The University of Twente is inviting artists to create an iconic work of art on its campus. To mark the occasion of its 60th anniversary, the University of Twente is offering artists an opportunity to actually create their own art project and to display it at a prominent site on the university campus. The deadline for submitting project proposals is 31 December 2019.
The University of Twente’s campus is not dedicated purely to science, it is home to art and architecture as well. The site already features many exceptional works of art. Most of the outdoor works of art were specially designed for the University of Twente. There, you will find works by Fred Bellefroid, Ruud Hallema, Jo Pessink, Jan Merx, Wim T. Schippers, Evert Strobos and Ger van Elk, to name but a few.
Aspirational
To mark the University of Twente’s sixtieth anniversary in 2021, the Campus Art Advisory Committee (CAAC) has set itself the goal of commissioning and supervising an aspirational art project that will create a new work of art on campus. It has decided to cast its net as wide as possible by issuing an open call, thus enabling a diverse group of artists to submit their plans. Artists will have until 31 December 2019 to submit their project proposals.
Appropriate time and place
In particular, the University of Twente wants the candidates’ plans to include an explanation of why their proposed work of art is appropriate to this particular time and place. Ideally, these projects would be related to technology or make some reference to it. The work of art must also be durable – to ensure that it is still intact after another 60 years have passed. The assessment of these project plans will focus on quality. In this way, the CAAC wants to emphasise the diversity and inclusiveness that are the very DNA of the visual arts, design, and cultural heritage. The new work of art will take shape at a prominent location on campus. The unveiling will take place during an opening ceremony to be held in the autumn of 2021. The project has been allocated a serious budget.
The CAAC will assess the project proposals and shortlist up to three of them. The artists will then be given three months in which to work out their plan in detail, after which they will be invited to give a presentation. The new work of art will take shape at a prominent location on campus. The unveiling will take place during an opening ceremony to be held in the autumn of 2021.
Procedure
Any artists who wish to participate in the open call must meet the following criteria:
- In addition to being active – at the artistic level – in the areas of visual arts or design, they must be integrated into the world of professional visual arts in the Netherlands;
- They must have at least four years’ experience as a professional visual artist.
No distinction will be made in terms of art form, medium, discipline, specialty, area of interest, or material. Nor, in general, are there any restrictions regarding the types of project.
Artists and designers must submit their project proposals no later than 31 December 2019. Interested? If so, send an email to info@burobordo.com to get more information about the procedure, or visit the website (in Dutch).
CAAC
The Campus Art Advisory Committee (CAAC) succeeded the Advisory Committee for Fine Arts in 2018. Its primary task is to stage and promote visual art activities on the University of Twente campus. The CAAC also advises on the acquisition of works of art by the University of Twente, as well as on the management of the university’s art collection in public spaces. In addition, the CAAC is committed to fostering a close interrelationship between art, research, and education. In this context, it recruits artists in residence and initiates CAAC guerrilla art.
