Articles

Netherlands

09/23/2024

AJF’s Trip to Amsterdam

September 8–15, 2024

By Bill Baker

Like all AJF trips, this six-city tour was crammed with jewelry-focused studio visits, museum tours, pop-ups, exclusive peeks behind the scenes, gallery stops, and fabulous meals in terrific company. We deeply appreciate Bill Baker’s hard work pulling together this photo essay while enjoying the trip. Thank you as well to Linda Peshkin, Susan Cummins, and Ruudt Peters for a few additional photos.

We’d love for you to join us on our trips! To do so, join AJF at the Silver level or above. (Gold members receive priority invitations to all AJF trips.) Go here to join. Go here to see all the benefits of membership.

Click on the photos to learn about what they show.

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Hotel de l’Europe, our base hotel, is in the center of the city. It faces two canals, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 1. Day 1 started with a bus ride to Ruudt Peters’s summer studio. He had prepared an exhibition of art jewelry created at the MASieraad studio and school.

Ruudt Peters launched things by introducing us to his staff and students, photo: Bill Baker

Ruudt Peters and Susan Beech enjoying a lively conversation, photo: Bill Baker

(Left to right) Anncha Briggs, MASieraad 2023 graduate Yotam Bahat, and Danielle Gori-Montanelli, photo: Bill Baker

The curated display of art jewelry created at the MASieraad studio and school.

It mixed professional and student work, including work by Ted Noten.

(In foreground) Liesbeth Den Besten and Bonnie Levine, photo: Bill Baker

Ruudt Peters and Susan Cummins were so happy to see each other again!

(Left to right) Lynda Slayen, MASieraad 2023 graduate Laila Marie Costa, Barbara Waldman, Charlie Hayes, and Linda Shostak, photo: Bill Baker

Ruudt Peters paired each American collector with a Dutch collector or artist to discuss some pre-prepared questions. The questions sought to determine the identity of their collections/works. At the conclusion of that exercise, we wrote down one word that summarized what each person in the pair had said. (Clockwise from top) Bonnie Levine talking with Into Niilo, Ineke Heerkens talking with Ann McEldowney, and Susan Beech talking with Yotam Bahat, photo: Ruudt Peters

(Left to right) Barbara Waldman taking in all the art jewelry, Barbara Berlin, David Dao, and Danielle Gori-Montanelli … and Zsa Zsa, Ruudt Peters’s Viszla, photo: Bill Baker

That evening, we returned to Amsterdam for the welcome dinner at the Hotel de l’Europe, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 2. Our second day started with a walking tour and history of the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam, photo: Bill Baker

After an hour-long bus tour of Amsterdam, we had lunch in a garden setting at Wester Villa, photo: Bill Baker

After lunch we visited Intro by Marzee, a gallery supported by Galerie Marzee that shows work by recent jewelry grads from around the world. Shown: Carol Green and David Dao, photo: Bill Baker

Susan Grant Lewin checking out work at Intro by Marzee gallery, with Danielle Gori-Montanelli and Barbara Berlin behind her, photo: Bill Baker

Lynda Slayen at Intro by Marzee gallery, deciding whether to buy, photo: Bill Baker

Next stop, the Rijksmuseum. This is its entrance, photo: Bill Baker

Amsterdam is known for being bike-friendly, and a bicycle lane runs through the center of the museum, photo: Bill Baker

Our time at the Rijksmuseum included a tour of the decorative arts section, as well as a private tour of the jewelry collection, photo: Bill Baker

A beautiful and creative piece of jewelry at the Rijksmuseum, photo: Bill Baker

Dutch collector Monique van den Leuvert and Dutch maker Evert Nijland gave a talk on donating pieces of jewelry to the museum. She’s wearing jewelry made by Nijland. She’ll give the piece to the Rijksmuseum in the future, photo: Bill Baker

Evert Nijland discussing the intricate process of combining 3D printing and traditional techniques in making jewelry, photo: Bill Baker

A greenhouse? Not exactly! The De Kas Michelin-starred restaurant, where we had dinner, is known for its philosophy of “from plant to plate.” All of the food is grown in their gardens in Amsterdam and the Beemster, and these are the heart and soul of the restaurant and its menu. They grow about 300 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and fruits in the gardens, both greenhouse and open air. These are harvested at the very last minute and prepared in the kitchen as quickly as possible, photo: Bill Baker

Vegetable garden at the entrance to the De Kas restaurant, photo: Bill Baker

The creative design of the De Kas restaurant, photo: Bill Baker

Staff at De Kas explaining the philosophy of the restaurant and our special menu. The meal was delicious, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 3. We traveled to Hasselt, Belgium, where we started by visiting the PXL-MAD school of arts and its jewelry design program. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the school’s jewelry department, photo: Bill Baker

A variety of tools used to create jewelry, photo: Bill Baker

Our creative lunch in the center of a workshop area at PXL-MAD, photo: Bill Baker

Nedda El-Asmar introduced the afternoon’s program: a special for-AJF-only exhibition by students and staff, photo: Bill Baker

View of the exhibit by the talented staff and students at PXL-MAD, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry on view in PXL-MAD’s special exhibition, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry by Lore Langendries, in PXL-MAD’s special exhibition

After leaving PXL-MAD, we went to the Mode Museum for a show on the history of women’s fashion for pregnancy, photo: Bill Baker

Exhibition view, <em>M&Others: Fashion and Motherhood</em>

A dress depicts the chores that a woman undertakes, photo: Bill Baker

We stopped for a treat at Boon Chocolate, the 2024 award winner for best chocolate in Belgium, photo: Bill Baker

A sampling of the delicious chocolates available at Boon, photo: Bill Baker

Fortified with chocolate, we continued on to Multiple gallery.

