FAQ

FUTURES Masterclass is an online educational programme offering 12-week masterclasses designed to support photographers, artists and visual practitioners in developing different aspects of their contemporary practice. Combining expert-led teaching, critical discussion and peer exchange, the programme responds to the evolving needs of artists working in today’s rapidly changing visual landscape.

FUTURES Masterclass is designed for photographers, artists, curators and visual practitioners interested in expanding their practice. The programme welcomes participants at different stages of their careers, from emerging practitioners seeking to build strong foundations to mid-career and established artists looking to deepen their knowledge and explore new approaches.

FUTURES Masterclass combines practical learning with critical inquiry, drawing on years of conversations, surveys and collaborations with artists across Europe. Rather than focusing solely on technical skills, the programme addresses the broader realities of contemporary artistic practice, including professional development, emerging image technologies and experimental publishing, while fostering an international learning community.

The first edition of FUTURES Masterclass includes three online masterclasses:

• The Artist Practice Lab
• New Image Lab
• The Photobook Lab

Each course explores a different aspect of contemporary artistic practice while encouraging critical thinking, experimentation and peer learning.

The FUTURES Masterclass courses are led by internationally recognised practitioners:

• Rebecca Simons – The Artist Practice Lab
•  Simone C. Niquille – New Image Lab
• Valentina Abenavoli – The Photobook Lab

Each tutor brings extensive professional experience and is joined by guest contributors where relevant.

Each FUTURES Masterclass course runs over a period of 12 weeks. The programme is designed to give participants enough time to develop their work through a structured combination of group sessions, practical assignments, feedback and independent study.

FUTURES Masterclass is delivered entirely online, enabling participants from different countries to learn together through lectures, workshops, discussions and collaborative exchange.

Each masterclass combines expert-led teaching with critical discussion, practical exercises and peer exchange. Participants are encouraged to develop their own work while engaging with contemporary ideas, expanding their knowledge and becoming part of an international community of artists and practitioners.

FUTURES EDU is designed to support practitioners at different stages of their careers. While emerging artists can build strong foundations, more experienced practitioners have the opportunity to update their knowledge, challenge their thinking and further develop their practice.

No. FUTURES Masterclass courses are open to everyone. You do not need to be part of the FUTURES platform to apply.

Yes. As an online programme, FUTURES Masterclass welcomes participants from around the world.

FUTURES Masterclass courses are taught in English.

Each FUTURES Masterclass courses accepts a maximum of 15 participants. The limited group size ensures an intensive and collaborative learning environment, while allowing each participant to receive guidance, personalised feedback and meaningful opportunities for exchange with the tutor and the group.

The programme includes 12 weeks of online learning, combining lectures, workshops, critical discussions and peer exchange led by internationally recognised practitioners. Additionally, the results of the masterclass will be presented on FUTURES online channels and website. Each participant also enters the FUTURES network.

Yes. One full scholarship is available for each FUTURES Masterclass course.

Applications for the first edition of FUTURES Masterclass close on 31 July 2026.

Yes, you may apply for more than one FUTURES Masterclass course. However, admission is assessed separately for each programme, and selection for multiple masterclasses cannot be guaranteed.

Yes, payment in installments is possible. Full details about the available payment schedule and conditions will be provided upon confirmation of your place in the programme.

Payment for FUTURES Masterclass is accepted by bank transfer. The necessary payment details and instructions will be provided upon confirmation of your place in the programme.

The programme runs over 12 weeks. Specific weekly time commitments will be communicated by the programme team. The 12 weeks are not consecutive. Average time commitment in class is between 6 and 9 hours per month.

Yes, the sessions are recorded for internal documentation and programme-related purposes only. Recordings will not be made publicly available or distributed outside the FUTURES Masterclass programme.

New Image Lab is a 12-week online masterclass exploring emerging image technologies through critical inquiry and experimental practice. Rather than focusing solely on technical skills, the course examines how new technologies influence the production, meaning and circulation of images in contemporary visual culture.

The course is designed for artists, photographers and visual practitioners who are experimenting with emerging image technologies and interested in exploring new ways of thinking about image-making through experimentation and critical reflection.

No. Prior experience with specific technologies is not required. The course welcomes participants who are curious to explore new ways of producing, thinking about and reflecting on photography and contemporary image-making.

No. While participants engage with emerging image technologies, the course places equal emphasis on critical inquiry. It encourages participants to consider the ethical, cultural, political and technical implications of contemporary image production.

