RIJSWIJK, 16 October 2025 — This week, Kunstgebouw celebrated its 30th anniversary with partners and cultural stakeholders at Firma van Buiten in Delft. During the gathering, the organisation presented its new multi-year policy plan (2025–2030), outlining a renewed vision for the future of culture participation and education in South Holland — with particular attention to municipalities such as Rotterdam, where cultural innovation and inclusion continue to shape the region’s creative identity.

_{Photo credit:  Jacqueline Fuijkschot}

Culture as a cornerstone for connection

For three decades, Kunstgebouw has worked to make culture accessible to everyone across the province. The new policy plan reaffirms this mission, emphasising collaboration, accessibility, and a future-proof cultural sector. The organisation aims to support municipalities and cultural partners in developing sustainable policies and programmes that strengthen local communities — ensuring that culture remains an essential part of daily life.

Reinier Gerritsen, director of Kunstgebouw, stated:

“Our strength lies in collaboration. Together with municipalities, cultural and social partners, and educational institutions, we’re building a resilient cultural ecosystem for South Holland. We connect knowledge, networks and resources so that culture remains a natural part of everyday life — now and in the future.”

Focus on local impact — from Rotterdam to rural areas

The new plan highlights Kunstgebouw’s role in bridging urban and regional cultural networks. In major cities like Rotterdam, the organisation aims to share knowledge, strengthen collaborations between institutions, and encourage the exchange of best practices with smaller municipalities.

Rotterdam’s strong cultural infrastructure — from its community arts initiatives to its globally recognised museums — serves as a source of inspiration and support for neighbouring towns and rural areas. Kunstgebouw’s approach ensures that the expertise and innovation present in cities benefit the wider province.

Building knowledge and resilience

As outlined in the Meerjarenbeleidsplan Kunstgebouw 2025–2030, the organisation will continue to focus on six core objectives:

• Sharing knowledge and research through tools such as Cultureel Zuid-Holland in kaart, a data platform that maps the region’s cultural landscape.
• Stimulating policy development by helping municipalities create evidence-based culture strategies.
• Building networks that connect educators, policymakers and creators.
• Generating funding by training organisations in grant-writing and connecting them to private and public funds.
• Creating public support for culture through advocacy and communication.
• Organising educational activities for schools and communities, including programmes like Kijk|Kunst.

Together, these initiatives aim to strengthen the cultural ecosystem of South Holland — ensuring that every resident, regardless of background or location, has access to meaningful cultural experiences.

ROTTERDAM, 2 October 2025 – Rotterdam’s city council intends to purchase the Steigerkerk to provide Museum Rotterdam with a permanent home. The move would place the museum at a symbolic location near the historic heart of the city.

A symbolic location for the city museum

The Steigerkerk is a post-war reconstruction monument close to the dam where Rotterdam began and near the city’s first harbour. At present, Museum Rotterdam operates only from a small site at Coolhaven, with exhibitions focused on the Second World War. The new location would allow for a broader presentation of the city’s history in a central and accessible place.

Museum director Léontine Meijer-van Mensch highlighted the symbolic value of the building as both a marker of wartime destruction and of Rotterdam’s resilience. The church, once a place of gathering and ritual, would continue as a space for collective memory, but in the form of a museum.

Museum Rotterdam plans to open gradually rather than with a single launch. Early phases will include a presentation on the war years and a city timeline linked to the Canon of Rotterdam. The approach is designed to create a series of public moments, reflecting Rotterdam’s festival culture.

Design potential and vision

A study by V8 Architects concluded that the church complex is well suited for museum use. The two main halls can accommodate exhibitions and presentations, while the cloister wing could house reception and hospitality areas. The garden and arcade, together with the forecourt, provide space for visitors to linger and engage with the surroundings.

Steigerkerk planned as Museum Rotterdam’s new home

Continuity and reuse

The church and adjoining buildings are currently owned by the parish of St John, the Dominican fathers and the diocese of Rotterdam. All three are aligned in the sale process. Church officials noted that a museum use fits the building’s original role as a place of connection and reflection.

Earlier bid and next steps

The municipality made a previous offer in 2024, which was not finalised. Later, private developers who had acquired part of the site opened the door to a sale of the church and cloister to the city. The current plan requires approval by the city council, which will decide on financing through a loan to be repaid via the museum’s rent. Once confirmed, contracts can be signed and preparations can begin.

ROTTERDAM, 9 October 2025 – Nieuwe Instituut will open the exhibition FUNGI. Anarchist Designers on 20 November. The American philosopher and historian of science Donna Haraway, this year’s Erasmus Prize laureate, will attend the opening for a special conversation with Anna Tsing and Rosi Braidotti.

