NIKA Art Projects (Stichting NIKA Kunstprojecten) is an initiative from visual artist Karin Janssen and Nienke Verschuur. NIKA was founded in 2008 in the Netherlands, with the goal of using the visual arts to make society more open, tolerant and understanding through social art projects. NIKA's first project is Drawing her Story.
Drawing her Story, cultural integration project
Drawing her Story works towards integration, social and cultural participation, and enlarging the self awareness of non-European immigrant women by giving them drawing workshops in which the stories of the women are the starting point. The immigrant women are partnered with non- immigrant women living in the same neighbourhood and together they draw each other’s stories.
Whilst the course itself is important for the participants, the second part of the project plays a more vital role. The drawings that are made during the course will be exhibited at different locations. These exhibitions will travel to the local community centres in the neighbourhood where the workshops took place, to libraries, and to other local organisations. Here NIKA organises public discussions about culture, integration and identity, initiated by the drawings, where the participants are invited to take the lead in the discussions.
To accompany the course a selection of the drawings together with the stories of the women have been collated in a catalogue. Drawing her Story was undertaken in eight Dutch councils from November 2008 until July 2010. In this period NIKA researched the methodology of cultural integration, which resulted in a manual which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. This manual can be used by community centres and social care organisations to set up their own cultural integration project and is available at no charge (Dutch only).
Until now Drawing her Story has been successfully carried out in Amsterdam Oost-Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam Osdorp, Bussum, Zaandam, Amstelveen, Den Helder, Hoofddorp and Groningen. The project has reached almost 50,000 people.
Whilst the course itself is important for the participants, the second part of the project plays a more vital role. The drawings that are made during the course will be exhibited at different locations. These exhibitions will travel to the local community centres in the neighbourhood where the workshops took place, to libraries, and to other local organisations. Here NIKA organises public discussions about culture, integration and identity, initiated by the drawings, where the participants are invited to take the lead in the discussions.
To accompany the course a selection of the drawings together with the stories of the women have been collated in a catalogue. Drawing her Story was undertaken in eight Dutch councils from November 2008 until July 2010. In this period NIKA researched the methodology of cultural integration, which resulted in a manual which can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. This manual can be used by community centres and social care organisations to set up their own cultural integration project and is available at no charge (Dutch only).
Until now Drawing her Story has been successfully carried out in Amsterdam Oost-Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam Osdorp, Bussum, Zaandam, Amstelveen, Den Helder, Hoofddorp and Groningen. The project has reached almost 50,000 people.
The workshops
The public discussions and traveling exhibitions
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Catalogues and manual
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FOUNDERS & DIRECTORS
Karin Janssen Nienke Verschuur BOARD Sanne Cohen Judith Körmeling Marloes Otten Sietske Dijkstra Vincent Jongepier TEACHERS Lisouk Thörig-Van de Pol, Natasja Kemp, Bianca Tangande, Irene Mulder, Beatrice Graumann, Karin Janssen, Anja Lofvers |
FREELANCERS & VOLUNTEERS
Miranda van Agthoven Marike Albers Cool Shots Media Leef in tekst Elegia Susanne Hakuba Max Huisman Petra Hofmeester Tom Manning Hildegard van Nijlen Mounir Raji Shomara Roosblad Talitha Snel Anna Tiggelaar Fusina Verloop |
Patricia Wolf
ZuidamUithof Printers PARTNERS Cardanus Foundation De Bolder Community Centre Nieuw Vredeveld Residential Home Sociale Verzekeringsbank Amstelveen Council Vrouw & Vaart Amsterdam Osdorp Council Amsterdam Osdorp Public Library Dynamo |
Oosterpark Community Centre
Amsterdam Oost-Watergraafsmeer Council Amsterdam Oost Public LibraryBussum Council WijzerVersa Welzijn Palmpit Community Centre Internationaal Women’s Centre Art Centre Triade Den Helder Public Library Den Helder Council Meerwaarde Saami Women’s Centre |
Hoofddorp Public Library
Haarlemmermeer Council Foreign Women’s Foundation Welsaen Foundation Zaanstreek Public Library Zaanstad Council Jasmijn Foundation Het Paleis Stee in Stad Groningen Council Buro Loeks |
SPONSORS
