Organizer Information
Sandberg Instituut is the postgraduate department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and one of the Netherlands’ most influential experimental art and design institutions. It operates at the intersection of contemporary art, design, theory, and education, offering advanced master-level programmes that are research-driven and critically engaged. The institution is known for its radical pedagogical formats, which challenge conventional disciplinary boundaries and emphasize collective inquiry, experimentation, and socially engaged practice.
Within this context, the Temporary Department format functions as a flagship educational model. Each Temporary Department is shaped by a Head of Department (HoD) who brings an independent artistic or research practice into the institution, forming a two-year MA programme around a specific conceptual framework. These departments are internationally recognized for their experimental structure and their capacity to generate new forms of knowledge production within art education.
Title & Description
Call for Proposals: Temporary Department 2027–2029 – “The Archive”
Sandberg Instituut invites artists, designers, researchers, educators, and makers to propose and lead a two-year Temporary Department (September 2027 – July 2029) centered on the theme of the archive as a contemporary artistic, social, political, and pedagogical framework.
This open call positions the archive not as a static repository, but as a dynamic field where memory, power, selection, erasure, and imagination intersect. Applicants are asked to conceptualize how archival thinking can be transformed into a living pedagogical environment that connects artistic research, collective learning, and experimental practice.
The programme encourages approaches that engage with embodied, digital, performative, speculative, and counter-archival methodologies. It also emphasizes the archive as a site of contested knowledge production shaped by colonial histories, institutional critique, algorithmic systems, and evolving cultural infrastructures.
Selected proposals will become the foundation of a full-time MA curriculum where students and tutors collaboratively explore how archives can be activated, rewritten, and reimagined across artistic and educational contexts.
The Role Overview
- Position Title: Head of Temporary Department (HoD)
- Contract Type: Freelance
- Time Commitment:
- Approx. 2 days per week (Sept 2027 – July 2029)
- Additional development period (Oct 2026 – July 2027)
- Daily Rate: €553.60 (approximate)
- Reporting Structure: Embedded within Sandberg Instituut’s academic coordination and institutional framework
- Programme Role: Curriculum design, departmental leadership, pedagogical direction, and research development
The HoD is responsible for designing and implementing a full MA programme while shaping a collaborative research environment that integrates students, tutors, and external partners.
Position & Tasks
- Design a complete two-year MA curriculum grounded in their research practice
- Develop a coherent pedagogical framework focused on archival thinking
- Lead collective research processes with students and faculty
- Coordinate guest tutors, external contributors, and collaborators
- Shape interdisciplinary workshops, seminars, and experimental learning formats
- Ensure inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity in learning environments
- Build partnerships with external institutions (museums, archives, community organizations, research bodies)
- Oversee the conceptual and academic coherence of the programme
- Contribute to institutional dialogue and curriculum development during the preparatory phase
Categories
- Visual Art
- Curatorial Practice
- Design (Speculative / Social / Critical)
- Media & Digital Art
- Performance & Embodied Practices
- Research-Based Art
- Archival Studies / Critical Theory
- Interdisciplinary Art Education
Eligibility
- Be experienced educators and/or practitioners in art, design, or research
- Have a developed independent professional practice
- Demonstrate experience in curriculum development or pedagogical leadership
- Be capable of managing a complex two-year educational framework
- Have strong collaborative and interdisciplinary working skills
- Be committed to inclusive and accessible education practices
- Be based in the Netherlands or willing to relocate for the programme duration
- Be registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK)
- If non-EU, hold a valid Dutch residence and work permit for the full period
The call is international in scope but requires the ability to work within the Dutch educational and legal framework.
Program Benefits
- Leadership of a fully funded two-year MA programme
- Institutional support from Sandberg Instituut (coordination, administration, and infrastructure)
- Dedicated budget for tutors and guest contributors
- Access to institutional networks and partner organizations
- Opportunity to develop a long-term pedagogical and research framework
- Visibility within a leading international art and design education platform
- A paid preparatory phase for shortlisted candidates (second selection round)
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Temporary Department Proposal (max. 500 words)
- Conceptual framework and research focus
- Relation to applicant’s practice
- Pedagogical approach for a two-year curriculum
- Networks and Collaborations (max. 200 words)
- Existing or potential partners
- Institutional or community collaborations
- Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
- Teaching experience
- Artistic/research practice
- Curriculum development and leadership experience
How to Apply?
Applications must be submitted via email to: td@sandberg.nl
Key Dates
- Application Deadline (Round 1): 5 July 2026 – 17:00 (CET, Amsterdam time)
- Notification of Selection: 15 July 2026
- Shortlisted Development Phase: July–September 2026
- Interviews: 16 September 2026
- Programme Period: September 2027 – July 2029
Location
Sandberg Instituut – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Additional Details
This opportunity is structured as a high-level pedagogical leadership position rather than a conventional residency or fellowship. The Temporary Department model requires applicants to think simultaneously as artists, educators, and institutional designers.
A key emphasis is placed on developing a critical and experimental approach to the archive, including its political dimensions (colonial histories, restitution debates), technological transformations (AI, digital infrastructures), and social functions (collective memory, community knowledge systems).
Shortlisted candidates will receive support to further refine their proposal and gain detailed insight into budgetary structures, workload expectations, and institutional frameworks before final selection.