DAI as Degree Program: what is its official status ? Sketching the Dutch art educational landscape.
Degree Programmes versus Residencies
Students will graduate with a recognized Degree, only if they are enrolled in an accredited Degree Program. The well known Dutch residencies, such as the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam, the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht and the Ateliers in Amsterdam, do not fall under that category, even though, their historically grown use of the word "academie (academy)" suggests otherwise and even though their activities are often phrased as "talent-development", or related to the educational turn in the arts, or to artistic research or critical study.
So, then what is the status of the Rijksacademie, the Jan van Eyck and the Ateliers ? All three are funded as residency programs by the so-called "Culturele Basisinfrastructuur" (better known as the BIS) of the Dutch governement which comes with a distinguished set of requirements, conditions and privileges. To cut a long story short: at these residencies the individual residents or fellows or participants are eligible for funding (for example by the Dutch Mondriaan Fund), but they will not receive an accredited degree certificate from any of those institutions.
For enrolment at a Dutch Degree program embedded in a University (of the Arts) you will always have to pay a tuition fee and in general, as a student you will have to navigate the fairly limited options for funding by yourself. After succesfully concluding your BA or MA studies you will receive a Degree Certificate which has been registered in line with international regulations and this will grant you the right to pursue a master degree or a doctorate at accredited academic institutions worldwide.
The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders
Degree programmes in the Netherlands able to meet a set of standard criteria, are accredited by the The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). Accreditation makes these programmes and institutions eligible for international recognition and for structural Dutch state funding. The bachelor & master strucure was only introduced to the Netherlands in 1999 after the signing of the Bologna Agreement. Accreditation of the new degree system was gradually introduced to the Netherlands and slowly implemented and integrated in completely revised formal structures of all higher education.
in 2007 the DAI (which came into being under the name Dutch Art Institute at the beginning of the 21st century) went through its first official accreditation process as an earmarked MFA-program with an independent CROHO registration. The outcome was succesful and from that moment onward the overriding ArtEZ University was entitled to issue recognised MFA certificates to those who had succesfully concluded the DAI's two year trajectory.
Excellent, exceptional, inspiring
Since official Degree certification has to be renewed every seven years, the DAI embarked on its second accreditation trajectory in 2014, again as an earmarked MFA-program with an independent CROHO registration. This time it proudly presented the international accreditation committee during two full days with in-depth insight in the DAI's unique modus operandi and in return the committee was euphoric about the DAI, considering its profile to be excellent, exceptional and inspirational to art education in the Netherlands and abroad.
Read more about Accreditation 2014.
Planning-neutral Conversion
In 2016 we have been confronted with the quite shocking news that ArtEZ University of the Arts, without our consent, succesfully applied for a so-called "planning-neutral conversion" of the DAI's independent Croho registration, together with that of our colleagues at the previously independently registered Werkplaats Typografie as well the Fashion Master program of ArtEZ. The NVAO states that: "Dutch higher education institutions may amalgamate two or more programmes registered on the Central Register of Higher Education Programmes (CROHO) into a single new, broad-based programme. NVAO assesses the amalgamation into a single new, broad-based programme without requiring the institution to undergo initial accreditation; this is the so-called planning-neutral conversion." After this "planning-neutral conversion" the administrative name of the broad programme became Master in Arts of Fine Art and Design of ArtEZ (under Croho registration 49114). The Degree certificate now is the same for all students enrolled in the three distinctive programs Critical Fashion Practices, Dutch Art Institute (a.k.a. DAI Art Praxis) and the Werkplaats Typografie.
Read about the planning-neutral conversion drama.
On the somewhat sunnier side
Having said all this: so far the conversion has not influenced, let alone changed DAI's ways of studying together. The DAI as an outspoken and highly authentic program continues to rock under its own name. In practice, Critical Fashion, Werkplaats Typografie and DAI operate and position themselves as distinguished entities with unique curricula and very specific artistic, socio-cultural, political and affective ecologies - only occassionally meeting each other in the context of the Croho registration and around topics of shared interest, mostly in relation to the politics of ArtEZ.
While still not understanding, let alone endorsing the rationale behind the profoundly top down "planning neutral" operation, but nevertheless set to comply, in 2019 we had to commit to a, for DAI, entirely new accreditation experience: a forced joint venture between the aforementioned programmes, this time the requested self reflective profile text was compiled, written and steered by the management of the overriding joint Masters of ArtEZ.
Read more about the 2019 Master of Fine Art and Design accreditation (including the noteworthy, quite relevant Development Interview with esteemed external expert Dr. Paul Goodwin which took place several months after his site-visit):
Seven years forward into the future
Coming up on the 3th of July is Accreditation 2025 (the 'drivers license' so to say, valid for the next seven years).
DAI is preparing by means of
DAI specific contribution to the overriding Self Evaluation Report 2025
together with a
DAI Specific Student Contribution 2025