Those are earrings, not chocolates from Boon!

Our dinner at Tout Simple. The staff from PXL-MAD school of jewelry joined us for it, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 4. On Day 4, we were back in Amsterdam. We started the day off right with a visit to the home of art jewelry historian and collector Liesbeth den Besten. She bought the blue and white painting in Munich this past March. Doesn’t it form a nice dialogue with the necklace beneath it? Photo: Bill Baker

Liesbeth den Besten ❤️❤️❤️ jewelry, and we do, too! Jewelry by various makers

Enjoying a conversation at Liesbeth den Besten’s home, photo: Bill Baker

Liesbeth den Besten’s collection includes works by Lucy Sarneel

Bonnie Levine and Ann McEldowney in Liesbeth den Besten’s home.

We enjoyed lunch on an architecture cruise along the Amstel River. A view of the tour boat, photo: Bill Baker

The captain of the 100-year-old boat cut a dashing figure, photo: Bill Baker

AJF’s new executive director, Stef Fedor, enjoyed the canal boat tour, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 5. We took a coach to the city of Den Bosch. First stop: the Museum of Design, a jewelry and ceramics museum, photo: Bill Baker

We saw an exhibition of jewelry created by Dutch artist Hans Appenzeller, photo: Bill Baker

We got a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s depot, in the basement, photo: Bill Baker

Among the 20 travelers on this trip, we had three Susans and three Lindas—what are the odds?! Two Susans resting at the Design Museum, photo: Bill Baker

After lunching at the Design Museum, we went to AJF member gallery Galerie Door, in nearby Mariaheide, photo: Bill Baker

Doreen Timmers, the owner of Galerie Door, introduces a special exhibition, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry at Galerie Door, photo: Bill Baker

More wonderful jewelry, photo: Bill Baker

(Left to right) artist Maria Hees and AJF traveler Linda Peshkin, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 6. Day 6 saw us once again in Amsterdam and visiting the studio of Beppe Kessler, the internationally known Dutch artist and jewelry maker, photo: Bill Baker

AJF members listening to Kessler’s presentation, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry by Beppe Kessler, photo: Bill Baker

Afterward, the AJF crew took in the Kandinsky exhibit at the H’Art Museum, photo: Bill Baker

The entrance to the H’Art Museum, photo: Bill Baker

Early work by Kandinsky, photo: Bill Baker

Later and abstract work by Kandinsky, photo: Bill Baker

AJF members (left to right) Carol Green, Bonnie Levine, Francine Baker, Ann McEldowney, and Edie Nadler listening to our museum guide, photo: Bill Baker

After lunch, our afternoon was free time. Some of the travelers went to see the Françoise van den Bosch collection. We met Noon Passama, among others. Work was laid out for us to see …

… but we also got to peek into the storage drawers!

DAY 7. That morning, we took a coach to Apeldorn. Our visit began at the CODA Museum, which focuses on design, paper art, and jewelry. It has a very extensive collection of jewelry—in fact, CODA owns the largest museological collection of artists' jewelry and costume jewelry in the world, photo: Bill Baker

Carin Reinders, CODA’s director, gave AJF’s travelers a private tour of the museum, photo: Bill Baker

At CODA, Evert Nijland also gave a talk about his jewelry, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry at the CODA Museum, photo: Bill Baker

More jewelry at the CODA Museum, photo: Bill Baker

The grounds of the CODA Museum, photo: Bill Baker

We then went to the city of Nijmegen to spend time at Galerie Marzee and meet its owner, Marie-José van den Hout. She founded the gallery in 1979, photo: Bill Baker

The maker and educator Chequita Nahar was on hand, and she helped us try on jewelry.

AJF members taking in the vast inventory at Galerie Marzee, photo: Bill Baker

At Galerie Marzee, art is everywhere, photo: Bill Baker

Resting in Galerie Marzee after a long day of seeing great art jewelry and a special acquisition, photo: Bill Baker

DAY 8. Our final day was once again in Amsterdam. The first stop on the morning of Day 8 was a special pop-up event for-AJF-members-only. Four Amsterdam artists—Evert Nijland, Mieke Groot, Katja Prins, and Gésine Hackenberg—tempted us with their work, photo: Bill Baker

Jewelry artist Katja Prins presenting her work to us, photo: Bill Baker

Should we buy or not? <em>That</em> is the question! Photo: Bill Baker

From the pop-up we walked to Mathilde, an art jewelry studio, photo: Bill Baker

The interior of Mathilde. It has a fascinating way of displaying the jewelry in jars, photo: Bill Baker

We then walked to The Pool, a jewelry collective. Its members are international, but they all live in the Netherlands, photo: Bill Baker

Artists from The Pool discussing the jewelry, photo: Bill Baker

More work at The Pool, photo: Bill Baker

Our farewell dinner that evening was at d'Vijff Vlieghen (The Five Flies). In its maze of rooms, antique décor gives each space a unique ambiance. Here’s a toast to a wonderful trip!

Author

Bill Baker

Bill and his wife, Francine, have been members of AJF for over five years and have collected art jewelry for over 20 years. Bill was an attorney for 40 years and also involved in volunteer work in the legal arena and in the city of Claremont, CA. Bill and Francine enjoy active travel, visiting museums, and seeking galleries that focus on art jewelry.
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