Participants explore emerging image technologies, experimental image production, visual culture, critical image literacy and the ethical, moral and technical questions surrounding contemporary photography.

The programme is process-led and encourages participants to develop experimental projects that can evolve throughout the course. Projects may take different forms as participants respond to new ideas, technologies and discussions.

The masterclass is not designed as training in one specific software or technical tool. Its main focus is the conceptual and practical development of each participant’s project. However, technical guidance may be provided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the needs of the work being developed and the tools required to realise it.

Participants develop a deeper understanding of emerging image technologies while strengthening their ability to critically evaluate how these technologies influence image-making, contemporary culture and artistic practice.

The course combines technical experimentation with critical reflection, encouraging participants to question how technologies shape images, knowledge and visual culture rather than simply learning how to use new tools.

Participants leave with an experimental body of work developed throughout the programme, alongside new perspectives on emerging image technologies and greater confidence engaging critically with contemporary image-making.

The Photobook Lab is a 12-week online masterclass exploring the photobook as an artistic medium. Led by Valentina Abenavoli, the course supports participants in developing a photobook from concept to dummy while experimenting with sequencing, editing, design and materiality.

The course is designed for photographers, artists and visual practitioners interested in developing or expanding a photobook project through experimentation, critical dialogue and collaborative learning.

Participants will work towards producing a photobook dummy while exploring sequencing, editing, narrative structure and the relationship between images, text and material form.

The course treats the photobook as more than a publishing format. It approaches the book as a creative space where editing, sequencing, design and materiality become integral parts of artistic practice.

Participants deepen their understanding of photobook making while developing practical and conceptual approaches to editing, sequencing and publishing.

Participants complete the programme with a developed photobook dummy and a stronger understanding of the creative possibilities of the photobook as an artistic medium.

TArtist Practice Lab is a 12-week online masterclass that focuses on the professional foundations of a sustainable artistic practice. Led by Rebecca Simons, the course helps artists develop the knowledge, confidence and practical tools needed to navigate contemporary creative careers.

The course is designed for photographers, artists and visual practitioners seeking to strengthen the professional aspects of their practice, whether they are emerging, mid-career or established practitioners.

Artist Practice Lab explores the professional foundations of a sustainable artistic practice. Topics include defining and communicating an artistic practice, professional positioning, building a personal narrative, networking and relationship building, identifying and evaluating opportunities, grant writing and funding applications, pitching and presenting projects, entrepreneurship, professional communication, and developing strategies for navigating the contemporary art world. The programme also addresses the practical realities of working as an independent artist, including contracts, administration, financial and legal considerations, and other aspects of professional practice.

No. While the course provides valuable foundations for early-career practitioners, it also supports mid-career and established artists looking to strengthen or update different aspects of their professional practice.

Participants develop skills related to professional positioning, communication, grant writing, networking, presenting projects and understanding the wider ecosystem that supports artistic practice.

Participants leave with greater confidence, practical tools and a clearer understanding of how to organise, communicate and sustain their artistic practice, alongside connections with an international community of peers.

The FUTURES Research Residency is a self-directed residency based at the FUTURES Hub in Amsterdam, designed to give practitioners dedicated time and space to pursue independent research within their practice.

The residency supports research as an open and evolving process. It can provide the conditions to develop an emerging project, pursue a line of enquiry, test ideas, conduct further investigation or allow a body of research to develop before it becomes a finished work.

The FUTURES Research Residency is open to artists, writers, researchers and curators working across the visual arts.

The programme is intended for practitioners whose work involves research, enquiry or experimentation and who would benefit from dedicated time and space to develop their practice independently.

The FUTURES Research Residency does not prescribe a particular subject, medium or methodology. Research may relate to an existing artistic practice, an emerging project, a new area of enquiry or a question that requires further investigation.

Applicants may use the residency to develop ideas, undertake research, test approaches, engage with relevant cultural resources or allow an existing body of work to evolve.

Yes. The FUTURES Research Residency is deliberately self-directed, meaning that residents determine the focus, direction and methodology of their research.

There is no prescribed programme of activities or research methodology. The residency is structured to give practitioners the independence to decide how the period is most useful to their practice and research.

No. The FUTURES Research Residency is not organised around a predetermined exhibition, production commission or required final outcome.

The emphasis is on the research process itself. Residents may develop work or ideas during the residency, but they are not expected to produce a specific outcome for presentation at the end of the residency.

The FUTURES Research Residency lasts one month. Where appropriate, the duration may be adapted to accommodate the needs of the artist and the proposed project.

