Together with the departments, Rietveld and Sandberg organises a series of monthly lectures to prepare students and recent graduates for professional practice after their studies. By inviting both experts and alums, the series aims to give participants a clearer idea of what professional practice they aspire to and what their first steps will be after graduation.
The programme is open to Rietveld and Sandberg students as well as alums who have recently (less than 5 years ago) graduated.
The upcoming sessions will take place on the following Thursdays:
16 October 2025: How to Portfolio
Session hosted by Jens Pfeifer (Head of The Large Glass department, Rietveld Academie), together with Benedetta Pompili and Katharina Nejdl. They shared tips on how to portfolio.
20 November 2025: Money? Money! Money...
Session hosted by Alina Lupu (writer and post-conceptual artist, Fine Arts alum Rietveld Academie 2016), together with two SI alums, Pablo Rezzonico Bongcam and Anto López Espinosa. An open conversation about something we all deal with in the visual art field, but rarely discuss: money.
15 January 2026: On Funding Bodies & Presentations by Funds
A session hosted by Pedro Matias (alum Rietveld and Sandberg), with presentations by Amarte Fonds, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Stimuleringsfonds and Voordekunst. This session will offer a direct look at how Dutch funding structures operate and how artists can engage with them critically and strategically. Register here.
19 February 2026: Positioning Yourself as an Artist
A session hosted by Mercedes Azpilicueta (Head of TXT department, Rietveld Academie), together with alums Marie Ilse Bourlanges and Waèl el Allouche. Together, we explore questions such as: How do you place your practice within existing narratives, sectors, or communities? What kinds of dialogues and collaborations do you seek in your work life? How do ethics, responsibility, and care shape the systems we participate in, or help transform them. The session offers a chance to learn directly from alums as they share their real-world experiences of entering the professional field after graduation.
More info about this session soon!
Location: Theory Stairs
All recordings of the past sessions can be found here.
Campaign design: Cleo Tsw (alum Graphic Design Rietveld Academie 2019)
Tape design 2025 – 2026: Jingran He (alum Design Department Sandberg Instituut 2025)
Tape design 2024 – 2025: Mae Smith and Catherine Hu (alums Graphic Design Rietveld Academie 2024)
