Exhibition: Visions of Alkmaar
Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, Alkmaar (The Netherlands)
Overview
Year: 2025-2026
Location: Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, Alkmaar (The Netherlands)
Type: Exhibition, family trail & family workshop
My role: Exhibition concept & development,
family trail concept & exhibition copy
In collaboration with:
CultureClick (projectmanagement)
About the project
Visions of Alkmaar invites visitors to discover the city through different eyes.
As the Museum Educator at Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar, I was responsible for developing the educational concept for the exhibition. From writing the project plan and exhibition texts to creating a family trail and workshop, my goal was to make the exhibition an active experience that encourages visitors to slow down, look differently and share perspectives.
The exhibition brings together photographs of Alkmaar by Maria Austria, Henk Jonker, Eva Besnyö and Ad Windig, alongside contemporary work by Jonne Lucia. It also leaves room for today's generation. Through contributions by De Jonge Lichting, the exhibition continues to evolve, inviting visitors to discover something new each time they return.
About the exhibition
How has Alkmaar changed over the past seventy years? And perhaps even more interesting…How has the way we look at the city changed?
Historic photographs from 1954 are placed alongside contemporary images, creating a dialogue between past and present. Rather than presenting a single story, the exhibition invites visitors to compare perspectives, notice details and reflect on how every photograph captures a unique way of seeing.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors are encouraged not only to look at Alkmaar, but also to consider their own perspective and the stories they bring with them. Families, children and grandparents all experience the city differently, and those different perspectives become part of the exhibition itself.
About the family trail
The family trail transforms the exhibition into a playful journey of discovery.
Families receive a set of six cards, each containing a photographic slide. As they move through the exhibition, they search for matching images using specially designed light boxes. What first appears as a tiny image gradually reveals itself, inviting families to look more closely, compare details and start conversations together.
The activities encourage children and adults to observe, imagine, move and share their ideas. There are no right or wrong answers, only different ways of looking. Along the way, families discover that everyone notices something different, and that is exactly what makes the experience meaningful.
About the family workshop
My Alkmaar in Pictures: What happens when you look at your city through the eyes of a photographer?
In this family workshop, visitors become image hunters themselves. Inspired by the photographers from the exhibition, families explore Alkmaar with a Polaroid camera and a series of playful photography prompts that each reveal a different way of looking.
Together, they create a personal visual story of the city while discovering that photography is about much more than capturing a place. It is about capturing memories, emotions and perspectives.
At the end of the workshop, every family takes their Polaroid photographs home, creating their own miniature version of Visions of Alkmaar that continues the experience beyond the museum walls.
