Photography is everywhere and seems more popular than ever. Photography museums are relatively abundant in The Netherlands. The medium has a long history of not having been taken seriously as an art, and museums helped shape our appreciation of the medium. But how does the future of these museum look, is there still need of a medium-specific museum or has photography matured enough to no longer need dedicated institutions?
Client
Fotomuseum Den Haag is part of Kunstmuseum Den Haag and is facing a period of organizational, institutional, and artistic challenges: will the museum continue to operate autonomously of will it become part of a larger, new institution representing all the arts? In the light of current developments in the world of arts and culture (think of economic circumstances, financial challenges, but also the role of arts in society), they are thinking about and forming their future, a future of a robust institution that is ready to face the political and societal challenges and roles that are expected of it.
Assignment
The goal of this project is to advice the museum on the potential future roles of photography museums, specifically Fotomuseum Den Haag. You will research this question from various perspectives and within a European context. How are these museums embedded in other countries, how are they governed and are their policies that are important to consider, and what are the curatorial and artistic challenges facing the museum, specifically around inclusion and diversity?
Student will make a final product, in a form that will be decided on later, that includes recommendations that are relevant to the museum and the forming of their future. This project is highly multidisciplinary and thrives on a large diversity of study backgrounds.
Kick-off weekend
The kick-off weekend of this think tank will be on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 October 2025. The kick-off weekend is a mandatory part of the think tank.
Weekly meetings
The weekly meetings start after the kick-off weekend and will take place on Tuesday evenings from 18:30-20:30 unless the group decides otherwise in consultation with the supervisors. The supervisors attend the meetings once every three weeks.
Study trip
A study trip of three or four days is also part of this think tank. The dates and location will be determined in consultation with the group.