Florian Cramer (Minor coordinator)

CONTENT

In this minor, you will develop self-organised initiatives, projects and infrastructures that are relevant to communities in Rotterdam. They can be artist/designer/activist/research initiatives, collectives or spaces; but they can also be in areas not typically associated with art and design – such as neighbourhood centres, libraries, restaurants and repair shops.

You will learn about existing local and international self-organised spaces and initiatives, and how to identify and respond to urgent local and community needs with an initiative of your own. You will learn the practicalities of setting up an organisation, collective decision-making and consensus methods, working with partners, ensuring social safety and inclusion, addressing larger risks such as gentrification, negotiating conflict and considering environmental sustainability in all your decisions.

The programme reflects the diversity of initiatives and social spaces run by artists, designers, activists and other citizens in Rotterdam. It will equip you with the organisational skills needed to run your own initiative, as well as opening new perspectives for creative work outside of studios.

This minor is multidisciplinary and also open to students who are not studying art or design.

 

FORMAT

• In the first two introduction weeks, you will study existing artist-run initiatives and spaces in practice – during field trips in Rotterdam –, in literature and through overview lectures/presentations. You will also conduct interviews with local artist-/activist-run initiatives
• In the research weeks 3-6, you will form multidisciplinary teams with other students and identify concrete community needs in Rotterdam to which a self-organised initiative will be able to respond. These weeks will have joint group sessions, combined with a theory reading or lecture, to support your research.
• In the project development weeks 7-10, each team develops a project proposal. There will be a mid-term go/no-go assessment on the quality and doability of the proposal. 
• In the project realization and testing weeks 11-14, you will develop your initiative on-site, as work-in-progress and a living prototype, and in co-creation with the communities it is meant for.
• After the final assessment in week 15, there will be a joint public moment of all developed initiatives, in the form of a small event or festival, in collaboration with external partners of the minor. 

Your team will create a zine on your initiative and work process. All zines will be present at small, self-organised zine festival at WdKA at the end of the Minor.

 

KEYWORDS

Self-organisation, do-it-yourself (DIY) & do-it-with-others, artist-/designer/activist/citizen-run initiatives, spaces, co-creation, community, multidisciplinary, collective practice

 

WHAT WE OFFER

•  Field trips
• Connection to Rotterdam's artist-/activist run initiatives and DIY spacesLearning about relevant present & past DIY/artist-run practices and theory
• Self-organising and community organising skills and experience
• Project organisation skills (including deadlines, budgeting etc.) 
•  A real-life experiment

WHAT WE EXPECT

• Motivation & interest in runnning a self-organised, collective initiative
• Previous experience in (student) initiatives, self-organised groups/collectives/communities etc. is very welcome, but not expected
• You do not need to be an artist/designer. Students of social work, healthcare, pedagogy, technology, economics and other disciplines are welcome to participate and contribute their knowledge and skills
• Curiosity about relevant practices and theories of the present and past
• Willingness to think critically and accept peer critique, also about your own initiative and its possible (social, ecological...) issues.
• Willingness to work together with others and realize as your project as a group project.
• Willingness to self-organise!

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• By the end of this minor programme, you will have gained professional and critical competencies in project and community organisation as well as in interdisciplinary collaboration between creatives and other professionals. 
• You will learn practicalities of setting up an organisation, collective decision-making and consensus methods, working with partners, ensuring social safety and inclusion, addressing larger risks such as gentrification, negotiating conflict and considering environmental sustainability in all your decisions. 
• Ideally, you will take the initiatives you developed beyond this minor and into real life. In any case, you will no longer have to learn project and community organization skills from scratch after your graduation.

WHAT WE EXPECT

• Motivation & interest in runnning a self-organised, collective initiative
• Previous experience in (student) initiatives, self-organised groups/collectives/communities etc. is very welcome, but not expected
• You do not need to be an artist/designer. Students of social work, healthcare, pedagogy, technology, economics and other disciplines are welcome to participate and contribute their knowledge and skills
• Curiosity about relevant practices and theories of the present and past
• Willingness to think critically and accept peer critique, also about your own initiative and its possible (social, ecological...) issues.
• Willingness to work together with others and realize as your project as a group project.
• Willingness to self-organise!

In the first two introduction weeks, you will study existing artist-run initiatives and spaces in practice – during field trips in Rotterdam –, in literature and through overview lectures/presentations. You will also conduct interviews with local artist-/activist-run initiatives
 
In the research weeks 3-6, you will form multidisciplinary teams with other students and identify concrete community needs in Rotterdam to which a self-organised initiative will be able to respond. These weeks will have joint group sessions, combined with a theory reading or lecture, to support your research.
 
In the project development weeks 7-10, each team develops a project proposal. There will be a mid-term go/no-go assessment on the quality and doability of the proposal. 
 
In the project realization and testing weeks 11-14, you will develop your initiative on-site, as work-in-progress and a living prototype, and in co-creation with the communities it is meant for.
 
After the final assessment in week 15, there will be a joint public moment of all developed initiatives, in the form of a small event or festival, in collaboration with external partners of the minor. 
 
Your team will create a zine on your initiative and work process. All zines will be present at small, self-organised zine festival at WdKA at the end of the Minor.

APPLICATION PROCESS (KOM)

Are you a student from another educational institution and would you like to follow a minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences? If so, you must apply in two steps:

Step 1
Register for the minor of your choice via the blue Apply button. You can find this button at the top right of the minor’s page.
Download the learning agreement and complete it.
Submit this learning agreement to the examination board of your study programme.
Once the examination board has granted approval, register for the minor in Step 2 no later than 01-07-2025 at 9:00 a.m.

Step 2
After approval, register via OSIRIS Application of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences using the link below (first create an account).
https://osiris.hr.nl/osiris_aanmeld_hrprd/Welkom.do?proces=KOM2609&opleiding=MINOR-WDK-VT 00

Part of the application process is uploading the following documents:

• The learning agreement, signed by you and by your institution;
• A scan or photo of your passport or ID card.
   

You will be informed by Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences whether your application has been approved.

In OSIRIS Application, you must also upload the Proof of Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) for the academic year in which you wish to follow the minor. This can be done from 01 May 2026onwards. You can request the BBC from your institution after you have signed or issued an authorization for the payment of the tuition fee for the relevant academic year. You may also choose the option for your institution to send the BBC directly to collegegeld@hr.nl.

You will receive a notification from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences once your application has been approved.