Commissioning and Curating Contemporary Public Art: 2025 Course at HDK-Valand Academy

The Centre for Art and the Political Imaginary (CAPIm) has opened applications for a master’s level, part-time course on commissioning and curating public art. This one-year course, combining online learning and intensive workshops, is ideal for curators, artists, policy-makers, and professionals interested in public art. Topics include commissioning, decommissioning, and the impact of public art on communities. Workshops will be held in Lisbon, Bucharest, Riga, and Gothenburg.

Course Overview

The course explores the nature of public art, commissioning processes, and its roles in community engagement, with a focus on questions like how public art operates within social, political, and environmental frameworks. The course will examine real-world practices of commissioning, curating, and managing public art projects, as well as the dynamics of installation, decommissioning, and the cultural-political issues tied to public art spaces.

Program Details

Starting in 2025, the course includes workshops in Lisbon, Portugal (March 19–21), Bucharest, Romania (May 14–16), Riga, Latvia (October 17–19), and Gothenburg, Sweden (November 19–21). It is offered at no cost to EU/EEA citizens and provides professional development for curators, architects, policy-makers, activists, and more.

Participants will explore contemporary public art through sessions that tackle pressing global issues such as climate change, urbanization, and digital networks, all while learning how to negotiate the practical challenges of commissioning and maintaining public artworks.

Application Process

Applicants must submit a letter of intent (max 350 words) and a recent CV. The course is designed for those with a clear interest in public art and a demonstrated capacity for contributing to group dialogues. Admission is determined by clarity of purpose and evidence of potential engagement.