MASTERCLASSES | Artists at the garden

Scientific research has shown that a natural environment makes us more creative; the moving air, the smell of plants, sounds and colours, and organic shapes help calm our minds and find inspiration.

In June, De Proeftuin will host a series of Masterclasses with artists each working with different natural materials. Anouk Griffioen takes you into botanical drawing with charcoal. Merle Bergers brings the landscape to life through the scents of plants. With Esther de Graaf we will make sculptures from branches and reeds. Frida Berntsen looks for umbelliferous flowers with which we make ecoprints with natural ink. And with Anouk Martijn we will dig for clay and learn how to make small clay works inspired by seeds.

With gardener Anke Riesenkamp, you’ll wander through De Proeftuin and then get to work under the guidance of artists.
Each Masterclass focuses on a different material and offers room for experimentation, fun and wonder.

‘Love for matter, animals, greenery and for your hands, it was all there on that beautiful Sunday.’ – Participant of a previous Masterclass in The Proeftuin

PROGRAMME

All Sunday afternoons in June, from 2pm to 5pm
1 June: Draughtsman Anouk Griffioen
8 June: Conceptual designer Merle Bergers (Lingua Planta)
15 June: Sculptor Esther de Graaf
22 June: Visual artist Frida Berntsen
29 June: Ceramicist and maker Anouk Martijn

LOCATION
Vijfhuizen

TICKETS
Package Price: €499 for the full series of 5 gatehrings and workshops
Includes materials, drinks, cake

Buy your ticket here >

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Anouk Griffioen: Draw what you cannot see
With illustrator and photographer Anouk, we will explore the garden and explore the ways you can look at what is alive and living. Using charcoal, we will turn what we see or don’t see into a drawing.

‘In Anouk Griffin’s forest, the trees don’t die’ – Ellis Kat
See more of Anouk Griffioen >

Merle Bergers: Fragrances from the garden
Create a room fragrance inspired by the language of plants, with conceptual designer and perfumer Merle Bergers (founder of Lingua Planta). Bring the intelligent landscape of the garden to life.

See more of Merle Bergers >

Esther de Graaf: Sculpting

Create spatial work with branches, reeds and other materials from De Proeftuin with sculptor Esther de Graafin a special self-chosen spot in the garden.

‘For me, sculpture goes hand in hand with our primary sensory experience, a game that mainly challenges the imagination that cannot be captured directly in words, so that the viewer constantly discovers new things within himself.’ – Esther de Graaf

See more of Esther de Graaf >

Frida Berntsen: Ecoprints van schermbloemen        

With visual artist Frida Berntsen, you will research the different umbelliferous flowers from the Proeftuin, highlighting qualities and stories about this family. Using the natural ink from these plant species, you will create a number of prints.

‘When I started working with natural materials, temporality could no longer be ignored. Now I work with the seasons, trying to translate this ephemerality into new work.‘ – Frida Berntsen

See more of Frida Berntsen >

Anouk Martijn: Wild clay

Harvest clay from De Proeftuin with artist Anouk Martijn and create small sculptures inspired by the shapes of seeds.

‘For me, working with clay is about preserving accidental beauty and creating intentional markings. It is an interaction between me, the clay and chance. This process results in a small sculpture with a soul, reminding us of our shared origin: mud.’ – Anouk Martijn

See more of Anouk Martijn >