_{Image: Donna Haraway (photo: Lilly Pinedo Gangai) & Anna Tsing (photo: Isa de Jong)}

A dialogue on more-than-human coexistence

Curated by anthropologist Anna Tsing and designer Feifei Zhou, the exhibition explores fungi as independent designers, allies and world builders. During the opening event, Tsing and philosopher Rosi Braidotti will lead a public discussion with Haraway titled Composing for Multispecies Survival in Dark Times. The conversation will focus on how vanished species and ecological crises shape human imagination and resilience.

Haraway, Tsing and Braidotti have each played a defining role in shaping global thought on more-than-human equality and ecological ethics. Their writings and collaborations continue to influence artists, theorists and scientists worldwide.

Erasmus Prize 2025

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the 2025 Erasmus Prize to Donna Haraway for her pioneering ideas on interspecies equality, openness and connectedness. The Erasmus Prize is one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural honours, presented annually to individuals or institutions who make an exceptional contribution to the humanities, social sciences or the arts. The award will be presented by King Willem-Alexander on 25 November.

About the event

Composing for Multispecies Survival in Dark Times takes place on Thursday 20 November at 18:30, introduced by Nieuwe Instituut and Geertjan de Vugt, director of the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation. Tickets (€12.50) go on sale 22 October via nieuweinstituut.nl/events/haraway-tsing-braidotti.

Following the talk, the festive opening of FUNGI. Anarchist Designers will be open to all and free to attend.

About the FUNGI exhibition

Running from 21 November 2025 to 9 August 2026, FUNGI. Anarchist Designers presents fungi not as resources for humans but as autonomous lifeforms that challenge our drive to dominate nature. The exhibition invites visitors to rethink the boundaries between design, art and ecology, positioning fungi as collaborators and teachers in the act of world-building.

Supported by the Cultuurfonds, Mondriaan Fonds, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the Iona Stichting, the project continues Nieuwe Instituut’s exploration of design’s social and ecological dimensions.

Getting there

Nieuwe Instituut is located next to Museumpark, a short walk from Rotterdam Centraal Station and Eendrachtsplein metro stop.

ROTTERDAM, 1 October 2025 – On Coolsingel, the post-war department store once known for V&D and later Hudson’s Bay has taken on a new life as AIR Offices. More than just an office block, the building has been reshaped into a workplace that doubles as a stage for cultural and social activity in Rotterdam’s city centre.

_{Image: AIR Offices Rotterdam. Photo credit: Ossip van Duivenbode}

From retail to workplace with civic role

The building’s transformation has been underway for some time. Instead of positioning itself purely as premium office space, the redevelopment was guided by a central question: how can a commercial property contribute directly to the city? The answer has been to combine offices with public programming, allowing the site to be used after office hours and by more than just tenants.

Architect Imola Bérczi (WOMO Architects) explains that flexibility was key to the redesign. The result is a mix of retail at street level, a basement for bicycles, and five floors of offices grouped around an open atrium. The atrium not only improves natural light, but also acts as a venue for gatherings and performances.

Architect Imola Bérczi of WOMO Architects explains: “We wanted to design a building that feels open and adaptable, where working spaces could easily flow into public use. The atrium brings light inside, but also creates room for gatherings.”

AIR Offices on Coolsingel has become a civic hub, blending workspace with cultural and social initiatives in the heart of Rotterdam.

Use/space partnership

To ensure the building genuinely benefits the wider community, AIR Offices works with Use/space, a platform that matches vacant offices with cultural and social organisations. Founder Mare Santema notes that many grassroots initiatives cannot afford central Rotterdam rents, while office floors often stand empty outside working hours. Through this partnership, AIR Offices is able to host groups that would otherwise be pushed to the margins.

A building already in use

The approach is visible in practice. The atrium has become a dance floor, with 170 people filling the space for a salsa evening. The rooftop has hosted painting workshops by local artists, and weekly yoga sessions bring together both tenants and neighbours. Stichting Vida has also made AIR a base for its work supporting women seeking safety and independence.

These activities show how the building functions not only as a workplace but as a platform for encounters that connect different parts of Rotterdam society.

AIR Offices on Coolsingel has become a civic hub, blending workspace with cultural and social initiatives in the heart of Rotterdam.

AIR Offices on Coolsingel has become a civic hub, blending workspace with cultural and social initiatives in the heart of Rotterdam.

More initiatives ahead

Plans are already underway for additional projects, ranging from training programmes for local minorities to shared community meals and volunteer meetings. The goal is to create a sustainable rhythm of activity that makes AIR Offices more than an address for companies, but a recognisable civic hub in the city centre.

Architectural and social legacy

The history of the site gives extra weight to its current role. Built in the post-war period, the department store was long a symbol of Rotterdam’s retail recovery. Its reuse today shows how such structures can be adapted for new needs: in this case, a workspace that also provides room for culture and social connection.

Directions

AIR Offices is located at Rodezand 46, just off Coolsingel. The building lies within walking distance of Beurs metro station and tram stops on Coolsingel and Blaak. Rotterdam Central Station is a short metro ride away. The surrounding area is the heart of the city, marked by shops, cafés and cultural institutions.