ECF Director Katherine Watson first ‘Cultural Leader in Residence’ at the University of Groningen

Katherine Watson, Director of the European Cultural Foundation, has been appointed as the first ‘Cultural Leader in Residence’ at the University of Groningen. Watson will be the figurehead of a new two-year Research Master's degree programme in Cultural Leadership at the Faculty of Arts.

Cultural Leadership

Culture plays an important role in political and social change. In the Research Master, Dutch and international students will be taught the academic knowledge and skills they need to help create a critical, sustainable and creative society. The Research Master is run by five departments in the Faculty of Arts at the UG, in association with the Italian Roma Tre University and the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR).

European Cultural Foundation (ECF)

Katherine Watson is Director of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). ECF is a proponent of ‘culture for change’. Since its foundation in 1954, the ECF has been working towards a Europe that serves as home to a very diverse population, which shows solidarity and keeps an open mind about the future. The ECF plays an active role by backing and reinforcing innovative cultural ideas, giving a voice to those whose voices are not generally heard and enabling international partnerships. The ECF believes that democracy needs a fertile imagination to thrive, and so culture is the space where the future is shaped. Every year, the ECF presents the ‘Princess Margriet Award for Culture’ to European artists who have changed the way we think about living together in Europe.

Arts Lecture

Watson will open the academic year for the Faculty of Arts on Tuesday 5 September by delivering the Arts Lecture. Previous speakers include Ronald Giphart, Femke Halsema, Wim Pijbes and Ramsey Nasr, who spoke about the importance of the Arts (language, art, literature, media, history, art history, archaeology and communication) in society. The lecture is open to all and will be given in English in the Aula of the Academy Building. The title is: ‘Leadership in spaces of intersection: Are we ready?’

Meer informatie

• Master's programme Cultural Leadership
• European Cultural Foundation. You can also contact Friso Wiersum, ECF, via fwiersum culturalfoundation.eu or +31 (0)20 5733868
• For other questions please contact the Communication, Career & Society department, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen. Tel. +31 (0)50 3635906, info.let rug.nl