Call for applications 2017–18

Application deadline: May 15, 2017
(for European applicants only)

Piet Zwart Institute
Master Education in Arts
P.O. Box 1272
3000 BG Rotterdam
The Netherlands

www.pzwart.nl

Each Piet Zwart Masters programme is competitive. Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and therefore early submissions are encouraged.

The Piet Zwart Institute houses the international Master programmes of the Willem de Kooning Academy, part of the Rotterdam University. Named after the pioneering Dutch designer Piet Zwart, who worked experimentally across different media and contexts, our institute offers a rich combination of in-depth specialisation and interdisciplinary exchange in a vibrant learning environment.

Master Education in Arts 
Two year, part-time, 60 ECTS

A learning community for innovative research in art and design education
The Master of Education in Arts focuses on art and design education, participatory and public practices, curriculum design, audience advocacy, museum education, maker education, design activism and socially engaged practices. The programme explicitly connects theory and practice, focusing on contemporary issues which span different practices and discourses: education, (critical/feminist) pedagogy, politics, trans-disciplinary research, cultural theory, digital cultures, philosophy, et cetera.

The course is based on intensive seminars led by a highly qualified international staff of educators, theorists, artists and designers. Through a uniquely tailored curriculum combining collective learning with individual tutorials, practice-based research and theoretical inquiry, our programme is built around the concept of the critically reflective practitioner. Participants are encouraged to reflect upon their practice and teaching methodologies from an engaged and informed perspective. Every student graduates with an extensive research project, presented to the public in a graduation presentation at the end of the second year.

Knowledge production
We invite international guest tutors and speakers on a regular basis. Lecture series in the past were: “Art and Design Education in Times of Change”, “Making Things Public”, “Cartographies of Acting Pedagogically: Working with Liquid Logic” and most recently: “Agents in the Anthropocene. Trans-disciplinary practices in art and design education today“, which received a large international interest. Students are also encouraged to curate a lecture programme and/or symposium in the first year connected to their professional interests.

Student profile
The Master Education in Arts programme reflects the expansion of the field of art/design education by preparing candidates for careers in BA or MA art and design programmes, educational institutions, museums, galleries, universities, cultural centres, community-based organisations and informal learning sites. The curriculum is designed for teachers (higher art and design education, secondary education, university level) and museum educators, but also for cultural workers, artists and designers with a profound interest in education and/or pedagogical strategies. Peer review and being part of a vivid learning community to exchange knowledge is a key feature of our programme. The course prepares graduates to engage with formal educational structures as well as informal learning environments, such as skill-sharing workshops and community-based projects. In order to attract and accommodate working professionals seeking to upgrade or enhance their professional practice, the programme is structured as a 60-credit part-time course spread over two years. All modules are taught in English.

Tutors include: Ingrid Commandeur (Course Director), Kate Brehme, Jolande Bosch, Elizabeth Graham, Michelle Kasprzak, Frans-Willem Korsten, Irina Shapiro, Anthony Schrag, Renee Turner and Sjoerd Westbroek.

Previous guests speakers are a.o.: Peter Kraftl, Jack Halberstam, Alistair Fuad-Luke, TJ Demos, Marijke Steedman, Anna Santamouro, Mel Jordan, Melanie Buhler, Jan Boelen, Adelita Husni-Bey, Joost de Bloois, Jan Masschelein, and many others.

How to apply
Please visit the application section of our website. Applicants are requested to submit a motivation letter (with initial idea for a graduation research question and/or project), CV and portfolio with selected projects (focused on professional experience in art or design education), in English.

More information and contact
Please address any questions to our coordinator Susana Pedrosa: [email protected].