Utrecht - On 30 March next, the Harm Lambers Building Block for Special Art in Utrecht will be awarded for the second time in Theater Kikker. Utrechts Dansgezelschap De Dansers took this biennial award for the first time in 2022 and now passes on the honourable trophy to cultural free port De Nijverheid.
The jury report
Josephine van Rheenen and Guy Corneille of De Dansers praise De Nijverheid: "This is where art grows. The Industry makes raw beauty flourish and live on one of the last, rare frayed edges of our city. You immediately feel at home and inspired to be your most creative self, whether you have a studio, come to perform, visit an exhibition or just come for a beer. Here, it is not the result, but the creative (making) process that is central - in a way that is not navel-gazing, but rather inviting and inspiring to audiences. In their relatively short lifespan, De Nijverheid has rightly grown into a Utrecht phenomenon and we would do well to cherish such a rare, organic grass-root phenomenon with all of us. A maker city like Utrecht cannot do without places like De Nijverheid."
An award for connecting art and the city
The prize includes a challenge trophy, the Building Stone, as a symbol of building the connection between art and the city, and an evening that De Nijverheid will programme as it sees fit to further inspire Utrecht residents and fellow artists. The municipality of Utrecht will contribute financially to the realisation of the special programme that De Nijverheid will present in spring 2025.
Doenja Abel, programme maker of De Nijverheid: "We are hugely honoured - as a raw makerspace for emerging artists in both the visual and performing arts - to receive the Building Stone. Especially because it is an award that welcomes connection and innovation in the makerspace. We are proud to receive this award from such an inspired and cross-disciplinary company as De Dansers and are going to do our best to follow in their footsteps, to do the award justice."
Stage and making space where the process is central
De Nijverheid is a melting pot of art and experimentation: a place for visual and performing arts, for art makers, art toners and art lovers. It started in 2017 with a handful of artists and a good idea. In a short time, it grew into a place where art has a real say.
This artist colony provides fertile ground for creatives; studios and workplaces for over 60 artists and makers. There are several exhibition spaces and an innovative stage with a raw character, focusing on diversity, cross-pollination and experimentation within the visual and performing arts. It is a place where numerous parties work together. It is a stage and production location where the process is central and where it is allowed to colour outside the lines. In short: a solid brick in the beautiful edifice that is cultural Utrecht.
Harm Lambers
The award is named after former director of Theatre Kikker, Harm Lambers, who passed away at the end of November 2021. It is an initiative of theatre-makers Paul Feld and Erik Snel in cooperation with Theater Kikker and especially intended for Utrecht artists and collectives, who seek a connection between art and the city.
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