Netherlands Minister Unveils New DutchCultureUSA website

New York, NY – On Monday, March 11, 2019, Mrs Ingrid van Engelshoven, Netherlands Minister for Education, Culture and Science launched the newly designed DutchCultureUSA website, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ platform to promote and announce Dutch arts and culture in the United States. Designed by Amsterdam-based Van Lennep Design Agency, the website features hundreds of Dutch exhibitions, performances, lectures and other cultural activities throughout the country. It provides valuable resources for American art institutions and features references to American press related to Dutch arts and culture.

More than 2,000 Dutch art, culture and shared cultural heritage projects, activities and educational programs take place every year across the U.S. Hundreds of American venues across all arts disciplines welcome Dutch artists, performers, designers and scholars into their programs, while architects, urban planners and scientists collaborate with their American counterparts on building a better and brighter future. From the old masters to the newest developments in art and technology, these projects showcase the best that The Netherlands has to offer while continuing a tradition of innovation, experimentation and forward thinking collaborations that build on the 400 years of relationships between the U.S. and The Netherlands.

“Needless to say that I am proud of the excellent reputation Dutch culture enjoys here in the U.S.” A reputation for which the artists themselves are responsible of course,” said Netherlands Minister of Education, Culture and Science Mrs Van Engelshoven. “But even artists sometimes need help” she continued. “Thank you for opening up your venues, institutions and festival and your ongoing dedication to Dutch arts and culture,” the minister said about the U.S. partners and presenters who work so hard to bring international arts to the U.S. “I am glad to be able to add something to this already impressive effort with the renewed and overhauled website DutchCultureUSA.”

The new website by Amsterdam-based Van Lennep Design Agency brings a fresh design with a strong focus on visuals, search capabilities and interactivity. Responsible for the original design in 2013, Van Lennep brings years of experience to further improve its functionality and user experience for the thousands of visitors from the U.S., The Netherlands and elsewhere in the world.

“The website DutchCultureUSA is an invaluable tool for the Netherlands Consulate General in New York to promote and support the myriad of cultural projects and events each year and create exposure for Dutch talent and celebrate its successes by sharing content,” said Consul-General Dolph Hogewoning. “I hope you will all actively follow and use the renewed website, where you can read more about the cultural highlights of this year, such as the Never Grow Up! Youth Arts Focus, many Dutch design activities during NYCxDesign, concerts by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, new Shared Cultural Heritage initiatives and so much more to come!”

Download the press release here.

The following video, made by Van Lennep Design Agency, highlights several functionalities of the new website:

Below are programming highlights of Dutch art and cultural projects in the U.S. in 2019

* Never Grow Up!, various venues in New York and Washington DC (Throughout 2019). Never Grow Up! presents an abundance of Dutch film, literature and performing arts for young audiences in the United States. Dutch film, literature, (music) theatre and dance that caters to young audiences and families are presented at events and venues with a dedication to youth culture as an autonomous art form, including IPAY Showcase, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kennedy Center, New York International Children’s Film Festival and Brooklyn Book Festival. Never Grow Up! is a joint effort of Dutch Performing Arts, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York, Eye International, Netherlands Film Fund, Cinekid, Dutch Foundation for Literature, and DutchCulture.

* Shared Cultural Heritage – free curriculums for Pre-K to 12th-grade teachers, New York State Museum and New-York Historical Society (2019 onwards). In January 2019, the New York State Museum launched an online resource for educators about New York’s Dutch history. This free educational guide provides five lessons that introduce students to Fort Orange (present-day Albany, NY) and the world of New Netherland, the first Dutch colony in North America. In March 2019, the New-York Historical Society launched its curriculum Early Encounters, 1492-1734, as part of the Women & the American Story, with a module on Dutch colonial women. This free curriculum is designed to connect educators with resources that illuminate diverse women’s experiences of, and contributions to, the American past.

