NL

Art and Economics

Art and Economics - exchange

Programme:

Art and Economics

Level:

Year 3

Semester:

1 (September)

ECTS:

30

Language:

English

Course information

Creating Collectives: new ways of organising creatives

  • Join a discovery tour along existing creative partnerships such as incubators, collectives and artist-run initiatives.
  • Experiment with alternative forms of organisation and artistic collaborations. You work in a group with creative makers from different countries.
  • Gain the tools to establish and develop cooperative, creative partnerships.
  • This is the place to learn how to strengthen your makership or creative ideas through collaboration.
Think of this minor as a creative playground. One where you not only talk about your decent creative plans, but actually partner up and try out ways to realize them!

Cooperation as key to a strong creative future

Picture this: you are a young artist or creative trying to find your way in a world full of uncertainties. A small project here, an unreliable grant there, and constantly moving from one temporary assignment to the next—none of which ever seem to stick. You feel the stress, and if you're honest: sometimes you struggle to keep your head above water.
Or perhaps you are what we call an enabler—someone with a drive to help artists or creatives organize their work. As an arts manager or entrepreneur, you know that collaboration is key in many ways.
This minor can help you find a way out of this! It teaches you not just how collaboration with other creatives might provide solutions, but also how to ensure that your creations are meaningful and enduring. Together, we will explore the creative sector—from innovation labs to pioneering projects and partnerships between artists or artist-run initiatives.

Think of this minor as a creative playground—one where you not only discuss your plans, but actually collaborate and test new ways to bring them to life. This is the best place to learn how to work together to enhance your artistry, ideas, or projects. Are you ready to discover, experiment, and elevate your collaborative power through innovative methods of cooperation?

Practical information

  • Teaching period: September to February (semester 1)

  • Classes are in English

  • Mandatory contact hours per week: 8

  • Two fixed weekdays of classes, with individual studying or 'urban safaris' on other days

  • Assessment type: experience dossier with best practices, final reflection and presentations at a knowledge-sharing event.

What will you learn here?

In this minor, you will discover what drives you to enter a collaborative partnership. How do you structure and shape such a collaboration? And what should you do to ensure that every partner benefits from it? How can you, as a group, bring about social change? How do you organize effective shared decision-making? How do you handle and resolve clashes between personalities or ideas?

We’ll unravel the secrets behind various forms of organization, revealing what makes them successful and which structures have proven to work in practice. Together, we will dive into the world of best practices, examining inspiring initiatives in the Netherlands and abroad that are reshaping cooperation in innovative ways. What makes them successful? How did they start? Why do they choose to work like that? And most importantly: what can we learn from them?

But this minor doesn’t stop at observation. Nor is it limited to theoretical insights from organizational science, psychology, project management, group dynamics, or entrepreneurship.
You will actively experiment with new, alternative, and unconventional methods of organizing and cooperating. In this way, you’ll discover how you, as a creative professional, can organize yourself in ways that align with your personal vision and ambitions.

After finishing this minor, you have obtained:

  • Knowledge of the deeper motives that underlie cooperation.

  • Understanding of the do's and don'ts for a successful cooperation.

  • Awareness of the varioous 'alternative' forms of organisation (such as networking, cooperatives, commoning, social movements, ecosystems, artist-run initiativesm bread funds and more).

  • The capacity to discover or establish innovative means of collaboration.

  • Tools to stimulate the growth and development of collaborative partnerships.

The great thing about this minor is that it won’t just leave you with theoretical knowledge: you’ll also develop practical skills. After completing this minor, you’ll be able to start your own collaboration step-by-step or further develop an existing one.
You will have the tools to clearly express how your personal development and ambitions align with your collaborative partnership. And when you look at your professional network, you’ll see it with fresh eyes—full of opportunities and potential.

To summarise: this minor is not just a collection of study credits. It’s a personal growth experience that will prepare you for a creative future full of impactful teamwork. By the end, you’ll know which types of collaborations suit you, and you will have expanded your (international) network!

Teaching methods

The minor follows a fixed weekly rhythm, alternating between classes, excursions, guest lectures, and time for personal assignments.
We organise this minor as a community of practice, using a project-based approach in which students help define the content. You won’t just learn from teachers; you’ll also go on urban safaris to find knowledge outside—or bring the outside world into the classroom.

Does this minor suit you?

This minor is suitable for creators and enablers. Do you see value in searching new collaborations and desire to shape your own partnerships in order to strengthen your position - and that of other creatives - in the professional field? If so, this is the minor for you!

You are eligible for this minor if you are doing a bachelor programme in a social, creative, or economic discipline and have already obtained your propaedeutic degree. During the selection procedure, we will assess whether this minor is right for you.

Course

ECTS Credits

Code 2024-2025

Minor Creating Collectives

30

A&E-MINCC-25

Course description

  1. Click on this link.

  2. Select your exchange programme under 'EXCHANGE MODULES' on the left side.

  3. Alternatively, copy and paste the module codes into the 'course ID/name' field.