OPEN CALL: CURATORS AWARD VBCN OPEN 5th edition (2025-2026)

Submission deadline: October 20, 2024

VBCN OPEN

Netherlands Association of Corporate Art Collections (VBCN) proudly presents the fifth edition of the VBCN OPEN curators award. The VBCN is looking for inspiring exhibition makers to submit innovative proposals for an exhibition with and/or about corporate collections. The organizations affiliated with the association open their art collections for this purpose.

With the VBCN OPEN curators award, the VBCN wants to encourage starting exhibition makers to develop a new concept for a visible exhibition platform. For the presentation of the winner(s), this edition will be collaborated with ‘De Nederlandsche Bank’ (Dutch Central Bank), which will open its renovated building in early 2025. This open and transparent building will have a freely accessible public space where, among other things, part of the art collection of ‘De Nederlandsche Bank’ can be admired. The winner of this fifth curators award will create an exhibition in this space and will be supervised by a curator working at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Why at ‘De Nederlandsche Bank’

The art collection of ‘De Nederlandsche Bank’ is one of the corporate collections that make their art available to the public. This makes art accessible to everyone and shows that companies are increasingly focusing on interaction with and transparency towards society. This inclusive attitude towards the outside world gives a new impetus to the corporate collection: from investment in personnel and value to investment in public dialogue.

‘De Nederlandsche Bank’ is working with experts from the cultural field to facilitate a new talent development program. The VBCN is pleased to have a curator share in this network with this VBCN OPEN award. As a winner, you are in for a win: an opportunity to learn under the guidance of a renowned curator, and to showcase your vision on a national stage.

Research question VBCN OPEN

Public/Private: In our current life of social media immersion, public surveillance and working from home, boundaries between public and private are increasingly blurred. In politics, the debate rages about private and public, for example in the right to abortion or gun ownership. At home we are available 24/7, visible and online. We call in from the kitchen table via Zoom. Offices have become huge, flexible meeting places instead of workplaces – or are being sold for savings. What is the role of art in this context? What impact can an artist have on how people work, feel at home or communicate with each other? The VBCN invites you to develop a concept for an exhibition using the affiliated corporate collections. You can make use of the above-mentioned tension, but this is not mandatory.

Requirements for the curator*

- experience in formulating an exhibition concept;

- organizational experience in exhibition realization and budget control;

- experience in applying for subsidies/crowdfunding/otherwise acquiring additional financial resources;

- A cooperative and flexible attitude.

*References may be requested.

Registration procedure

The VBCN OPEN curatorial award consists of two rounds:

First round: Interested parties are invited to submit an exhibition concept of a maximum of 300 words. (See appendix 1)

Second round: Three nominees are chosen from the proposals who are invited to elaborate on the concept, budget and timeline. The three nominees will receive compensation for this.

Jury and production budget 

The jury consists of board members and former board members of the VBCN (curators) and external art professionals from the cultural field. They assess the proposals for content and feasibility. From the proposals, the jury selects three nominees who are invited to further develop their proposal and pitch it to the jury. The person with the most innovative, practical and professional exhibition proposal will have the opportunity to realize his/her concept with a VBCN production budget of € 15,000 incl. VAT. In addition, the winning curator will receive an amount of €5,000 incl. VAT as an incentive prize. The curators are encouraged to apply for a subsidy in addition to this production budget if the production budget is insufficient

About the VBCN

The VBCN is an independent non-profit knowledge network for Dutch companies and (semi) public institutions with an art collection policy. The members bring a large and diverse audience into contact with art and create new connections between art and society. This makes the VBCN a distinctive player in the cultural field. More information about the VBCN and the collections can be found on the website www.vbcn.nl.

With VBCN OPEN, the VBCN stimulates art activities and contributes to a vital art and cultural climate in the Netherlands. The VBCN aims to make the corporate collections accessible and visible to a wide audience. The VBCN also wants to further investigate the importance and significance of corporate collections, display them and make them transparent.

For questions, email secretariaat@vbcn.nl Please note: The Dutch Bank is not a sender of this OPEN CALL. That is the VBCN. DNB cannot be contacted for questions during this submission phase. The VBCN is the point of contact for everything. More practical details about the exhibition hall and associated conditions will only be provided after the first selection has taken place.

Appendix 1: Conditions for participation
Appendix 2: VBCN OPEN Registration form