creative Director, Alumnos47 Foundation), María del Carmen Carrión (Director of Public Programs & Research, ICI), Cosmin Costinas (Executive Director, Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong), Joselina Cruz (Director & Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila), Patrick D. Flores (Curator, Vargas Museum, Manila and Adjunct Curator, National Art Gallery, Singapore), Kate Fowle (Chief Curator, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, and Director-at-Large, ICI), Gridthiya Gaweewong (Artistic Director, Jim Thompson Art House, Bangkok), and Renaud Proch (Executive Director, ICI), among others.

Application guidelines
12–14 applicants working internationally will be selected to participate in the Curatorial Intensive. The applicant must have at least 3 years of curatorial experience. All applications must include a 500-word description of an exhibition idea that the applicant would like help in developing. This description should outline the proposal concept and any artists under consideration. 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, visit ICI’s website.

Fees and scholarships
The program fee is 1,900 USD. Participants are also responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. Generous scholarship packages that subsidize or eliminate the program fees and travel costs are available, and awarded based on merit. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please include a letter of motivation with your application.  

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. Scholarships for Filipino curators will be supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda. A scholarship for a curator from Mexico will be supported by Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo (PAC). A scholarship for a curator from Turkey will be supported by SAHA.

For more information, visit ICI’s website or email kimberly@curatorsintl.org.

About Independent Curators International (ICI)
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. 

The Curatorial Intensive is made possible by the sponsorship of the NCCA and the Office of Senator Legarda; by grants from the Hartfield Foundation and the Joyce Foundation; and by generous contributions from ICI’s Leadership Council, the ICI Board of Trustees, the ICI Gerrit Lansing Education Fund, and supporters of ICI’s Access Fund. 

About the Metropolitan Museum of Manila
The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is one of the major museums in the Philippines, founded in 1976. Through exhibitions of contemporary art by Filipino and international artists, it seeks to amplify the Filipinos’ sense of artistic and cultural heritage from the past, to the present and beyond, in contemporary global contexts and experiences. For more information, visit www.metmuseum.ph.