Celebrating Curators
In 2023, it will be 25 years since CODART, the international network of museum curators of Dutch and Flemish art, was founded. To mark this milestone, we are celebrating our 25th anniversary year with festive activities on the theme ‘The Curator of the Future’. Throughout all of 2023 we offer a broad program, both online and offline, for a wide audience of curators, cultural professionals, students and all other lovers of Dutch and Flemish art.
The curator takes center stage in CODART’s 25th anniversary celebration!
Video made possible by Teylers Museum and the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.
Research and Symposium
As the international network of museum curators of Dutch and Flemish art, we value the continuation and development of the curatorial profession. Therefore, CODART has commissioned a research project which will explore the current state and the future of the curator’s profession. The results of the study will be presented during a public symposium on 6 October at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
In addition to these two main activities, CODART organizes several events on the same theme, “The Curator of the Future,” both online and offline, during CODART’s anniversary year:
Website and Social Media
To celebrate Dutch and Flemish art and make it even more accessible to an international audience, the CODART website will be expanded in the anniversary year with approximately 160 concise summaries of important museum collections in Belgium and the Netherlands.
To better serve the professional network, the database of curators will be enriched with the areas of interest and specializations of curators. This expansion will make it possible to find colleagues who specialize in a specific subject. In addition, the website will feature a new careers section where curatorial vacancies are listed and an up-to-date overview of relevant fellowship offerings in museums worldwide is kept.
In a special anniversary edition of Curator in the Spotlight, this year we highlight six curators who have been members of CODART since its founding in 1998. They reflect on the past 25 years and look back on their first time participating in a CODART event.
Every 25th of the month, we dive into the archives and publish a photo of a historic CODART event under the title CODART Memories. The photos are posted in advance on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Join the conversation on social media and guess where and when they were taken!
Mentoring Program
After a successful pilot study, CODART launched a mentoring program that pairs curators at the start of their careers with those who have years of experience in the profession. Supporting curators of Dutch and Flemish art in their work, bringing members from different countries together in a range of activities, and facilitating knowledge exchange are integral parts of CODART’s mission and vision. With the mentoring program, we set out to give the next generation of curators a flying start in the field – and in the CODART network.
Curators Stipend
In 2023 the Friends of CODART Foundation finances one Curators Stipend via the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. With this stipend, a museum can hire a junior curator for the duration of six months, in which the senior curator can devote him or herself to research, or can receive support from the junior in another project. At the same time, a junior curator is enabled to gain experience working in a museum.
Curators working in Dutch museums are invited to apply by 1 July 2023. More details about eligibility, criteria and how to apply can be found on this page.
Keep an eye on this page as more announcements will follow throughout the year!
