De Nieuwe Meervaart: a new theater for Nieuw-West

In the pop-up exhibition De Nieuwe Meervaart: a new theater for Nieuw-West young people from Amsterdam and the surrounding area show their vision of De Nieuwe Meervaart. For this educational project by Van Eesteren Museum, carried out in close collaboration with Theater De Meervaart, more than 250 students from six secondary schools developed designs for a future theater building in which they recognize themselves.

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The Meervaart Theater opened its doors in 1977. For decades, the building functioned as an important theater for the city, but today it no longer has the look it once had. That is why the municipality decided to build a new Meervaart in 2020. But what should that look like? What makes a visitor feel at home there? How will it become a meaningful place in New West? Architects and urban designers are already working hard on this. But the visitor of the future is rarely asked that.

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Before the project De Nieuwe Meervaart asked Van Eesteren Museum and it Meervaart Theater young people from all over Amsterdam to their Nieuwe Meervaart. For twelve weeks, 66 teams of a total of 250 lower and upper school students from six Amsterdam Technasia worked on their ideas under the guidance of lecturers and various experts in urban planning and architecture. In this pop-up exhibition, you will see their solutions for the Nieuwe Meervaart: a range of original, creative, innovative and, above all, surprising designs for Nieuw-West's future theater. Participating schools include: Caland Lyceum, Keizer Karel College, Damstede Lyceum, Ir. Lely Lyceum, Kaj Munk College and Metis Montessori Lyceum.

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The timing of this presentation is significant. Just now that the official tender for De Meervaart's new building has opened, young people from Amsterdam and the surrounding area are showing what ideas, wishes and perspectives they have for this future icon of New West.

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