Online Courses

Public and Private Funding of International Non-Profit Contemporary Art Platforms

Lecturer: Shwetal Patel, PhD

Course dates: 15 + 22 Oct 2022, 2–6pm (CEST)
Maximum participants: 20

⮕ Enrol here until 8 October 2022
Special Fee: 280 CHF

This course explores the notion that the (art)world has been fundamentally reshaped by the health crises of 2020, and the financial crises of the previous decade. The changes to funding levels and priorities have also effected the viability of many artists, arts producers and arts organisations, in particular non-profits such as Biennials, Kunsthalle and museums.

During this course we will principally ask if existing funding paradigms help reproduce unequal relations and perpetuate (post-) colonial (centre–periphery) dichotomies by creating new hegemonic affects? Together we will examine current, and past, funding scenarios and attempt to elucidate how arts organisations and practitioners can navigate fundraising in uncertain times, whilst maintaining artistic and organisational autonomy. The course builds on four years of research by OnCurating (Issue 39, 46) co-edited by Dorothee Richter, Ronald Kolb and Shwetal A Patel, exploring the biennial phenomenon and its impact on contemporary artistic production and discourse.

Dr. Shwetal A Patel is a writer and researcher working at the intersection of contemporary art, exhibition-making practices, and development studies. He is a founding member of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, and holds a practice-based PhD from University of Southampton, Winchester School of Art. He has operated within the arts in Europe and Asia for over two decades, and regularly contributes to journals, academic conferences and other platforms. He is an editorial board member of OnCurating (Zurich University of the Arts), advisor to Kolkotta Centre for Creativity and a trustee of Milton Keynes Museum. 

Image caption: Massasoit meets with the Wampanoags in this etching from the 1906 book, “Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs” by Norman Wood.

Preparation for the course
Please use a headset (or headphones) and stay in a quiet place with a stable internet connection. Please read the texts which you will get access to once you have booked the course.

Procedure
This intensive two-part direct live teaching course will be held over Zoom on two consecutive Saturdays, 2–6pm CET. Please prepare a very short introduction of yourself. The first session will be used for an in-depth introduction to the topic, and workshop research. Assignments will be given for the second session. Feedback and evaluation will be given in the second session. After successful completion, a certificate with 1 ECTS point will be handed out.

Technical instructions
Download the Zoom application. You will find a detailed installation guide here. Zoom can be also used in a browser window on a Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android tablet or Android phone. You will find a Zoom invitation with a link to access the workshop.