Between energy and structure in Maashorst

Form a quarter

Research

  • Client Maashorst municipality
  • Task Quartiermaker
  • Period 2025-2026

Artist and photographer: Sam Linders

  • Artist & photo: Toya van de Ven

  • Placeholder image
  • Placeholder image

Between energy and structure

For the municipality of Maashorst, I developed the vision “Between energy and structure – building cohesion in the cultural field of Maashorst”. The municipality has an active and diverse cultural field, but the various initiatives and organizations were not yet sufficiently interconnected. As a facilitator, I brought organizations, creators, residents and the municipality together and explored the strengths, opportunities and development points of the existing cultural infrastructure. The vision offers a shared perspective on collaboration, support and the further development of culture in Maashorst.

Building cohesion in the cultural field of Maashorst

From April to December 2025, I worked as a cultural coordinator for the municipality of Maashorst. I investigated where energy and initiative arise in the cultural field, where people find each other naturally, and where good ideas actually stall due to a lack of cohesion, space, or support. For this, I spoke with cultural organizations, creators, residents, and the municipality, across all the municipalities of Maashorst – from Uden and Zeeland to Schaijk, Volkel, Odiliapeel, and Reek.

Maashorst has a strong cultural landscape, supported by many volunteers, associations, choirs, theatre groups and visual artists. At the same time, it appears that there is a lack of space for the group in between: creators and artists who want to experiment, collaborate and further develop their practice. I also highlighted the less visible creators: independent artists and professionals who work outside existing structures but are certainly part of the cultural field.

Through this exploration, I researched the possibilities of the PNEM area and the Holy Cross Church in Odiliapeel as potential venues for creation. I also initiated the CultuurMaashorst platform and a cultural gathering at the PNEM area.