Independent Curators International (ICI), in collaboration with Dar al-Ma’mûn, presents the inaugural Curatorial Intensive in Marrakech, Morocco.

Following ICI’s Curatorial Intensive in Addis Ababa with the Zoma Contemporary Art Center (ZCAC) in 2014, and in Johannesburg with The Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in 2013, ICI continues its commitment to supporting curatorial training in Africa, and to developing regional networks, with the Curatorial Intensive in Marrakech. The program will focus on the cultural landscape of West Africa and the Maghreb while also exploring the role of curators working for both local and international audiences. The seminars of this program will be conducted mostly in English, but also in Arabic and French. Translation will be available when necessary, but working proficiency in English is essential and familiarity with more than one language is recommended.

The Curatorial Intensive is designed to immerse participants in a rigorous schedule of seminars, conversations, and presentations that support the process of developing an idea for an exhibition or program into a full proposal. It will bring together emerging curators from the Maghreb and around the world for the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop their curatorial projects, and consider the local context and artistic production.

Seminars, site visits, individual meetings, and roundtable discussions will be led by a group of professionals that includes Omar Berrada and Julien Amicel (co-directors of Dar al-Ma’mûn), María del Carmen Carrión (Director of Public Programs & Research, ICI), Hassan Darsi and Florence Renault-Darsi (artist and curator respectively, Founders of La source du lion, Casablanca), Catherine David (Deputy Director Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris), Koyo Kouoh (founding Artistic Director, RAW Material Company, Dakar), Renaud Proch (Executive Director, ICI), Mohamed Rachdi (curator and art critic, Casablanca), Shuddhabrata Sengupta (artist and writer, New Delhi), and Bisi Silva (Founder/Director, Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos), among others.

Application guidelines 

12 applicants working internationally will be selected to participate in the Curatorial Intensive. The applicant must have 3+ years of curatorial experience. All applications must include a 500-word description of an exhibition or program idea that the applicant would like help in developing. This description should outline the proposal concept and any artists that the applicant is considering. Also required are a current 250-word bio, a 500-word letter of intent, and a 300-word text that describes a recent curatorial project that has made an impact on the applicant. To apply and for full application guidelines, visit ICI’s website. Applications should be submitted in English; the 300-word review of a recent project can be submitted in Arabic or French.

Fees and scholarships

The program fee is 1,900 USD. Participants are also responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. Scholarship packages that subsidize or eliminate the program fees, accommodation and travel expenses are available and awarded based on merit. Scholarships are available for curators from Turkey, supported by SAHA. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please include a letter of motivation with your application.

For more information or questions, visit ICI’s website or email Maya Castro Gutiérrez at research@curatorsintl.org.

Curatorial Intensive in Marrakech, Morocco

May 19–25, 2015

Application deadline: March 20, 2015

www.curatorsintl.org

The Curatorial Intensive is ICI’s short-term, low-cost training program that offers a group of curators the chance to develop project ideas and make connections with professionals in the field. It also provides the invaluable opportunity for peer-group education, creating new networks internationally. The Curatorial Intensive takes place annually in New York, and in other locations in conjunction with institutional partners worldwide. The Curatorial Intensive is made possible in part by grants from the Hartfield Foundation; and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, the ICI Board of Trustees, the ICI Leadership Fund for Africa, the ICI Gerrit Lansing Education Fund, and the supporters of ICI’s Access Fund. 

Independent Curators International (ICI) produces exhibitions, events, publications, research and training opportunities for curators and diverse audiences around the world. Established in 1975 and headquartered in New York, ICI is a hub that connects emerging and established curators, artists, and art spaces, forging international networks and generating new forms of collaborations. ICI provides access to the people and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. 

Dar al-Ma’mûn is an arts center located in a rural area on the outskirts of Marrakech. For four years, it has developed residencies for artists, writers, and researchers, as well as publishing initiatives and translation programs in the fields of art and literature. Dar al-Ma’mûn has a multilingual lending library that is free and open to all, seven days a week. It organizes public programs, as well as educational activities with children and adults from the neighboring villages. Dar al-Ma’mûn is sponsored by the Fellah Hotel.