It’s been wonderful working with my former colleague Edna van Duyn, de Appel’s long-time editor, again. The Shadowfiles is de Appel’s annual magazine in book form that aims to shed light on invisible, behind the scenes activities of de Appel arts centre. While I only translated and copy-edited texts for issues 1 and 2, I’ve stuck my nose into this one a bit more, as the topic is curating education. I was originally hired, by its then director Saskia Bos, to help develop de Appel’s Curatorial Programme (or Curatorial Training Programme as it was originally called) in 1993, and was its coordinator for several years.
This issue of The Shadowfiles focuses on the notion of curatorial education – revisiting de Appel arts centre’s Curatorial (training) Programme, started in 1994, in relation to other curatorial education programmes worldwide, and the discourse that is emerging around curatorial education in general.
Essays by Mart
in Grossmann, Geeta Kapur, Maria Lind, Philippe Pirotte and Simon Sheikh investigate the position of the curator in relation to existing training programmes in different areas of the world. Initiators of early programmes like Saskia Bos, Victoire Dubruel, Viktor Misiano, Teresa Gleadowe and Sarah Lookofsky give insight in the considerations then, now and for the future. A selection of alumni of de Appel’s Curatorial Programme look back on their experience, while an essay by Maria Lind asks critical questions concerning the terminology we use and whether it isn’t time we unpick that further.
Edited by Ann Demeester, Edna van Duyn and Hendrik Folkerts (guest editor), designed by Marius Hofstede.
Gerrie van Noord 