Author: Isinsu Topcuoglu
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Home in Transit: Finding Belonging Through Art in Rotterdam
Finding Home While in Motion Since October 2024, the FRENS Table in Rotterdam has been a weekly creative space where people from all walks of life gather to draw, write, reflect, and connect. Our members brought diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, but shared a common thread: transition. Whether navigating life as a refugee, moving between…
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All You Can Art 2024: Exploring Home, Community, and Creativity in Rotterdam
Engaging with Art and Community During the summer of 2024, Art is Home returned to All You Can Art (AYCA) as hosting artists, leading workshops, and showcasing new works during the Zomercarnaval exposition at Kunsthal Rotterdam. AYCA is a long-standing collaboration between Kunsthal Rotterdam and Instituto Buena Bista (IBB) Curaçao, founded in 2015. Over the…
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IBB Radio: Empowering Creative Youth and Communities in Curaçao
Addressing Creative Isolation on CuraCao Instituto Bueno Bista (IBB), Curaçao’s center for contemporary art, was founded in 2006 by Tirzo Martha and David Bade. It offers a two-year creative preparatory course and a residency for international artists.The school was set up because Curaçao students in the Netherlands face an average dropout rate of 80%. The…
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ZOMERSKL Radio: Connecting Communities Through Sound at AYCA 2024
A Participatory Radio Project During the All You Can Art (AYCA) Summer School 2024, Art is Home launched ZOMERSKL Radio, a participatory radio installation that created radio programmes by and for students, visitors, and participants from partner organisations. ZOMERSKL Radio bridged the artistic and radio worlds of Curaçao and Rotterdam, with a strong focus on…
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The Khan Family: Rediscovering Creativity and Hope at FRENS TABLE
A Story of Hope and Rediscovery The Khan family, a mother and three of her five children, have been attending FRENS Table Rotterdam since our third session. The mother had an active art practice in Syria but was forced to leave it behind when she fled her country. After several years in the UAE, the…
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Art Doesn’t Need Words: Creativity Across Languages
In most of our workshops, participants speak different languages. Some are new to the Netherlands, others have grown up here, and some are still finding their place in between. Dutch, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi, English, Ukrainian or no shared language at all. The room often sounds like an orchestra of languages. At first, it can feel…
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Creativity As a Safe Place To Grow
Even with our best efforts, the modern school environment or large group activities don’t always meet every child’s needs. Some children need more time, more patience, and a space where they can simply be themselves. That’s why we created Kunstmaatjes; an art club designed especially for children who benefit from smaller groups and extra support.…
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3 Creativity Warm-Ups Your Team Can Try This Week
Creativity isn’t just a nice-to-have in the workplace – It’s a key aspect for better communication, stronger collaboration, and innovative thinking. At Art is Home, we use playful, hands-on exercises to unlock these qualities in our Creativity with Purpose workshops. Here are three simple warm-ups you can try in your next meeting. P.S. No art…
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The Art of Gezelligmaking
In the Netherlands, there’s a word that isn’t quite translatable in English or many other languages: gezellig. It’s not just cozy; it’s not just fun… It’s the feeling of being together, of belonging, of comfort and warmth combined together in one. It’s that sense of being at home; and when you add “-making” to it,…
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Creativity with Purpose: How Team Building Can Spark Real Change
At Art is Home, our Creativity with Purpose workshops are designed to do just that: bring teams out of their routines, into a space where collaboration, imagination, and impact meet, so participants return to their work with fresh insight and renewed energy. In today’s fast-paced, productivity-focused work environments, teams are under constant pressure to innovate,…
