CONTENTS

In JET, various themes, artists, disciplines, philosophies, ideas, opinions, continents and cultures are intertwined, which show the diversity of contemporary art and society. This has made the book an eclectic whole. Each team member interviewed an artist that they were personally interested in, including Marc Bijl, Randa Shaath and William Hunt. In this way both diverse artists and attitudes towards art are showcased. Besides interviews, each team member also imagined a concept for a project, researched this and eventually executed it. Every idea was different and this led to a variety of results ranging from the project “Art: Behind the Scenes “ a story of hidden heroes in the art world (amongst whom are the director of the institution and the education project curator) to ironic cartoons about art in collaboration with cartoonist TRIK. In the book you will also find “MoMA Moments”, a suspense story about an artwork in New York and ‘DIY-tips’ from contemporary artists like Lawrence Weiner, Ryan Gander and Geoffrey Farmer, to get started yourself. By reading the book you will be able to see the artists’ ideas more easily and form your own opinions about art.

EDITORIAL TEAM

JET consists of Faye Holdert, Joris de Jong, Judith Leijdekkers, Sammie Oostrum and Esra Yalciner. The expertise and areas of interest of these youngsters connects the book to the interests and experiences of all young people around the world. During the past one-and-a-half years, Witte de With has worked with this editorial team on the publication. In the beginning they visited a variety of people that play a role in the realization of a book. They spoke with a publisher, printer, designer, and also with artists in their studio or exhibition space. The team had workshops on interview techniques and writing to be able to collect as much information as possible in these conversations. Consistently the main questions were: When is something art? And why do artists make art? It soon became clear how to shape the content of the book and how it should look.

EDUCATION AT WITTE DE WITH

Through its education and youth activities, Witte de With serves as a centre for young people, where they can experience contemporary visual art and learn and share their ideas and opinions amongst each other and with others. In this way, we promote interest in contemporary art and strive to build a loyal group of young visitors. In addition to our regular programmes for educational institutions from secondary to university level, we see a need for projects that go beyond the educational curriculum. We recognize that young people are seriously interested in viewing, creating and experiencing art for their own pleasure and in their free time.

—Supported by

the Mondriaan Foundation, the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund and the City of Rotterdam