Dansk

 Science Museums Steno Museum Exhibitions The overlooked body Create art with young people about mental health

CREATE ART WITH YONG PEOPLE

Open call: 
We are looking for an artist, art group, art educator, or like to facilitate a creative/artistic process with school students (ages 13–16) on the topic of mental health. 

The student-created artwork(s) will be part of a medical historical exhibition on medical research into biological female bodies, opening in May 2026. 

About the project 

In January 2025, the Steno Museum (part of the Science Museums, Aarhus University) opened the exhibition The Overlooked Body, which explores how biological female bodies have historically been - and continue to be - overlooked in medical research, and the consequences this has for knowledge, diagnosis, and treatment. This exhibition is the first of two on this subject. The next exhibition will open in May 2026. 

The 2026 exhibition will be co-created with researchers from Aarhus University and students from grade 7 and up (the main target audience for the exhibition). In addition, we wish to facilitate co-creation between students and artists. 

We are therefore currently looking for an artist, art educator, or similar to lead a co-creation process with the students with the aim to develop one or more artworks for the exhibition. The process will be carried out in collaboration with the artist, students from the target group, and the museum’s curators. The resulting artwork(s) will be included in the exhibition. 

The project is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and curated by the Science Museums. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 


About the exhibition 

The exhibition project aims to prompt reflection on the inequalities in medical research - both historical and ongoing. Through the exhibition, we wish to foster curiosity and reflection on this highly relevant issue across art, science, and history. 

One section of the exhibition will be focusing on mental health. In this theme, we aim to include a co-created work with a class of school students. Details about the artwork and your role are outlined below. 

Mental health and anxiety 

Mental health is a much-debated topic, especially among young people. This section will focus on anxiety, which is both a basic physiological response and, at the same time, a diagnosis that many young people live with. 

Reflection questions about the theme: 

  • When is anxiety healthy/unhealthy? 

  • What happens physiologically in the body? 

  • What do we know about the disorder—and what don't we know? 

  • Why is this condition under-researched? 

The purpose of the co-created artwork is to amplify the voices of young people on this timely topic. 

Facilitation process and production  

  • You will facilitate a creative process with a school class with students aged approx. 14-16 years old (the museum will help initiate contact). 

  • The process should result in one cohesive or multiple/individual artworks. 

  • The artwork(s) will be part of a 20 m² exhibition area on mental health, which will also include other exhibition elements. 

  • You and the students will be credited as contributors to the artwork(s) and the exhibition. 

Application process 

To apply, please submit the following as one combined PDF to curator and project manager Anne Sofie Bomholt Larsen at asbl@biomed.au.dk: 

  • Max 1-page motivation describing your interest in the project, your ideas for co-creation with the target group, and a draft process plan and budget. 

  • Max 1-page CV for the applicant(s) and contact information. 

  • Max 3 pages of visual documentation of previous work and projects that support your experience and—if possible—are relevant to the subject matter, co-curatorial approaches, or experience with the target group. 

Applications may be submitted in Danish or English no later by June 25. 

A small number of applicants will be shortlisted for an interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview by July 1, and interviews will take place in Week 28. 

Structure of artistic collaboration 


The collaboration runs from August 18, 2025, until the exhibition opening in May 2026. During this period, the selected artist is expected to participate in: 

  • Background reading and familiarization with the chosen topic, including potential conversations with individual researchers as needed. 

  • Orientation in co-creation theory and the museum’s work with the target group. 

  • Conducting 3–4 workshops during fall 2025 with school students and museum curators. The museum will facilitate school contact and handle child protection clearance. 

  • Monthly meetings where the artist is expected to share research and progress with the museum curators. 

  • Production of the artwork with students, to be completed by late March 2026. 

Remuneration  

We offer: 

  • An artist fee of DKK 75,000, paid in two installments. The final installment is contingent upon the completion of the artwork for the exhibition. 

  • A contribution of up to DKK 25,000 for materials, studio rental, and production. All material purchases must be approved by the museum curators. 

More information 

  • Questions? Contact project manager Anne Sofie Bomholt Larsen asbl@biomed.au.dk 

Steno Museet

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Revised 13.06.2025
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Trine Bjerre Mikkelsen