Summer school RUG - The Knowledge of the Curator III: Curating Art and Nature

We are happy to announce that this year the Art History, Architecture and Landscape Studies department of the University of Groningen is able to organize the Summer School: “The Knowledge of the Curator III: Curating Art and Nature.” We have set up a hybrid program, offering participants the choice between participating in online seminars and lectures, and an additional on-site experience in the Netherlands.

In recent years, the multifaceted role of the curator in museums, exhibition spaces, and cultural heritage sites has expanded significantly. Curators are expected to produce innovative scholarship, invent new fundraising formats, digitize collections, collaborate with artists, and engage with society in order to rethink the museum as a sustainable place for the future. They have also moved from traditional institutional contexts to include public spaces as a site of curation. In 2021, our successful summer school series “The Knowledge of the Curator” centers on the increasing interest in curatorial projects that cross the boundaries between art and nature. Can artistic interventions forge meaningful relationships between humans and nature? What is the history of curating beyond museum walls? Can contemporary art enhance ecological awareness and local identities? What are the characteristics and challenges of ‘landscape-based’ curating and can the environment be curated at all?

Intended for art historians preparing for a career in museums, cultural institutions, or academia, as well as active professionals in those fields, this course is devoted to the knowledge, expertise, and skills required to meet the challenge of curating art and the environment.

The Department of History of Art, Architecture, and Landscape offers a unique summer school program: a series of online lecture series starting in June; an accompanying online summer school workshop with presentations, discussions and reflections; and the opportunity to participate in a three-day on-site excursion in September. The latter includes visits to Robert Smithson’s Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971) and the unique outdoors exhibition Into Nature in Emmen, where participants meet and work with artists and curators on-site. Both, online and on-site participants work on an experimental exhibition proposal related to the respective landscapes, where they are located.

Confirmed speakers include: Richard A Carter, Christopher P. Heuer, Rosamund Portus, Amy Knight Powell, Ronald Rietveld (RAAAF), Alice Smits (Zone2Source), Rebecca Zorach.

There are two ways to participate in this summer school: Participants can follow the online program only (fee: 125 €); or follow the online program together with the on-site program (fee: 400 €). The fee for the online + on-site program includes exhibition tickets and a two nights stay in Emmen with homemade lunch and dinners.

Dates:
- Online lectures 15.00-18.00 CET: 1 June, 8 June, 15 June, 22 June, 29 June
- Online seminars 15.00-18.00 CET: 25 May, 6 July, 1-2 dates in September, tba
- On-site: 3 - 5 September (arrival and introductory dinner on Friday 3; full-day program on Saturday & Sunday)

Requirements: MA and PhD students, Postdocs, junior curators and museum professionals

How to apply
To apply, kindly fill out the online application form (see website below). Please include the following documents with your application:
- CV (max 2 pages)
- Letter of motivation, explaining what you hope to learn during the summer school and why this will be important for your academic and/or curatorial ambitions (max 1 page)
You may send your application on or before 1 May 2021.

For further information see: https://www.rug.nl/education/summer-winter-schools/knowledge_of_the_curator/