Chairmanship Amsterdam’s Zuid-as

The Gerrit Rietveld Academy (GRA) and rhe Sandberg Institute (SI), both located in Amsterdam, established the Lectureship of Art and Public Space. Under the leadership of the GRA a joint venture was set up with three partners, namely, the University of Amsterdam, SKOR and the Stichting Virtueel museum Zuid-as (virtual museum of the southern axis foundation). In the spring of 2003, Jeroen Boomgaard was appointed chairman. He will retain the chair for a period of 4 years.

The chairman initiates and supervises the research and research-related education within the GRA. This research focuses on the areas of art and public space and stimulates the development of new ideas on these subjects. Three themes played an important role in the research performed by the chairman and the other members. These included the meaning and function of public space, the relationship between art, artists and the general public and the development of new concepts of art and public space. In addition to this, the chairman supervises a wide group of experts who occupy themselves with the actual developments surrounding Amsterdam’s Southern Axis. He also leads social and art-centered debates on the subject. Both the Sandberg Institute and the GRA are located on the Southern Axis, an area situated on the southern side of Amsterdam’s ring road, the A10.