Get Going: international directions, now and after graduating

❗ Update: we're starting at 11:30 instead of 09:30 due to labour strikes by ProRail.

Working internationally is a fantastic way to expand your creative practice and continue learning. However, it’s not always easy to determine your first steps. How do you find the right opportunities? Who are the key players in your field, and how can you connect with them? And importantly: where can you find funding?

On Friday 15 November, DutchCulture and HKU partner up for a full-day programme designed to answer these questions and help you get going. We’re bringing together (HKU) alumni, makers, funding bodies and cultural institutions to share their experiences and offer practical guidance to simplify the necessary steps. International experiences can be transformative, especially in the early stages of your career. It opens doors to new networks and creative possibilities, which can be extremely enriching to your practice. That’s why throughout the day, you’ll have the chance to meet and connect with fellow students, recent graduates, artists and professionals that can help you grow your career.

Programme
11:00 – 11:30 Walk-in with coffee & tea
11:30 – 11:45 Introduction and welcome by Bianca van Kester (HKU) & Simon de Leeuw (DutchCulture)
11:45 – 13:00 Lunch break and presentations by Michelle Samba, Maja Bekan, Tim Remmers (Team Reptile), Sven Peetoom and Ulla Havenga
13:00 – 14:00 Workshops by Michelle Samba, Maja Bekan, Tim Remmers (Team Reptile), Sven Peetoom and Ulla Havenga
14:00 – 14:30 Coffee break
14:30 – 15:30 International Mobility Info Market
15:30 – 16:15 Wrapping up: take-aways from the workshops
16:15 – 17:00 Networking drinks & music performance by Michelle Samba

In the afternoon, we transform Oudenoord into a lively marketplace filled with opportunities to explore your next international steps. Here, advisors and experts will gather to offer you the tools needed for going abroad as an artist. Whether it’s funding, networking, or skill-building, this is your chance to pick the resources that suit your journey. We’re proud to present: Dorien Mouw (HKU Erasmus+ Coordinator), Susana Pedrosa (HKU Coordinator Internationalisation), Jessica Capra (The Artist and the Others), Annemarijn Boelen & Annelieke Stam (VSBfonds), Dicle Gülsahin (DutchCulture), Lotte Geeven (DutchCulture | TransArtists), and Willem-Jan Renger (HKUX).

This event takes place during BROED, the month of the creative professional in the Utrecht region. Scroll to the bottom of this page for more information on BROED and the participating organisations.

Date:  Friday 15 November
Time: 11:3-0 – 17:00
Location:  HKU, Oudenoord 700, 3513 EX, Utrecht
Language: English

Michelle Samba lives a life of transformation, shifting fluidly between drumming, singing, producing, painting, writing, photography and performance, scaping a contemporary impressionism that stems from her personal history. After years of touring as a drummer and bass player, working on duo projects and composing for theater, film and games, she is now developing a solo practice, with radical projects in the making.

Maja Bekan is a performance and visual artist from Serbia, based in the Netherlands. Bekan explores and questions the potential of mediation and delegation in her work through performances, installations, and public conversations, as she is interested in a collaborative and social approach to art. The protagonists of Bekan’s work are often women: artists, activists, students, retirees, and people seeking a place for themselves in difficult circumstances. She is a co-founder of the Rotterdam-based Area for Debate and Art (ADA), and has previously exhibited work at Badischer Kunstverein, TENT Rotterdam, Kunsthaus Graz and Van Abbemuseum, among others.

Tim Remmers is the co-founder and managing director of Team Reptile, a game development company known for creating stylish entertainment games that resonate with players worldwide. With the Lethal League series and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Team Reptile has gained a loyal fanbase and critical acclaim, particularly for their ability to blend fresh aesthetics, smooth gameplay, and iconic soundtracks into authentic gaming experiences with no compromises. In October 2024, Team Reptile was awarded 'Best Art' at the Dutch Game Awards.

Sven Peetoom is a Dutch-Indonesian screenwriter, theatre maker and film director, working in Amsterdam. Peetoom has made documentaries all over the world, but has gained most of his experience in Indonesia. His work includes fiction, documentaries, theatre and video installations, which have received international press attention and have been shown at various festivals and platforms. As artistic director and head of video of the international theatre piece The Indonesian Dialogues (2024), which premiered at the SPRING festival, Peetoom was nominated for the DNA Next Stimuleringsprijs. This year, his first feature documentary Tussen Wal en Schip (co-directed with Juliette Dominicus) will premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival, with a national release in cinemas.

Ulla Havenga identifies as a global citizen, having worked in the field of international cultural relations and project management for the past 12 years. Since 2017, she has been supporting the live-art collective United Cowboys in their international communication and programming. For Fontys Academy of the Arts, Havenga coordinates the international master programme Performing Public Space. Additionally, she is part of the professorship ‘Artistic Connective Practices’ where she focuses on external funding. Next to her roles at United Cowboys and Fontys, Havenga is also an active member of the IETM network, the Society of Artistic Research and has recently joined the advisory board of Strijbos & van Rijswijk.

HKU is known for its higher education in the arts and media. The university is a driving force in training and innovation for the creative industry and one of the largest educational institutions for art and culture in Europe. HKU has a total of more than 4000 students spread over nine schools: Fine Art, Design, Music and Technology, Games and Interaction, Art and Economics, Media, Utrechts Conservatorium, Theatre and Creative Transformation.

November 2024 is dedicated to the creative professional and their development. An inspiring month full of activities in the Utrecht region. With BROED, the initiator Utrecht Creative Community aims to make the professionalization of the creative and cultural sector in the Utrecht region more accessible and strengthen it.