Three members of the Supervisory Board

De Appel is a venue for contemporary art and culture, featuring a public exhibition program, a world-renowned curatorial program, an archive, and a library. De Appel creates time and space for artists and allies to ask essential questions. Our diverse public programming serves people from various backgrounds and perspectives in an atmosphere of open hospitality, collaboration, and experimentation. Together, we shape art and culture in our cosmopolitan city.

What We Do

De Appel provides a space and time for art and culture through its public program, world-renowned curatorial program, archive, and library. De Appel was founded 47 years ago and has since established itself as an experimental space for contemporary art. Partly thanks to the curatorial program established in 1994, De Appel has built a strong international network. De Appel is a place where art and critical reflection meet, as well as new ideas in the curatorial field. In addition, over the decades, it has collected unique archival material related to performance art.

De Appel programs, responds, initiates, and listens. Since our founding, we have done this from various locations throughout the city. In 2017, a new location was found in Amsterdam Nieuw-West. De Appel believes in the indispensability of the voice of art in contemporary debate, dares to take a stand, and offers time and space to reflect and work on a theme over the long term. De Appel invites artists and designers to collaborate with the organization and preferably commissions them to develop new work, thereby contributing to local roots and (inter)national resonance.

The pillars

The three pillars of De Appel—the public program, the Archive, and the Curatorial Program—are interrelated, are developed in relation to one another, and the director-curator develops a vision for these three elements of De Appel, their future, and their substantive focus.

De Appel is a nonprofit organization with a staff of 6.4 full-time equivalents, an extensive network of freelance colleagues, and an annual budget of approximately EUR 1 million. The foundation is funded by the City of Amsterdam, the Mondriaan Fund, and various (private) foundations. De Appel’s current location will undergo renovation in the near future.

The management and oversight philosophy

As of early 2022, De Appel operates under a Supervisory Board model. The foundation is managed by two executive directors. The Supervisory Board has three roles: supervisory, advisory, and employer (of the executive board), and fulfills these roles in a professional and independent manner.

The Board of Trustees ensures that the foundation is managed in accordance with its mission and program, while delivering excellent performance. The Board of Trustees focuses on strategically essential issues, key policy areas, the achievement of objectives, finances, and performance agreements.

The Supervisory Board demonstrates a commitment to the organization that is visible to employees, the board of directors, and the outside world. It does this, among other things, by engaging with stakeholders, actively gathering information, and maintaining transparency with the outside world.

The Board of Trustees sets its own agenda and priorities in consultation with the Executive Board. The Board of Trustees is responsible for its own performance and conducts critical (self-)evaluations. The Board of Trustees reviews its own performance annually. The Board of Trustees meets according to a set schedule, at least four times a year. The Board of Trustees serves on a volunteer basis; travel expenses are reimbursed.

There is a set of bylaws that outlines procedures, duties, and responsibilities, and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance has been purchased.

Desired composition of the Board of Trustees

The composition of the Supervisory Board ensures that the duties assigned to the Board under the law, the Cultural Governance Code, and other regulations and codes of conduct are carried out responsibly. In this regard, there is a balance in terms of the individual members’ age, experience, gender, and background, as well as sufficient complementarity among the members in terms of knowledge, experience, and networks.

There is sufficient knowledge of, experience with, and/or affinity for the foundation’s mission and activities, as well as for supervisory duties, and there is a clear understanding of the stakeholders’ interests.

The size of the Board of Trustees is such that it can fulfill its duties effectively and responsibly, and that each individual member of the board has the opportunity to contribute based on their specific qualities.

General requirements for individual members

Members can contribute critically and independently to decision-making within the Board of Trustees and have no conflicting interests or undesirable conflicts of interest in this regard. They have a broad social interest and affinity with De Appel’s mission, ambition, and areas of work. They strike a good balance between objectivity and engagement and possess the following personal qualities: collegial, alert, and, when necessary, critical.

Members have a deep understanding of social and political dynamics, possess relevant knowledge and experience, and have a broad network, including in the business community, the philanthropic sector, and the cultural sector.

They are capable of fulfilling their duties, including in terms of the time available, and are able to attend and prepare for Board of Trustees meetings. It is essential that they be able to make time and take measures to ensure the organization’s leadership in the absence of the executive board.

Job openings

1. Artistic:
   A prominent artist or curator.
2. Finance:
   Knowledge and experience in finance and business management, preferably with (regulatory) experience in the arts sector or a sector with public funding.
3. Legal:
   Affinity with private law A young mind with an appreciation for the arts sector. Preferably with work experience at a medium-sized firm and exposure to various disciplines and areas of expertise.

Recruitment

The Board of Trustees of De Appel Amsterdam is being assisted in this process by the executive search firm Colourful People. For more information about these positions, please call Winfred Voordendag, senior partner at Colourful People, at 06-28284706.

To express your interest, please submit your cover letter and resume via the Colourful People website by Friday, September 23. There will be two rounds of interviews: one on Tuesday, October 4, and one on Thursday, October 6, both in the late afternoon or early evening.