The research project Cultural Diversity is founded on a positive, emancipatory notion of cultural diversity. It reflects the changing position of new Dutch citizens in the light of growing groups of highly skilled immigrants in the big cities. Now that more new Dutch citizens establish themselves as independent entrepreneurs, an increasing social and economical emancipation can be observed. This creates opportunities for new professional practices of artists and designers based on new transnational visual languages.

With the art and design world changing, visual and design cultural studies emerge. Community art and relational design deeply engage with society, tying in with specific groups. Artists and designers investigate new neighborhood-related professional positions. At the same time, their practice is scaling up to international collaboration. Large-scale migration, flows of refugees and post-colonial relations amount to the development of transnational visual cultures.

The research project focuses on opportunities for artists and designers within this changing context, examining the new demands placed on practitioners. What competences are required by artists and designers in a rapidly changing world? How can they build new networks? Which connections do they make with their communities and neighborhoods? Are outward forces stronger, requiring a perspective beyond national borders? What are institutional constraints and opportunities?

The research programme Cultural Diversity organizes and co-organizes of conferences and lectures in which new professional practices and new visual languages are discussed. In the Bachelor education of the Willem de Kooning Academy, the programme supervises a thematic minor on cultural diversity that is open to students from different disciplines from the whole Rotterdam University. The research programme is a part of the Rotterdam University’s Center of Expertise (”kenniscentrum”) Creative Industries that will be inaugurated in late 2010. Within this center, the research programme will organize Innovation Labs for Bachelor students.