The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux invites Finland-based directors, curators, and other visual arts professionals affiliated with contemporary art museums, galleries or other visual arts organisations to join a study trip to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in May 2025. Five participants are selected through this open call.
The programme includes visits to various art institutions and organisations with versatile operational models in Amsterdam as well as participation in the professionals’ programme of Amsterdam Art Week 2025. The Study Trip is supported by the Niilo Helander Foundation and organised in collaboration with Amsterdam Art Week.
During the trip, participants will learn about their contemporary art counterparts in the Netherlands, contemporary art and museum practices, digital applications, accessibility and new technologies, and identify approaches to develop their own practice or organisation. The tailored programme aims to offer participants knowledge and inspiration to develop their digital operations and implement new ways of operating in the visual arts scene in Finland. Additionally, the trip aims to facilitate international exchanges and cooperation between contemporary art professionals.
Programme
The trip takes place 20–23 May 2025. During these four days, the group will visit Amsterdam museums, galleries and other art organisations. The daily programme includes meetings and organisation visits during office hours and some events during the evenings. Part of the programme is organised in collaboration with the Amsterdam Art Week.
Who can apply?
The call is open for directors, curators, and other arts professionals who work for or are affiliated with Finland-based contemporary art museums, galleries or other visual arts organisations. Five participants will be selected.
Accessibility
The trip includes full daily schedules and involves moving around via public transportation such as trains and trams. The daily programme includes multiple social situations. The working language of the trip is English. Please contact us if you have questions about the accessibility or travelling conditions of the trip.
Application procedure
Please apply using our online form. The form will ask one longer question (max. 1 000 characters) related to your motivation:
- Please explain why participation in the trip has clear relevance to the organisation you work in or are affiliated with?
- How have you or your organisation been working with the latest technologies, strategies or tools, or what are your plans to develop the digital side of your work?
- What would you like to learn most or where would you be interested in visiting?
It will also ask for a link to your organisation’s website and include an open field to type in your short CV as a list. A list of your most relevant work will be sufficient. The form is to be filled in English.
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux advocates equity within the art field. We encourage applications from candidates of varied ages, genders and linguistic, cultural or other minorities. If you belong to any of these groups, please feel free to indicate this in your application. All information will be processed confidentially.
The deadline for applications is 14 February 2025.
The applications are assessed by Laura Boxberg, Director, and Malin Bergström, Head of Programme at the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux. The selection is based on the benefit of the trip to the applicant’s organisation as well personal motivation. The selection will be communicated to the applicants by 28 February 2025.
Funding and travel requirements
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux covers accommodations and some of the meal costs in Amsterdam. These bookings are made by the Institute. The Institute also covers travel costs of up to 250 euros. Participants will book their own travel.
Participants must ensure that they meet all necessary healthcare regulations for travel to and within the Netherlands prior to the trip as well as have valid personal travel insurance.
For more information, contact:
Laura Boxberg, Director
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux
+358 44 739 6079
laura.boxberg@finncult.be
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux serves as a bridge between professionals in the cultural field in Finland and the Benelux countries and promotes the visibility of Finnish culture in the Benelux region.
As an independent, non-profit organisation, the Institute’s main goal is to create opportunities in which artists and organisations can elaborate new projects and new possibilities of collaboration. The Institute also produces its own content and productions in close collaboration with its partner networks, often tackling current social issues. The aim is to establish long-term and sustainable cooperation between artists and other professionals, in different cultural fields, from visual and performing arts, to literature, design, film, and more.
Throughout its work, the Institute promotes diversity, equity and inclusion and actively works towards creating a fairer cultural playing field. The Institute fosters international mobility and cultural exchange, while implementing ecologically and socially sustainable working methods and practices.