This book chapter examines the complex relationship between contemporary art and education in Europe, focusing specifically on the Netherlands. The authors explore the impact of “creative” and “pedagogical” turns within both art and education, demonstrating how these shifts have fostered collaborations between artists, art institutions, and schools. Heijnen and Konings argue that, while there is a surge of programs and initiatives promoting these partnerships, especially in the Netherlands, they are sometimes hampered by a lack of clear national curriculum standards and a disconnect between educational and cultural policies. 
Although one has to be modest about the in-depth influence of contemporary art(ists) at the primary and secondary curriculum, Pavèl van Houten, David Bade and Annette Krauss successfully bridge the gap between art and education in the Netherlands. The authors conclude that, despite the challenges, cultural partnerships support the introduction of novel ways of working by contemporary teaching artists in education settings. Such contemporary art practices can nurture creativity, critical thinking in schools, and even drive societal transformation, illustrated by the way the figure of Black Pete is slowly disappearing from the Dutch national curriculum. 

Heijnen, E. & Konings, F. (2024). Educational art and artistic teaching: Precarious exchanges between contemporary art(ist) practice and school curricula in Europe. In K. Freedman & Fernando Hernández-Hernández, Curriculum, Culture and Art Education: Comparative Perspectives (Second Edition). (pp. 85-104) Suny Press.