What does the SMAAK Foundation do?

ALL MOVE 2 GROOVE

SMAAK aims to make arts education possible for vulnerable groups in Dutch society. It does so by making connections between the cultural and social domains. In 2021, “All Move 2 Groove” paired Dutch natives with recently migrated youngsters to participate in a body percussion performance. Language and words are not important. All that is needed is your own body. No prior knowledge is required either; this makes body music a low-threshold art form accessible to everybody.

A CREATIVE HUG FOR YOU

The project A Creative Hug For You sought to support the two generations, juniors, and seniors, hit hardest by the pandemic. We brought them together, after which they engaged in conversation and created a work of art together. This project has since evolved into a school project, in which young people and students aged 16 and over learn to engage in a substantive conversation with someone they do not yet know and then create a (visual) work of art together.

POP-UP MUSEUM

This project started from the foundation’s belief: ’the opinions and views of older people should be heard more in the art world’ as well as the collaborations between young and old. The Pop-up Museum SMAAK is, therefore, for seniors but for everyone. Ten senior citizens compose the exhibition by choosing ten artworks for the exhibition, curating the layout, and giving guided tours. The Pop-up Museum SMAAK offers senior citizens a voice: they are not on the sidelines but in the spotlight, and their opinion is decisive. In several activities during the exhibition period young and old work together to make this happen.