Take us back to School!
Independent School for the City is looking for someone to curate the next Back to School with… lecture Series, taking place on three evenings in October and November 2026.
Take us back to school!
Back to School with… is a research-based lecture programme at the Independent school consisting of three Tuesday evening sessions, centred around a shared research question. For every edition, the School invites a curator to develop and shape the programme – deciding upon the central topic and structure of the series, selecting speakers, and framing the discussion. Previous editions have addressed themes such as The design of data storage (with Marina Otero), Social housing (with Andrea Prins), Migration and environmental justice (with Bram van Ooijen en Lena Knappers), Architecture of memory (with Arna Mačkić), The future of the Rotterdam port (with One Planet Port), and the Repurposement of post65 collective buildings (with office winhov).
For the upcoming edition in fall 2026, the Independent School is looking for someone who is based in the Netherlands and who wants to curate this series in collaboration with the School team. We ask you to propose a central topic or question for this series that resonates with one of the School’s focus points on Climate Change, Migration or the Right to the City in relation to architecture, urbanism, and social transformation.
With the curatorship of this lecture series, we offer you a platform to share your thoughts on a question that is on your mind at the moment, and the chance to further your thinking on this subject. You get to invite 3 - 6 speakers (of which two can come from another European country than the Netherlands). You set the framework of this series and propose the speakers in close collaboration of the school team, while the school offers production and organisational support. A modest curatorial fee is available.
How to Apply?
You can apply for this role by sending an email to info[@]schoolforthecity.nl including:
- A short proposal (max. 500 words) outlining the topic that you have in mind for this series including your previous engagement with the topic.
- A preliminary list of potential speakers to invite.
- A brief bio of yourself.
The application deadline is 31 May 2026, 23:59 CET.
