Minor Creating CollectivesThe minor

Minor Creating Collectives

About the minor

Mode of study: Full-time
School: Art and Economics
Duration: 5 months
ECTS: 30
Type: Minor
Language: English
Email: sz@hku.nl
Phone: +31 (0)30-2091540

Creating Collectives: new ways of organizing creatives

Discover the latest proven methods for innovative, sustainable and promising self-organisation, in a way that fits your personal vision and ambitions.
Experiment with alternative forms of organisation and artistic collaborations.
Get the tools for establishing and developing cooperative, creative partnerships.
Embark on a discovery tour along existing creative partnerships such as innovation labs and collectives.

Cooperation as key to a strong creative future

Picture this: you are a young artist or creative, trying to find a way in a world full of uncertainties. A little 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 have trouble keeping your head above the water. Or you are a -what we call- enabler. Someone with a drive to help artists or creatives to organise their work. As an arts manager or entrepreneur you know that collaboration is key in a lot of ways.

This minor can help you find a way out of this! It teaches you not just how collaboration with other creatives might provide a solution, but also how you can ensure that your creations will be consequential and endurable. Together we will explore the creative sector, from innovation labs to innovative projects and partnerships between artists or artist-run initiatives.

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! This is the best place to learn how you can collaborate to enhance your artistry, ideas, or projects. Are you ready to discover, experiment and push your collaborative power to higher levels 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.
This minor is also open for Erasmus exchange students.

Minor Creating CollectivesWhat you will learn

Minor Creating Collectives

What will you learn here?

In this minor, you discover what drives you to enter a certain collaborative partnership. How to 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, and how to organise effective shared-decision-making? How to deal and solve any clashes between your personalities or ideas?

We unravel the secrets behind various forms of organisation, revealing what makes them successful and which organisational structures have proven to work in practice. Together we dive into the world of ‘best practices’, looking at inspiring initiatives in the Netherlands and abroad that are reshaping cooperation in an innovative way. 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 with merely observing. Neither is it limited to the insights we draw from theories in, among others, organisational science, psychology, project management, group dynamics and entrepreneurship.
You will actively experiment with new, alternative, and uncommon methods of organising and cooperating. In this way, we let you discover how you, as a creative professional, can organise yourself in a way that aligns 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 various 'alternative' forms of organisation (such as networking, cooperatives, commoning, social movements, ecosystems, artist-run initiatives, 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 nice thing about this minor is that it won’t just leave you with theoretical knowledge; you will actually develop practical skills. After finishing this minor, you will be able to start your own collaboration step-by-step, or to further develop your existing one. You will have the tools to clearly express how your personal development and ambitions merge with your collaborative partnership. And when you look at your professional network, you will do so with a fresh perspective that sees opportunities and potential.

To summarise: this minor is not just a collection of study credits that you can add. It’s a personal growth experience that makes you all set and ready for a creative future full of impactful teamwork. By the end, you know what types of collaboration fit you and you will have extended your (international) network!

Teaching methods

The minor is based on a fixed weekly rhythm, with alternating classes, excursions, guest lecturers, and time to work on personal assignments.

We organise this minor as a community of practice, following a project-based work method in which students can largely define the contents for themselves. You will not only learn from teachers, but also go ‘urban safaris’ to find knowledge outside or to drag the outer world into the classroom.

Minor Creating CollectivesApplication and admission

Minor Creating Collectives

Application and admission

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.

This minor is also open for Erasmus exchange students!

Admission criteria

For the admission procedure, we will ask you to provide the following:

A short resume
A short motivation letter. This letter should state, if possible, any examples of your current collaborations with other creatives, examples of collaborations between other creatives you are already aware of, and/or how you would like to do this in the future.

Subsequently, you will have an admission interview with the coordinator of the minor (by telephone or videocall). After this conversation, you will hear whether your admission is granted or not.

Register now!

Are you a student at HKU? Take a look at the student portal.
Are you studying at another educational institution? You can register via Kies op Maat.

Send your motivation letter and resume. This letter should state, if possible, any examples of your current collaborations with other creatives, examples of collaborations between creatives you are already aware of, and/or how you would like to do so in the future.

The final step is an admission interview with the coordinator of the minor (by telephone or videocall). After this conversation, you will hear whether your admission is granted or not.

Would you like to know more?

For more info, you can contact the Service Desk Student Affairs. They can help you with your questions about (almost) everything about studying at HKU.

Telephone: (+31)30 - 2091540
Email: sz@hku.nl