Experience day to day life in a unique non-profit art museum and sculpture garden surrounded by nature outside Antwerp, Belgium

  • Favourited 1880 times
  • Last activity: 19 Apr 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 3 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Our foundation is a non profit organisation, a unique private contemporary art museum, with a collection focused on bio-art, kinetic installations, collages and assemblages, located in a green scenery around 25 km from Antwerp. With 12 hectares (29.7 acres) of scenic area and 20,000 m² (4,9 acres) of covered space, our place is one of the largest private initiatives for contemporary art throughout Europe! Here culture, nature and ecology go hand in hand - we have a huge sculpture park on site, including a pond and beehives, as well as a greenhouse full of artworks, where you can also meet chickens, ducks, kingfishers, and even Australian kukaburas!

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Our museum is open to everyone: you will meet artists, curators, art lovers, helpers and volunteers from all around the world! We work together, have breakfast, lunch and dinner together and share our stories and experiences. When you visit us, you get a unique opportunity to take part in developing a place for art and nature. Come here and help us make our amazing projects come true!

  • Help

    Help

    There is a lot going on in the museum so we always appreciate a helpful hand! The foundation resembles a living organism: it is in motion, untidy and changes from one day to the next so the tasks may vary throughout the year.

    Due to the dynamics an peculiarities of our project we encourage long term stays, and ask for a minimum stay of three weeks.

    We need someone to help us with the daily tasks, like watering plants, washing the dishes, general cleaning, gardening, sometimes painting.

    People with building experience are always welcomed. Especially before the new exhibitions openings in April and October, there is a lot of work to do: carpentry, renovation works, painting, reorganizing the exhibition space, etc.

    Mind that coming to help at our museum as volunteer is very different from applying for a residency, practices in an art gallery or following a stage experience.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Dutch: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We have double and shared rooms here. If it is possible, we are always trying to give everyone a private room, but please keep in mind that it may not be available always, and that you may get a bed in a shared room as well. Those basic standard rooms are located inside specially converted containers, where also artists from all around the world stay for the residences. Every container has a heater inside.

    Basic shower and toilets are available inside the museum. Internet connection is available both in the cafeteria and in the rooms.

    We provide meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and drinks. Vegetarians are always welcomed and we try to fulfill their culinary requirements, but please keep in mind that we usually cook and eat meat.

    Apart from two stoves in the cafeteria, there is no heating in the museum, so during the winter it may get really cold inside. If you are interested in visiting us at that time, please remember to take warm clothes and shoes. A torch is also useful here as at night it is pretty dark around the area.

    Please be aware that there are various, unusual artworks at the museum so you will be exposed to seeing taxidermy and installations containing living organisms such as fishes, among others.

    We are a small team, and we treat every person coming here to help as a member of our foundation’s family. We expect everyone to help us with daily tasks, which none of us consider as work: preparing common dinners, cleaning dishes and glasses after meals, keeping our toilets and the shower cabin clean, taking out the trash from container’s site, tidying up your room before leaving, etc.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Our museum is located around 25km from Antwerp, which is known for its diamond district, beautiful old city, great ZOO near the magnificent train station, flea markets and interesting museums including the Rubens House, among many others. Ghent is situated 38km from the foundation, and it also has a lot to offer, as it is a city with a rich history and culture, full of splendid architecture and monuments. The nearest town is Sint-Niklaas (11km from the museum), and from there you can easily get to many Belgian or Dutch cities by train. Whenever possible, we will try to arrange your travel and make it easier for you to discover more of what Belgium has to offer!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    25 hours per week

Host ref number: 165626322494

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