A healthy breeding ground for growth

From a textile designer who dyes clothes with fungi instead of chemical dyes to an artist who connects people from different cultures by creating art together, many innovative projects that make the world greener, more socially inclusive or more creative cannot be pigeonholed. They combine a creative approach with social or sustainable impact. To provide these overarching projects with a good breeding ground for growth, DOEN developed its Art & Design for Inclusion and Art & Design for Biobased Materials programmes.

From prototype to impactful production

Artists and designers are usually not short of ideas. But how do you take an idea, prototype or social project one step further? And can you also scale this up to a social enterprise or organisation? Creative initiatives often lack the resources, network and guidance to make this transition successful. That is why DOEN launched the Art & Design for Inclusion programme in 2019 through the VriendenLoterij Fund. This programme provides a selected group of artists and designers with coaching, group meetings and peer-led reflection sessions over a period of 18 months. This gives them the opportunity to develop their plans, exchange experiences and possibly submit an application for follow-up funding.

Art & Design for…

This combined approach proved to be a success and in 2023 it led DOEN to start two successors: Art & Design for Inclusion II and Art & Design for Biobased Materials. The latter programme is for artists and designers seeking sustainable material solutions. Each programme involves an external expert who coordinates the process and guides the participants. For Art & Design for Inclusion this is Joanna van der Zanden while Emma van der Leest supervises Art & Design for Biobased Materials. Joanna is a curator with a focus on socially engaged art and design projects and Emma is a biodesigner, researcher and ambassador for BlueCity Lab. Here they tell what makes these programmes so special for them.

Joanna about Art & Design for Inclusion

“Artists and designers are not used to drawing up business cases. They often find it difficult to get funding and/or partners outside the arts field. They also cannot afford coaching in this or to make time for it. The success of a particular project can also monopolise an artist's work, preventing them from developing further artistically. Then the question arises of how to properly transfer a project in order to create space for new projects.” The Art & Design for Inclusion programme provides support to artists and designers working on social and inclusive themes in order to help shape their plans for the future. Social interaction, collaboration and community engagement are central to their work.

Impact through reflection

An important part of this programme is talking to coaches and sharing experiences with each other. Participants receive assistance with specific questions or they may choose to improve their marketing or expand their network. In particular, sharing experiences with like-minded people is seen as very valuable. Many participants underestimate how professional they already are and how much knowledge they have. They often give advice for little money or regularly carry out unpaid work. By talking to coaches and each other, they become aware of this and learn to better assess their value.

Example: a project gets follow-up

A great example is the Affect Lab project by participants Klasien van de Zandschulp and Natalie Dixon. Affect Lab uses immersive storytelling and new perspectives to inspire a more inclusive future. Although they had a huge portfolio full of good example projects and an extensive network of different groups of people with whom they worked, they lacked a long-term strategy. They were starting to run out of energy because they had to constantly look for something new in order to bring in new grants. After the coaching, they developed a long-term strategy for their agency with more balance in their work. They discovered how to roll out existing projects in different ways, such as with other partners or at other locations. With the DOEN Foundation's budget, they hired a creative producer and quickly made great progress.

Example: Shipping company finds captain

Another example comes from participant Teun Castelein with hisRederij Lampedusa – a project that gives refugees a voice. After 10 years, he wanted to hand over his shipping company. He was looking for a new captain to steer the ship and allow him space for his art. Through coaching, he developed a plan to get the handover right. Basak Layic and Dorendel Overmars are now in charge of the day-to-day management, with Teun on the Board. Rederij Lampedusa is sailing at full speed again.

Rederij Lampedusa shoot 2021 photo Karl Giesriegl 8

Looking to the future

Joanna: “This group of artists and social designers learns by doing. They just lack the self-confidence to sell their knowledge and expertise to the outside world. Moreover, in the art and design world, there is a lot of focus on sharing outcomes and successes and too little on running an organisation. Engaging them in conversation with a coach gives them many useful insights.

The second programme will end this spring. We can see that the support we've provided has been greatly appreciated. So, I expect that the peer-led reflection sessions will continue and I hope that we can continue to help artists and social designers to professionalise their work and increase their impact.”

GOED — Participants of Art & Design for Biobased Materials (photo credits: Hans Boddeke)

Emma about Art & Design for Biobased Materials

“The Art & Design for Biobased Materials programme helps designers and artists working with biodesign or circular entrepreneurship. The programme offers various forms of support such as funding for the project, coaching scientists and entrepreneurs, and providing access to a network of experts. The goal is to further develop their projects and to ensure that these entrepreneurs have a greater ecological and circular impact.”

Stress makes way for focus

The participants have regarded this programme as “a complete package” thanks to its combination of time, money, coaching and network building. The support and involvement of the DOEN Foundation has been described as unique. And the direct approach to participation removes a lot of financial stress and uncertainty. For a one-man business, the time and energy devoted to submitting applications can be a major investment, with no certainty about the outcome. On the other hand, Art & Design for Biobased Materials provides financial stability and focus, allowing participants to fully concentrate on their work.

New techniques and personal growth

The participants have delivered some great results, both on a technological and personal level. Ilse Kremer developed newcolour pigments from fungi as an alternative to chemical dyes. And Teresa van Dongen has found a new collaboration partner for her “Sun Catcher”, a lamp whose shade is the energy source, charging in the window like a solar panel. Cindy Bosma's coaching taught Teresa to professionalise, get paid fairly and get a grip on what she wants to do with her studio. All the participants have said that they have grown through the coaching and by exchanging knowledge with each other. The group is very positive and there is a lot of mutual cooperation and support.

Moving forward together

Emma: “All participants find this scheme unique and important for their personal development. BlueCity, the organisation involved in the programme, has called it incredibly valuable”. Guus Meijer of BlueCity about the programme: “Art & Design for Biobased Materials increases the likelihood of innovations succeeding, and these innovations play a key role in the transition to a circular economy.” In short, Art & Design for Biobased Materials has left us wanting more and a sequel would be a great step towards increasing the sustainable impact of the projects.”

The DOEN Foundation organises Art & Design for Inclusion and Art & Design for Biobased Materials thanks to players of the Postcode Loterij and the VriendenLoterij.