It is quiet in the large hall on Kapitein Grantstraat. Where normally colorful paintings, statues and designer bags lined the walls, there are now filled moving boxes. After eight years, MicksArt Gallery is coming to an end.
“It’s emptying very slowly,” says initiator Erik Knegt, as he walks past the bare walls one more time. “We have this week to empty everything. Everything will be gone by Friday.”
Together with Annie Sturing, Knegt ran the gallery, a special mix of art, fashion and design. Visitors not only came to watch, but also to participate. MicksArt was a creative breeding ground and a place where people at a distance from the labor market could discover their talent.
“Everyone thinks it’s a shame,” says Sturing. “We hear from all visitors: what a shame for Emmen. So much beauty came together here.”
But the stretch is over. “In terms of yield, it’s just not okay,” says Knegt matter-of-factly. “Unfortunately it shouldn’t be like this.”
In the corner of the art hall is an easel by Arjan, a participant in the development project. “He makes the most beautiful things, on used canvases,” says Knegt proudly. “And this jacket, made by Hein, our graffiti man, even went to a show in France.”
Kengt was sometimes amazed at what the participants in the development project could do. “I never expected that that development project would generate so much creativity. I think they were just very inspired by the gallery here,” says Knegt.
Knegt’s art adventure started in 2016, when he decided to change course after a career in the sneaker world. What started with a small exhibition space in the Rensenpark grew into a large art hall of more than a thousand square meters.
MicksArt attracted renowned artists and local talents. The space could be used for exhibitions, workshops and meetings. Yet it remained financially difficult. “It’s a shame, but what an adventure it was.”
Steering is now looking ahead. She continues her brand ANNIGJE from her new studio, at home, in Weerdinge. “I’m very happy with skins, with cowhide skins,” she says, laughing. “I want to include something from the Drenthe countryside in every bag.”
Fortunately, the development processes that emerged within MicksArt are not lost. The art hall will be fully used for the processes, but it will continue without Knegt and Sturing.
As the last paintings disappear from the wall, Knegt looks back not with regret, but with satisfaction. “It’s time for something different,” he says. “New life, more freedom, and that’s what I do it for.”