The museum is a tangible material. You can play with, and in it; you can dissect its sand. Will you play together, or steal each other’s sand? Where does the sand come from? Whose is it, and who placed it here? How is it distributed, who has access to it? Perhaps you are on the outside of the sandbox, perhaps the sides of it have simply been designed too high. What would playing mean if there was no such thing as bullying? Will you bring in new toys, or will you empty the box? Will you break down the box, or build a world within it?

Museum Arnhem and Julius Thissen invite transgender and queer people for a residency in the museum.

Residency
This project focuses on various questions relating to access and representation. The museum’s collection will be utilized for it. It contains over 25.000 objects: diverse works about power, love, identity and more. Which stories appeal to you and which ones put you off? Which artists or works are hidden or missing? You will work on these themes alongside the Museum Arnhem team. The outcome of this project will be an exhibition that opens at the end of 2022.

• The residency starts in January 2022 and involves biweekly group meetings until May 2022. The group will meet monthly in September and October 2022. The planning takes place in consultation.
• The interpretation and thematic development of the exhibition depends entirely on the group of residents. Julius Thissen will mentor them in this process.
• A gross remuneration of €3000 per person is available for the participants, as well as a reimbursement for travel costs within the Netherlands.
• The museum provides the financial and practical means for the realisation of the exhibition.

The museum is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral sanitary facilities. Accessibility is a matter of individual customisation and preference. We would like to hear from you about what you need and what is important for you to be able to participate in this project. We will explore the possibilities together.

Application

Transgender and queer people of all ages, living in the Netherlands can apply. The project is open to anyone with an interest in art and exchange. We ask for a short response outlining your interest in the project. You can apply in written, (audio)visual or audio form. Applications or questions can be sent to julius.thissen@museumarnhem.nl. You can apply until 1 December 2021.

Nagaré Willemsen, Simon(e) van Saarloos and Julius Thissen will make the selection for the group of residents, with the support of the museum staff. Six participants will be chosen.

This project is part of a four-year collaborative project with Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen, within the framework of the Basic Infrastructure for Regional Museums.

Illustration: ajsaajsaajsa