Earlier this year, the Friends of CODART Foundation partnered with the King Baudouin Foundation (KBF) to launch a Curators’ Stipend in Belgium. As part of their Support for Young Curators call, this €25.000 grant offers a museum the opportunity to hire a junior curator for the duration of six months, enabling them to gain valuable work experience, while supporting a senior curator. After careful consideration of all applications by the board of the Friends of CODART and a jury assembled by the KBF, the board of the Friends is now pleased to announce that the grant has been awarded to the Rubenshuis in Antwerp. The museum is currently in the middle of an extensive renovation project, and the junior curator will be able to contribute to the refurbishment of Rubens’ artist residence and the process leading up to it.
The Rubenhuis reacts: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the inaugural Curators’ Stipend by the Friends of CODART, in partnership with the King Baudouin Foundation. Like Peter Paul Rubens throughout his career, the Rubenshuis is committed to nurturing and mentoring emerging talent, making this generous grant a perfect fit for our mission. We are especially pleased to welcome Hanne Schonkeren as our junior curator. Hanne brings together academic excellence and practical expertise, combining the completion of her PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with a background in goldsmithing and jewelry design. Her highly original approach to early modern material culture makes her ideally suited to contribute to this exciting new chapter in the Rubenshuis project.”
A visitor in front of Rubens’ Self-Portrait at the Rubenshuis in Antwerp, photo: Ans Brys
The board of the Friends of CODART Foundation is pleased to be able to support the Rubenshuis with this grant. “It will offer a junior curator the unique opportunity to be involved in the process of rebuilding the home of an icon. Cooperating on the object selection, creating the storyline, writing wall texts and working with scenographers promises to be an exciting and engaging experience, under the expert guidance of the Rubenshuis curatorial team.”
About the KBF Grants
As part of the King Baudouin Foundation’s (KBF) Support for Young Curators call, a total of four grants have been awarded, one of which is being funded by the Friends of CODART Foundation. Two grants are being funded by the Orcona Fund for projects focusing on nineteenth-century heritage, and one is funded by the KBF itself, through its new thematic fund “Encouraging Young Talent”. Maartje Beekman, director of CODART says: “We are delighted that this inaugural edition generated a strong response and that the KBF has decided to continue the program. This is a wonderful addition to the funding options available to Belgian museums.”