The FUTURES Research Residency is based at the FUTURES Hub in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Amsterdam forms an important part of the residency’s wider context, providing residents with access to a significant cultural environment and resources relevant to research across photography and the visual arts.

The FUTURES Research Residency provides a private, fully equipped working and living space at the FUTURES Hub in Amsterdam, including gas, electricity, utilities and basic facilities, as well as use of the Hub’s shared facilities.

The residency also provides dedicated time for independent research, the opportunity to engage with Amsterdam’s cultural context, and connection to the wider FUTURES ecosystem.

Amsterdam is more than the location of the FUTURES Research Residency. Its museums, archives, universities, cultural organisations, artist-led initiatives and wider visual arts community can form part of the context in which residents develop their research.

The residency gives practitioners the opportunity to pursue their own research while engaging with the cultural environment around them.

The FUTURES Research Residency is based within the FUTURES ecosystem and connects residents to an international network working across photography and the visual arts.

The residency provides an opportunity to develop independent research while situated within a wider European context of artists, curators, cultural organisations and photography institutions.

No. Although FUTURES is an international photography platform, the FUTURES Research Residency is open to a broader range of visual art practitioners.

Artists, writers, researchers and curators can apply, provided their practice or proposed research relates to the visual arts.

Yes. Writers and researchers working within the visual arts are eligible to apply for the FUTURES Research Residency.

The programme is not limited to studio-based artistic practice and can support research, writing, critical enquiry and other forms of visual arts practice.

The FUTURES Research Residency does not have a fixed  application deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and remain open until the available residency periods are booked.

The FUTURES Research Residency fee is €2,500 including VAT for one month. This includes a private, fully equipped working and living space at the FUTURES Hub, gas, electricity, utilities and basic facilities, as well as use of shared facilities at the Hub. Residents can also request a letter of intent from FUTURES to support external funding, grant or sponsorship applications, and may receive optional light-touch support from the FUTURES team.

The fee does not cover travel to and from Amsterdam, daily living expenses, production costs, insurance, or additional technical equipment and specialised materials.

Applications for the FUTURES Research Residency can be submitted here: [application link].

Applicants should review the eligibility requirements and application information before submitting their materials.

The FUTURES Artistic Residency is an international residency programme for FUTURES artists, offering dedicated time and space to develop new work, conduct research and experiment with their practice.

Taking place across different European locations and in collaboration with FUTURES partner organisations, the programme connects artists with local cultural contexts, professionals and communities while supporting exchange, reflection and artistic development.

The residency is open to FUTURES artists through an annual open call. Applications are reviewed by a jury.

Applications are assessed according to the quality of the artist’s practice, the strength of the proposed residency project, and its relevance to the programme’s current research framework.

The current framework focuses on Nature, Technology and the Environment, encouraging artists to investigate ecological relationships, technological transformation, environmental responsibility, and their impact on contemporary life.

The programme currently takes place in Amsterdam (NL), Riga (LV) and Budapest (HU), in collaboration with FUTURES partner organisations.

You can apply to the Open Call referring to the FUTURES Artistic Residency of your interest.

Residents receive dedicated time and space for artistic development, access to relevant professional guidance, connections with local artistic and cultural networks, international visibility through FUTURES channels, and opportunities for public engagement.

Yes. Selected artists receive an artist fee of €1,000.

Accommodation is provided in the form of a studio with an adjoining living space. Travel and living costs are the responsibility of the artist.

This depends on the location. Amsterdam offers a private live-work environment at the FUTURES Hub; Riga provides accommodation at the ISSP residency apartment with access to working facilities; and Budapest provides a private room within a communal apartment as well as access to shared studio facilities through the Capa Center.

Each residency lasts for a period of one month.

The programme is centred on artistic research and experimentation. Residents develop their projects independently while engaging with professionals, local communities, cultural organisations and the wider FUTURES network.

At the end of the FUTURES Artistic Residency the resident will present the results of the residency during the Open Studio event.

Yes. Each FUTURES Artistic Residency culminates in a public event developed with FUTURES. Depending on the project, this might take the form of an exhibition, workshop, open studio, screening or artist talk.

Residents are invited to share their process through a visual diary, a video portrait, a public event, and a written interview published on the FUTURES website.

Open Calls to apply for the FUTURES Artistic Residency are launched regularly via our website and official communication channels.

The open call generally takes place at the beginning of each year. Exact dates will be announced through our website and social media channels.

No. At the moment, FUTURES Artistic Residency is open only to FUTURES Artists.