* Jaap van Zweden with the New York Philharmonic, various venues in NYC (2019-2020). is Jaap van Zweden, the Dutch maestro and musical director of the New York Philharmonic is conducting more than 50 concerts in the 2018/2019 season, most of which take place at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. For its 2019/2020 season with the Dutch maestro at its helm, The New York Philharmonic will highlight Mahler’s New York; celebrating the great composer and former New York Philharmonic Music Director, followed by the Orchestra’s first European tour with Jaap van Zweden in spring 2020, when the Orchestra will open the Mahler Festival (held every 25 years) in Amsterdam, presented by The Royal Concertgebouw.

*Design by Time, Pratt Institute, NYC, and other venues in the U.S. (February 21 – April 13, 2019, in NYC, 2019-2020 elsewhere). Pratt Manhattan Gallery presents Design by Time, an exhibition with work from 22 international designers portraying time and its dynamic effects on fashion, furniture, textiles, vessels, and more. It includes work by seven Dutch designers and collectives: Atelier Mark Sturkenboom, Maarten Baas, Sebastian Brajkovic, Glithero, Edhv, Diana Scherer, and Jólan van der Wiel. The exhibition will tour to venues in Knoxville TN, Wooster OH, Raleigh NC, Columbia SC, and San Francisco CA.

*Atelier van Lieshout: The CryptoFuturist and The New Tribal Labyrinth, Pioneer Works, Brooklyn (March 1 – April 14, 2019). Pioneer Works presents Atelier van Lieshout’s largest-scale exhibition in the United States to date. It brings together two ongoing bodies of work by Joep van Lieshout and his studio, that–combined–transform Pioneer Works into an immersive installation of sculptures and industrial machines.

*Mark Manders: Tilted Head, Doris C. Freedman Plaza at Central Park, NYC for the Public Art Fund (March 6 – September 1, 2019). The Public Art Fund presents a monumental new sculpture by Dutch artist Mark Manders, commissioned for Doris C. Freedman Plaza at the southeast entrance to Central Park. It is the artist’s largest single-cast bronze sculpture to date and brings Manders’ highly distinctive style to an outdoor exhibition in New York for the first time. A solo exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in NYC will follow (April 13 – May 24, 2019).

*Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston TX (March 10 – June 29, 2019). The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents an exhibition that explores the artist through rarely loaned paintings and drawings. It will showcase key passages in the artist’s life, from his early sketches to his final paintings, chronicling his pursuit of becoming an artist. It includes more than 50 portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Organized by the MFAH in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, and the Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo. The MFAH is the only venue for His Life in Art.

*Non-Stick Nostalgia: Y2K Retrofuturism in Contemporary Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, NYC (March 21 – July 21, 2019). The Museum of Arts and Design presents an exhibition that highlights the work of 26 national and international millennial jewelry artists who explore the friction between the analog and the digital. It includes work by four Dutch designers affiliated with the Gerrit Rietveld Academy as graduates or teachers: Nhat-Vu Dang, Boris de Beijer, Noon Passama, and Julia Walter. In addition, the exhibition will also feature the work of Doville Bernadisiute, Simon Marsiglia, and Hansel Tai, who are current students at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy.

*Foam Talent, Foam at Red Hook Labs, Red Hook Brooklyn (March 21 – April 10, 2019). For the 3rd year Amsterdam photography museum Foam returns to Red Hook Labs in Brooklyn, New York to present Foam Talent ; a group exhibition bringing together a new generation of international artists. Selected through the annual Foam Talent Call the twenty image-makers presented in this exhibition represent a cross section of the wide array of subjects and techniques that are being explored by today’s artists working with photography.

*Nature: Design Triennial, Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, NYC (May 10, 2019 – January 20, 2020). Cooper Hewitt and the Netherlands-based Cube Design Museum (Kerkrade) are co-organizing the Nature‒Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, to be on view simultaneously at both museums. It will present more than 60 of the most forward-thinking, provocative designs of the past three years that demonstrate how designers are collaborating with scientists, artists, environmentalists, and others to develop solutions that embrace a more responsible, harmonious relationship with nature. Seven Dutch designers are included: Aliki van der Kruijs, Atelier NL, Eric Klarenbeek, Kirstie van Noort, Nienke Hoogvliet, Shahar Livne, and Teresa van Dongen.

*Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw Orchestra (JOC), Birdland, NYC (May 21-25, 2019). The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw will perform together with the famous Hammond B3 Organ master, Dr Lonnie Smith. Dr Lonnie Smith has recorded and performed with the greatest jazz, blues and R&B artists, including the recent  ‘I Didn’t Know What Time It Was’ with the best Big Band from the Netherlands. The Jazz Orchestra is the first foreign big band ever to be invited by Birdland and will also bring compositions from their latest album ‘ Crossroads’.

*Various Dutch Design presentations, at various locations during NYCxDESIGN (May 10-22, 2019). During NYCxDESIGN, various Dutch design projects will be presented around NYC, including the collective Ventura New York – The Dutch Edition presentation at ICFF, a Dutch Design focus at both MoMA Design Stores, the second Craft in Focus Festival at Industry City, a Dutch poster exhibition selected by Anthon Beeke at WantedDesign, an Aldo Bakker solo exhibition at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, and more.

*Dutch pop bands and music industry trade mission, A2IM Indieweek, New York (June 17-20, 2019). Together with Dutch Music Export and its Canadian counterparts, an official Indie Week showcase will be part of the 4th Dutch – American music industry trade mission. This showcase will give upcoming bands and singer-songwriters from the Netherlands a chance to introduce themselves to music industry professionals in the U.S., and Dutch managers a chance to participate in panels and roundtable sessions to get a better grip on the US infrastructure.

*Oudolf Garden Detroit, Belle Isle, Detroit MI (2019-2020). At the invitation of The Garden Club of Michigan, Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf has agreed to create a new 2+ acre public garden, which will be installed in front of the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon on Belle Isle in Detroit. More than 18,000 plants in 90 varieties have been ordered for the garden’s first planting, which will happen in mid-September 2019 with the help of hundreds of volunteers. The plants are coming from nine sources: seven from Michigan, one from Wisconsin and one from the Netherlands. A second planting will happen in June 2020.

Event submissions

The Press & Cultural Affairs Department at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands welcomes information about upcoming Dutch cultural activities in the U.S. American organizations are encouraged to provide the Consulate with text and images of upcoming Dutch events in their programs. Information can be sent to nyc-pcz@minbuza.nl. The Consulate reserves the right to decide whether or not an activity will be included on the DutchCultureUSA website and affiliated social media channels.

About the Minister for Education, Culture and Science

Ingrid van Engelshoven was appointed Netherlands Minister of Education, Culture and Science on October 26, 2017, in the third Rutte government. Prior to this, she was a member of parliament for Dutch political party D66 (from March 2017), and a member of the municipal executive of the city of The Hague for D66, where she was responsible for education and public services (2010-2017). Mrs Van Engelshoven was a partner at Dröge & van Drimmelen, focusing on public affairs and corporate communication (2008-2010), Director of the Foundation for Responsible Alcohol Consumption (2004-2008), and Head of Strategy at the Netherlands Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (2000-2004). More information: https://www.government.nl/government/members-of-cabinet/Ingrid-van-engelshoven

About DutchCultureUSA

DutchCultureUSA is the program by the Press & Cultural Affairs Department of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York that aims to promote cultural exchange between the United States of America and The Netherlands. The U.S. is one of the focus countries in the Netherlands’ International Cultural Policy and is the number one export country outside of Europe for Dutch arts and culture with more than 2,000 activities each year. The Netherlands Consulate in New York serves as an intermediary between the American and Dutch art words, works in all disciplines across the U.S., advises and informs, and promotes upcoming activities with its DutchCultureUSA online presence, which includes a website and a number of social media channels. More information: www.dutchcultureusa.com

About Van Lennep Design Agency

Van Lennep is an Amsterdam based design agency founded in 2008. It works for a wide range of clients in the cultural, non-profit, governmental and commercial sector. Clients include Photography Museum Amsterdam / FOAM (branding), De Balie center for contemporary arts, politics and culture (web design and branding), Foodvalley.nl (branding). More information: www.vanlennep.eu.