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Design Academy Eindhoven advertises for creative director

Design Academy Eindhoven advertises for creative director

News: Design Academy Eindhoven is looking for a creative director following a period of turmoil that has seen the resignation of the heads of the three masters courses, their subsequent return to the school and the departure of school's chair.

The school has been without a creative head since September 2009, when fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe quit just nine months after being appointed as successor to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort.

Edelkoort, who was chair of the school but also set its creative direction, stepped down in 2008 after ten years at the school. Edelkoort stepped into the row about the school's direction this summer, publishing a letter criticising the leadership of Annemieke Eggenkamp, who succeeded Edelkoort as chair.

"I have had to watch how the school and the system have been dismantled, all things that made the Design Academy the design academy were closed or changed one by one, mercilessly and ruthlessly," Edelkoort wrote.

This July the three heads of the masters courses resigned in unison, claiming management decisions at the school were "compromising the quality of education". At the time Jan Boelen, head of the social design masters course, said: "the Design Academy [is] in great need of an artistic director".

The three later returned after extracting concessions from the school but continued to press for the appointment of a creative director.

In August, chair Annemieke Eggenkamp announced she would be standing down.

The academy today posted a recruitment advert for a creative director who would be "accountable for the vision, strategy and artistical direction of the Design Academy Eindhoven".

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Image is from Radio Nederland Wereldomroep.