The emphasis was on the experience of (visual) art. For this neighbourhood, the museum wanted to focus on the following target audiences: people of immigrant origin, young people, people living in poverty, social-cultural organisations and schools.
The museum started by conducting a public survey into the cultural skills of the people living in the Kiel district.
Next, three projects were set up:
- The ‘Proeven van het Kiel’ heritage walk for pupils in the last two years of primary education;
- The ‘Over de muren heen: Spia in The Middelheim Museum’ art project, with students from the SPIA vocational school (secondary education, in construction, electricity, plumbing and automotive bodywork) in collaboration with the visual artists Luc Van Soom, Camiel Van Breedam, Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Tom Jespers and Bert van Ransbeek. The results of the workshops they undertook together with the students were shown during an exhibition in the Middelheim Museum.
- The ‘Nesten Op het Kiel’ social-artistic project, for and by all the people of Kiel, and in collaboration with the visual artists Andreas Hetfeld and Suus Baltussen.
The project, which was three years in the making, concluded in 2009 with a study day and a publication (authors: Annemie Morbee, Rik Pinxten and Ghislain Verstraete) for the field and a photo book for the people of Kiel district (these publications (pdf) are available for free in the shop). Even after 2009, this project has still proven to be influential and a fascinating good practice for other museums and organisations.
Since 2009, the NOVA cultural centre organises a big anniversary party in Het Nest, which mainly attracts neighbourhood residents, along with two neighbourhood dinners, combined with a guided tour of the museum for the people of Kiel district. Each time a new exhibition opens in the Middelheim Museum, the museum always invites the local residents by mail as well as organising adapted guided tours of the exhibition. Since then entire busloads of interested locals have visited the museum.
In the meantime, a new art project, called Radio Kiel, was organised for the district by Karl Philips in the spring of 2015 in the margin of the ENTER2015 Festival. The museum is currently examining how and if Het Nest can be transformed into a permanent landscape fixture.
Partners
De Veerman, an organisation for art education, Recht-op vzw, an association that provides a platform for people living in poverty, De Kern cultural centre of Wilrijk through the NOVA platform. This consultation platform provides a meeting place for a variety of social-cultural organisations in Kiel district.
You can obtain the publications (pdf) ‘Bij-Buurten op het Kiel’ and the photo (both are free) from our online shop, as well as the neighbourhood walk for ten to twelve-year olds and their teacher (free) and ‘Kunstvakwerk’.
