ARTIS opens the Groote Museum: bring the ‘Oostzaal’ to life!

On 12 May, ARTIS will open an entirely new museum, the Groote Museum, on the freely accessible Artisplein. The Groote Museum is housed in the oldest museum building in Amsterdam (1855). The museum will let you experience the connection between all living things: humans, animals, plants and microbes. To put on a challenging program in the ‘Oostzaal’ of the Groote Museum, we need your help!

The ‘Oostzaal’: a meeting point for everyone

The museum consists of two rooms: the Oostzaal and the Westzaal. The rooms are divided into 14 interlocking zones. One of the zones is a meeting area that will play host to activities for all ages – also for you! They will take the form of brief events, such as a mini lecture, a meditation or an experiment. These are called ‘gatherings’. This is where we join with visitors to explore the world around us.

Contribute!

Although renovation of the Oostzaal has been completed, it is lacking those essential final touches that would make it an exciting place to visit for everyone: practical matters such as voting machines for debates, a high-spec beamer, an application, talk show decor and headphones for a silent disco, but also programmes with speakers that you would not want to miss. You can help us by contributing to this crowdfunding campaign, through which we hope to raise €50,000 to revive ARTIS’ educational function at the Groote Museum for all our visitors!

What is the Groote Museum?

It will take you on a personal journey all around the museum. Taste the future, test your emotions and discover new things, such as what links your intestines to a carrot and a worm. Animations, installations, works of art, films and stories will hold a mirror up to you, confront you with questions and make you see things from a different perspective.

The Oostzaal programme will consist of a number of recurring items, such as daily gatherings, but no two days, weeks or months will be the same. It will be tailored to current events and the target audience. Events might include an evening lecture by primatologist Frans de Waal about gender and sexual differences in humans and animals or a weekend gathering of children to record the children’s philosophy podcast ‘Big little question time’.

Will you help to bring the Oostzaal at the ARTIS Groote Museum back to life? Donate now and take your pick from a choice of unique perks, such as an exclusive tour through the museum by Karlien Pijnenborg (Head of the Groote Museum).

Thank you very much in advance!