Every year, the Municipality of Amersfoort allocates funds through the Open Call for professional artists and exhibition makers. The Open Call requires that the project is carried out in the municipality of Amersfoort, is a one-time event, and must be visible to residents. Alderman for Art and Culture Tyas Bijlholt emphasizes the importance of investing in culture: “The Open Call is a great incentive for creators.”
Practice in Failing celebrates the beauty of the unpolished, the unfinished, and failed attempts. In our society, success is seen as the final destination. It determines how we assign value and meaning. The artists want to highlight the other side: the power of failing, sketching, and the process. Through an exhibition, publication, and public activities, they invite Amersfoort residents to reappraise imperfection.
Shift from shame to pride
Practice in Failing belongs in Amersfoort, a city whose history connects with the theme of failure. The story of the Keientrekkers forms the DNA of this art project: residents who, in the seventeenth century, dragged a huge boulder into the city for pretzels and beer and were subsequently mocked. What once symbolized deception and foolishness is now a proud city icon. This shift from shame to pride precisely reflects what Practice in Failing explores: revaluing what was once seen as failure.
Previous winners
Previous winners of the Open Call include curators Carlien Lammers and Renee Schuiten-Kniepstra (Rewilden, 2025), Seán Hannan and Willum Geerts (Persona non Data, 2024), and Hans van Bentem (Object Trouvé, 2023).
