Agency for Architecture, Design, and Digital Culture
Talent
Internationally, the Netherlands is regarded as an important developer of design talent. This has consequences for the visibility of students, and to a large extent Dutch design academies now exist thanks to an influx of international students. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science spearheads the development of an infrastructure of grants, residencies and specific schemes designed for newly graduated talent, meaning that every government-funded institution has an assignment for this purpose.
Nieuwe Instituut adds substance to this in various ways, first and foremost by commissioning both young and established designers for whom specific assignments can represent a substantial step in their development, while explicitly seeking out the experimental. The design platform on this website lists recent projects that have been developed together with graphic, digital and spatial designers.
Secondly, the Nieuwe Instituut organises and develops specific programmes involving talent development. These include the fellowship programme of the Research department, the New Material Award, the presentation of the Prix de Rome Architecture, the Piet Zwart Institute's graduation show, and a peer-to-peer programme for young Rotterdammers.
Thirdly, on our website we offer space for reflection on dominant ideas about 'talent' and its development, from the role that education plays and the ways subsidies are organised, to international expectations of talent and support for international students after studying. We also organise public and private events and discussions about talent development with educational institutions, organisations and policymakers.
Finally, the Nieuwe Instituut presents makers on an international stage and gives advice to designers aiming to work internationally.
Programmes and exhibitions
New Material Award
The New Material Award challenges artists and designers to present designs that answer today's questions and tomorrow's challenges. New materials and the innovative use of materials are the guiding principles.
Prix de Rome Architectuur
Nieuwe Instituut presents the work of the nominees for the Prix de Rome Architecture 2022 from 18 November 2022 to 9 April 2023.
The Common Inn
On 18 April 2019, Gallery 1 of Het Nieuwe Instituut was transformed into The Common Inn: a common residence offering space for talent - presentations of it, conversations about it, performances by it, and reflections on it.
Platform
An overview of graphic designers commissioned by the Nieuwe Instituut.
Reflection
Nieuwe Instituut offers space for reflection on dominant ideas about talent and talent development: from the role of education and the way subsidies are organised, to international expectations regarding talent and support for international students after their studies.