"For too long, there was a blind spot for women in art and architecture."
Interview
Judikje Kiers Director Amsterdam Museum
"None of you will get a job in our field," provoked a lecturer on the very first day of studying art and architectural history. Judikje Kiers was immediately determined to prove the opposite. She more than lived up to that. For example, she led museums and complex renovations of historical heritage. As director of the Amsterdam Museum, she is now advocating for connecting with all Amsterdammers.
It was the 1980s, a time with enormous unemployment, when Kiers’ teacher made this statement. Judikje smiles at the memory. She still keeps in touch with fellow students, almost all of whom work in the field or have worked in it.
"Being open to different perspectives and layers of depth. That is the richness of the humanities."
"I got the most out of my time as a student," she recalls. "The knowledge and experience I gained back then and the skills I developed in, for example, observing and organising, form the foundation of what I do every day now. You learn to be open to different perspectives and layers of depth. That is the richness of the humanities."
Dream job
During her studies, Judikje sat on committees, taught at the Volksuniversiteit and traveled through the country with a slide projector to share her love of art history with all kinds of (women's) associations. At the Rijksmuseum, she did an internship in the education department.
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Images: Yvonne Compier
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Images: Yvonne Compier
"I always try to emphasise what you share with each other and can mean to one another."
There, she observed how academic staff managed to connect education, the public and art — a dream job. "I hope to work here before I turn 40," she resolved. At the age of twenty-eight, she got the job.
Complex Task
In 2001, she became the first non-Catholic and the first woman to become director of the Our Lord in the Attic Museum in Amsterdam (Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder). She continued the restoration of this museum, a process started by her predecessor. Judikje explains: "The task was to preserve the authenticity of the monument as much as possible while attracting a wide audience. A complex task on a postage stamp in the city center."
Complex, too, because she had to connect local residents, the municipality and many other stakeholders. "I went to all the public consultation evenings and there I was among the sex workers, window renters, coffee shop owners and other entrepreneurs. Fantastic!" Judikje recalls.
"They explained what was important to them and what they were struggling with. I understood the downsides but also showed them the advantages, such as how the ground floor would become much more open, letting more light into the alley. In these kinds of situations, I always try to focus on what people share and how they can support each other. I also enjoy connecting people."
Women of Amsterdam
In 2016, Judikje became the director of the Amsterdam Museum. "As a museum, we focus on inclusivity, relevance, hospitality and visibility," she says. "We are a network museum for and by all Amsterdammers, and we actively engage with the city to connect residents with each other and with the stories of the city."
"As a museum, we focus on inclusivity, relevance, hospitality and visibility."
On 14 December, the exhibition Women of Amsterdam opens as part of 750th anniversary of Amsterdam. Leading up to the exhibition, all Amsterdammers will be invited to create an ode – a letter, video, audio recording, photo, drawing, poem, or other form – to an inspiring woman who has made a meaningful contribution to Amsterdam and deserves to be in the spotlight. The museum finds it remarkable that women have been so invisible in the stories of the city until now.
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Foto: Yvonne Compier
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Image: Tante Leen. Nationaal Archief, Collectie Spaarnestad, Wout van de Hoef
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Image: Yvonne Compier
Blind spot
Judikje is working on an ode herself in the form of a letter to Jakoba Mulder (1900-1988). She was the city’s first female urban planner and contributed, among other things, to the basic design of the General Expansion Plan of Amsterdam. She also left her mark on the Amsterdamse Bos (which is why she was known as the 'Miss of the Forest') and on the garden cities in the west and south. "In my ode, I apologise for not knowing her sooner, while she had such a great influence on Amsterdam. I apologise that there was a blind spot for women in art and architecture for too long. Men have always played the leading role, also in history. While women have contributed just as much to making the city what it is today."
"We are a network museum for and by all Amsterdammers."
Career of Judikje Kiers
Judikje Kiers studied art and architectural history at VU Amsterdam from 1981 to 1988. She worked at institutions such as the Rijksmuseum, Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder and the Biblical Museum and taught at the Volksuniversiteit, the Rietveld Academy and the Reinwardt Academy. Since 2016, she has been director of the Amsterdam Museum. She also holds various supervisory positions. The submission of odes is still possible, and a selection will be published in book form in October 2025.
magazine for humanities alumni december 2024