Open Call for Festival Programmers at BRUSK

Sept. 6, 2023

Musea Brugge’s brand-new BRUSK exhibition hall is set to become the new epicenter for pioneering exhibitions and cultural events with an international aura, an oasis of artistic energy and a welcoming haven in the heart of the UNESCO city of Bruges, Belgium. It will open its doors with an arts festival taking place from October 18th, 2025 to May 8th, 2026 (weekends and holidays only). To this end, Musea Brugge is looking for astute and uncompromising programmers, armed with surprising and ambitious ideas and a solid artistic network, who will organize an opening festival that will put BRUSK on the international cultural map. Curators and programmers from all over the world and from all cultural and creative fields are welcome to apply.

BRUSK stands for innovation, unruliness, tension, experimentation and beauty; a place with character and friction following its own artistic path; a bastion of interweaving where different art forms, cultures and worlds meet under one roof. Together with your fellow programmers and with Musea Brugge’s talented team, you will come up with a creative and original concept for the opening festival and make a strong selection that is technically and budget-wise feasible. You will be the contact point for artists and other parties and coordinate the entire process from beginning to end with production support from Musea Brugge.

With your program, you will introduce and activate BRUSK and the surrounding area, and show what the new exhibition hall has to offer. You will ensure a strong local embedding of BRUSK and an international reach in the artistic field. Your program will be aimed at a broad audience, with an extra focus on young people, young adults and people from diverse cultural backgrounds. This festival will be a hotbed of encounters and collaborations, with different target groups, local and national artistic field, partners and companies, as well as digital communities. As the programmer, you are expected to commit from November 2023 to May 2026 (dates subject to change).

Musea Brugge offers a unique opportunity to engage in an international and national cultural network, production feedback from curators and staff of Musea Brugge, a market-based remuneration for the elaboration and coordination of the festival (including all possible expenses such as accommodation or travel), a solid all-in budget for the production of the festival as well as production support.

Send your original concept text for the festival, motivation letter and CV to elviera.velghe@brugge.be, with clear descriptions of your references, demonstrable experience and (inter)national network.