Stedelijk Museum Annual Report 2012

Public Program
Overview
Since 2004—with Stedelijk Museum CS, Stedelijk in de Stad, Temporary Stedelijk,
and Temporary Stedelijk 2—the Stedelijk has explored in manifold ways how a
museum of modern and contemporary art can engage with the city, whether through
the pop-up institution, the nomadic museum, or its own gallery spaces in a building
that was still unfinished. From October 2011 until the grand reopening of the
museum in September 2012, the Stedelijk continued this period of experimentation
with Temporary Stedelijk 3: Stedelijk @. The project encompassed an extensive
public program organized in close partnership with various art institutions and other
organizations in Amsterdam.
The current Public Program is a result of this experimentation. It has become a
platform for diverse artistic disciplines, discussions and debates, and research and
innovation. Through Public Program activities in the new wing on Museumplein, the
Stedelijk intends to maintain and expand this platform and further reflect on the
possibilities of public programming within the modern and contemporary art
institution. Artists, curators, cultural producers, and other art experts are our
partners in the debate on contemporary art. The Stedelijk invites Dutch and
international professionals to the museum to share their experience, insights, and
research.
Since the reopening, every Thursday evening, Friday afternoon, and Sunday
afternoon are devoted to a roster of lectures, film screenings, book launches,
interviews, performances, musical and dance productions, guided tours, and largescale
events.
The Public Program keeps the museum current, and aims both to inform and to
pique curiosity. Emphasis is given to exploring the relationships among art, politics,
culture, and society, acknowledging that the connections are continually in flux.
Specific events are organized to explore key themes such as the relationship
between non-Western art and artists, gender politics, critical theory, current political
developments (on both a national and international scale), and how best to include
young people in the museum’s activities.
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