About the Program
What is the Khan Collection?
The Khan Collection is Module 2 of the Ramallah edition of the School for Arab Futures (ScAFu). It is an experimental five-week art and design program that rethinks how cultural work is commissioned, valued, and owned. Participants collaborate with non-traditional patrons (shopkeepers, workers, and others) to produce commissioned artworks or designs that reflect those patrons' stories and realities.
What is the School for Arab Futures?
The School for Arab Futures is a long-term educational and cultural infrastructure developed by the Institute for Worldmaking (IWM). It operates across cities in the Arab world, bringing together research, design, art, fieldwork, and public practice to build shared tools, datasets, and methods rooted in local contexts. Rather than importing ready-made frameworks, the School works from where it is embedded — treating cities, institutions, workshops, libraries, and streets as sites of knowledge production. What participants contribute does not disappear at the end of a module. It becomes part of a growing regional infrastructure for cultural practice, education, and future-making.
What are the program's dates?
The module runs from May 11 to June 13, 2026 — five weeks in total. It begins with an intensive masterclass and patron pairing, moves through relational fieldwork and a core production period, and concludes with a public exhibition and the formal delivery of artworks to patrons.
Where does the program take place?
The program is based in Ramallah. Lectures, workshops, feedback sessions, and the final exhibition and seminar are held in the new lobby of the A.M. Qattan Foundation building. Students also visit partner sites and institutions across Palestine.
Who is behind this module?
The module is a co-production between the Institute for Worldmaking (IWM) and the A.M. Qattan Foundation. It is led by Raafat Majzoub, Director of IWM — an MIT alumnus, lecturer, editor, author, and artist whose work spans architecture, publishing, speculative research, and experimental education. The module is delivered on the ground in Ramallah with Salem Shamieh, IWM Design Lead, who leads the on-site sessions.
Has the Khan Collection run before?
Yes. Previous iterations have been run in Lebanon by the Institute for Worldmaking. The Ramallah edition draws on those experiences, with the program structure, masterclasses, and feedback sessions informed by past cohorts.
How to Apply
Who should apply?
The Khan Collection is open to everyone — there are no geographic restrictions. Applicants must be active artists working in any field or discipline: visual art, design, architecture, crafts, performance, writing, and beyond. The most important quality is a willingness to work relationally — responding to a real person's needs and desires rather than an abstract brief.
Are there specific skill or background requirements?
Applicants must be active artists and students — meaning they are currently making work, regardless of career stage or institutional affiliation. All fields and disciplines are welcome. There are no academic or professional prerequisites beyond that. What matters is genuine engagement with a collaborative and relational process, and the ability to work openly with a patron from everyday life.
Can applicants from outside Palestine apply?
Participants need to be present in Ramallah for the full duration of the module (May 11 – June 13, 2026), as all sessions, patron meetings, and the exhibition take place there.
What do I need to submit?
Your application must include: (1) a motivation statement of 500 words and (2) a portfolio — either as a PDF or an online link.
What is the application deadline?
Applications must be submitted by April 15, 2026. Selected applicants will be contacted by April 27, 2026. Shortlisted candidates may be invited for a brief conversation as part of the selection process.
Who selects participants?
Selection is conducted jointly by the Institute for Worldmaking and the A.M. Qattan Foundation.
Work & Deliverables
What will I actually produce?
Each participant develops one finished commissioned artwork in collaboration with an assigned patron. The work is intended for the Khan Collection and hosted by the patron. The process is as important as the outcome — documentation and reflection are integral to what is produced.
What are the required deliverables?
Participants must deliver: a signed relational contract, three rounds of sketches or prototypes, a relational Log documenting the collaboration, process documentation, and a short written reflection. The final artwork is formally delivered to the patron at the closing exhibition.
Who is my patron?
Patrons are non-traditional commissioners from everyday life: shopkeepers, workers, and individuals outside the art world. Each participant is paired with a specific patron by the program during the opening intensive masterclass in Week 1.
What support will I receive during production?
Participants receive continuous support throughout five weeks: masterclasses on art economies, regular feedback and critique sessions, workshops, and talks by artists, writers, and practitioners. The Institute for Worldmaking provides mentorship drawing on experiences from previous Khan Collection editions.
What happens at the end of the program?
The program concludes with a public exhibition in the A.M. Qattan Foundation lobby, a public seminar, the formal handover of artworks to patrons, and a poster-format publication documenting the works and their processes. Participants receive a certificate of attendance.
Ownership & Economics
Is there a participation fee? Are participants paid?
Participation is free — there is no cost to join. Participants are not paid a stipend or salary. The economic model works differently: rather than upfront payment, artists enter a co-ownership arrangement where any future sales revenue is split 50/50 with their patron, and exhibition revenue follows the same split.
Who owns the work?
The original work is hosted by the patron. Ownership is shared between three parties: the artist, the patron, and the Khan Collection. The patron keeps the original artwork. When a reproduction of a work is sold, revenue is split 50/50 between the artist and the patron — the Khan retains co-ownership and the right to exhibit but takes no cut of sales revenue. Exhibition revenue is also distributed 50/50 between artist and patron.
Can I sell or exhibit the work independently?
No. The work cannot be sold independently by any single party. The original stays with the patron — they keep it. The Khan retains co-ownership and exhibition rights. If the work is ever sold, proceeds go 50/50 to the artist and patron. Exhibition revenue follows the same split. Any use outside these terms requires agreement between all three parties.
Practical & Logistics
What is the time commitment?
Full participation is required throughout the five-week period (May 11 – June 13, 2026): all masterclasses, feedback sessions, and workshops; meetings with your patron; developing and producing your work; and the final exhibition and public presentation.
What languages does the program operate in?
The program works in both Arabic (primary) and English.
What can I expect to gain?
Mentorship from local and regional practitioners; a one-to-one collaboration with a real patron; training in relational research, negotiation, and collaborative production; a public exhibition at the A.M. Qattan Foundation; access to institutions and partner spaces across Palestine; participation in public presentations; and a certificate of attendance.