Application closing date: 31 March 2013
The École Nationale Supérieure d’Art (ENSA) in Bourges provides its students with generous workspaces and technical facilities that are regularly modernised and re-equipped. It offers a Masters in Visual Arts that puts the emphasis on inventiveness and creativity.
La Box is one of the school’s main educative tools, and every year it organises ten exhibitions by artists from France and elsewhere.
For the last eight years, it has been entrusting part of its programme to young curators over the course of an academic year, chosen and monitored by members of the School’s teaching team—Arnaud Deshayes, Ingrid Luche and Hervé Trioreau in 2012–13.
Moreover, for twenty years now, ENSA has been providing residencies, with the backing of the Regional Cultural Affairs Office (DRAC) and France’s Centre Region. These residencies are intended to give young artists from France and other countries the chance to carry out personal research projects in association with the school, its teachers, its students and any other outside partner of their choice.
Call for a curatorial project
Part of the programme for the 2013–14 season will be entrusted to an independent curator, a critic or a collective whose curatorial project has been chosen by La Box’s selection panel.
The final proposal should lay down the project’s structure and time frame before the end of June 2013, when timetabling of the exhibitions for the following season will take place. The project’s experimental character will be one of the main selection criteria.
As part of the School’s teaching context, the programme should include the presence and participation of the students in workshops extending from the designing of the exhibitions through to their actual presentation. The curator(s) should also choose and implement a liaison approach aimed at an outside audience.
The overall budget is 25,000 euros. Of this 20,000 euros will be devoted to production and transport of works, travel and accommodation expenses for the artists, travel expenses for the curator(s), communication, publications; the remaining 5000 euros will cover miscellaneous expenses for the curator(s).
Candidates must be aware that this kind of programme demands considerable availability on their part. Attendance at regular on-site meetings—including the project validation and organisation meeting in June 2013—is indispensable. In addition, ready responsiveness by phone or email is vital during preparation of the programme. The curator must be present during the setting up and opening of exhibitions.
In the case of a collective, dialogue and coordination between the members is essential so as to avoid all contradictions in their dealings with the School and La Box.
Terms and conditions
Draft projects must be presented using the following form, downloaded and filled out. They should be sent by email to [email protected], marked for the attention of Chloé Nicolas.
Closing date for applications: 31 March 2013
The short list will be drawn up in April 2013.
Interviewing and selection of shortlisted candidates will take place in May 2013. Prior to this they will be asked to provide further details of their projects.
Call for residency projects
Annually since 1991 ENSA has been providing residencies, with the backing of the Regional Cultural Affairs Office and France’s Centre Region. These residencies are intended to give young artists from France and other countries the chance to carry out personal research projects in association with the school, its teachers, its students and any other outside partner of their choice.
Successful applicants are awarded a residency of a minimum of three months and a maximum of four months, for periods to be agreed on during the academic year.
They each receive a grant of 3000 euro.
Terms and conditions
Portfolio + application form sent by email in PDF to [email protected] and by post
to Chloé Nicolas, La Box – 9, rue Édouard-Branly, BP 297, 18006 Bourges cedex, France
Closing date for applications: 31 March 2013
For more information and to download the information sheets, click here.
