Who is eligible
The Orientation Trip is intended for curators and researchers with a practice of at least 2 years and for visual artists with a professional practice of at least 1 year. The selection aims to have a good mix of age, background, gender and discipline. Take into consideration that it will be a very intensive programme and a commitment that extends beyond the trip itself. Experience with international cooperation is an advantage.
For what?
The Mondriaan Fund organises an annual orientation trip to foreign regions that offer interesting opportunities for discovery.
The 2024 trip will last from Sunday 13 to Saturday 26 October and will go to Ghana (Accra, Kumasi and Tamale) and Ivory Coast (Abidjan).
The primary purpose of the trip is to provide an overview of contemporary visual art in the country in question, to introduce the main players and to introduce participants to the possibilities of exchange.
The programme consists of visits to museums, art institutions, art venues, galleries, artist-in-residence places and meetings with artists, collectors and local key figures in the various cities.
The trip is organised in collaboration with the Danish Arts Agency (Denmark), Pro Helvetia (Switzerland) and Office for Contemporary Art (Norway).
How much
A total of approximately 18 people will take part in the trip, including 6 participants from the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, selected by the Mondriaan Fund: 2 artists and 4 curators/researchers.
The fund is the main backer of the trip for the Dutch participants. Included are travel and accommodation costs (hotel and breakfast) and some joint lunches and dinners. Participants are asked to make a personal contribution of €750.
How and when to apply?
Visual artists and curators/researchers can submit an application until Thursday, 2 May 2024 before 4:00 PM (CEST) / 11:00 AM (AST) through the Mondriaan Fund’s online application form. We ask for a CV and letter of motivation. The applications are assessed by an advisory committee specially comprised for the orientation trip.
Conditions
- Curators/researchers must have been employed for at least 2 years.
- For artists, you must have been working as a professional visual artist for at least 1 year and are registered with the Chamber of Commerce or you have completed at least 3 years of higher professional education as a visual artist and have been working as a professional artist for at least 1 year or you have been working as a professional visual artist for 3 years or more.
- For both curators/researchers and artists, you must be artistically active in the visual arts and in that capacity be embedded in the professional visual arts practice in the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
- During the trip you keep a blog on orientationtrips.net with descriptions of the locations visited. This blog has now grown into an important source of knowledge. The blog is used all over the world as a source of information about visual arts in the areas visited. View blog.
Assessment
The application is checked for completeness and then assessed by an advisory committee. In addition to the quality of the work of the artist/curator/researcher, the motivation of the applicant plays an important role in the selection. Please indicate in your motivation:
- How this visit contributes to your practice and professional/international development;
- What you have to offer locally in the sense of expertise, exchange, collaboration;
- How you can convert your acquired knowledge and network into concrete project(s) upon your return.
Due to the intended effect of the orientation trip, the formation of the group is taken into account. The committee then formulates a recommendation to the Mondriaan Fund for the final list of participants. Those selected will receive notification of their participation in July 2024. Click here for the general terms and conditions and the FAQ about online applications.
Checklist
To process your application, The Mondriaan Fund needs information. All of this information can be submitted in the application form itself, along with documentation that you can upload. Below is a checklist that follows the layout of the application form and contains all the information required.
Tip: collect all your information before you start filling out the online application form. Your attachments should be uploaded as PDFs. Please note: make sure that your documents meet the stated conditions. Otherwise, we will unfortunately not be able to process your request. Do not exceed the number of pages where a maximum is indicated.
