Leo
Kees
TEACHING
Sharing experiences, knowledge, and perspectives has been a central component of my artistic practice from the very beginning. It is an approach to reflect upon my own creative processes and those of the participants.
Having taught workshops for institutions for almost two decades, I’m currently focused on the crossover between on-site and virtual formats. Most often, this means that the process starts on-site and then further develops online over a span of weeks or months. Sometimes it entails an entirely virtual collaboration.
MOTIVATION
There are two reasons why I choose to work in this way:
Firstly, these workshops are about how participants adapt diverse artistic practices to suit their own interests and needs, a process that involves time, critical thinking and methodical follow-ups.
​​Secondly, these workshops allow me to share creative processes and professional skills and know-how across European borders. Most of my teaching and touring take place in comparatively wealthy countries. So, over the past several years, I have tried to come up with ways to share artistic and entrepreneurial knowledge with art students from countries to which I might not be able to travel physically.


WORKSHOP FORMATS
At present, I'm running three workshops. Two of them are conceived for groups in institutional contexts: CAREER-MANAGEMENT FOR ARTISTS focuses on the professional know-how needed to build a global career in the arts; CREATIVE PROCESSES AND STRATEGIES focuses on developing a personal approach to creation and artistic work, with an emphasis in interdisciplinary thinking. The third workshop, INDIVIDUAL MENTORING, is held entirely online and focuses on personalised mentoring for emerging artists, drawing elements from the two previous workshops, depending on the specific needs of the artist.
*For detailed information please write to: leandrokees@icloud.com
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CAREER-MANAGEMENT FOR ARTISTS
On-site contents
The aim of this course is to nurture future independent artists with the tools and the know-how needed to develop a professional career in the arts. It includes exercises designed to help them construct a consistent discourse around their work, to write project proposals and properly budget productions of different sizes. Furthermore it offers tools for profiling oneself as an artist both on a local and a global scale.
Online contents
Over the course of the workshop, we will go over different skills and abilities, such as writing grant applications, approaching festivals, scouting for partners, talking to curators, and properly planning a production. This course emphasizes understanding the difference between ‘project management’ (what a manager does) and ‘career management’ (what an artist does).
CREATIVE PROCECESS & STRATEGIES
On-site contents
This workshop focuses on training and developing creative strategies as well as compositional principles applicable to theater, video, dance and other art forms. It aims to develop an individual approach to project direction in order to find a well-structured balance between the form, content, context and motivations of a work.
Online contents
In this workshop we analyse practices, methods and discourses from renowned contemporary artists and carry out individual tasks intended to provide participants with a clear insight into the variety of approaches and daily rituals adopted and developed by different creators to spur the acquisition of solid personal creative habits. The workshop's duration is determined jointly with the organizers.
INDIVIDUAL MENTORING
Description
This course is an extension of my teaching experience supporting individual devising and managing processes of emerging artists. It’s a fusion of the 'Creative Process' and 'Career Management' workshops, and it can range from helping participants to develop complete projects, to launching their careers, presenting their work on professional platforms, and/or finding suitable creative habits to shape new works.
Options
The format (and its duration) can vary from on-site to purely virtual interaction, or a combination of both, depending on the participants' places of residence. Beyond its modality, the course encompasses one-to-one interaction and a personalized follow-up of the participants’ creative habits and professional goals.