My name is Femke van Heijningen, I am 28 years old and live with my boyfriend in Oud-Charlois. Being self-employed, I work as an artist, ceramist and art teacher. My ceramics studio is currently still in our living room, but I am looking for an external workspace to further develop my practice. Nature is central to my work, both as a source of inspiration and supplier of materials. I regularly give ceramics workshops in which I introduce people to this method of working.
Besides my own practice, I am active within art collective YAFF in Tilburg. Our projects focus on social issues and investigate the role of art in society. From an ethical, political and art historical perspective, we develop diverse projects: from installations, publications and performances to educational tools and recycled objects.
I also work as an art teacher at the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. There I give guided tours and workshops to various groups, including families, company outings and school classes. I also teach at secondary schools, in collaboration with the museum.
My work is versatile and also consists of temporary assignments, such as giving fashion workshops to second-year school students, together with other artists. I am also involved in the admission procedure of art academy St. Joost in Breda, where I did my bachelor. As an alumnus there, I supervise portfolio discussions and give workshops for prospective students.
Since September 2024, I have been pursuing a master’s degree in Education in Arts at the Piet Zwart Institute. In my research, I focus on organizing ceramics workshops in relation to the concept of the meent: common resources shared and managed by a community. For example, the street “De Meent” refers to a place where cattle used to graze collectively. This form of shared caring inspires me.