Melly Summer Opening: Celebrating 35 Years of Artistic Inquiry with an Archival Exhibition, a New Learning Space, and the Launch of TOOLSHED Residency

On Saturday 19 July 2025, as part of our 35th anniversary celebrations, Kunstinstituut Melly presents 35 Years of Minds and Matter, an exhibition curated from our archives dating from 1990 to date. On this day, we are also launching a new space dedicated to education, participation and Collective Learning in Practice (CLiP), as well as the first edition of our residency program, TOOLSHED.

35 Years of Minds and Matter is shaped by artists who have exhibited at Kunstinstituut Melly and whose work engages with the concept of the archive. Within the exhibition, a particular emphasis is placed on education–a long-standing pillar of Melly.

On the ground floor, our new spaces dedicated to education, participation, knowledge sharing and collective learning ensures that education, knowledge sharing and collective learning remain an ever-active and visible pillar of our institution.

TOOLSHED is a new residency and research initiative exploring the tools we use to build, question, and transform cultural institutions. Launching with Listening at Pungwe as the inaugural collective-in-residence, TOOLSHED acts as a site for dialogue, experimentation, and collective inquiry—where listening becomes a mode of resistance and reimagination.

Join us for an afternoon of learning, discovery and remembering. We will have exciting programs and activities for everyone throughout the afternoon. Our researchers-in-residence Listening at Pungwe will share a sonic response that considers events that shaped music and sound over the past 35 years.

Schedule:

12:00–18:00 – Holiday Passport
Activities in the Education Space
Fun and interactive activities for all ages, available throughout the day.

12:30 – Opening Moment
Welcome Drinks & Bites
Join us to toast the start of the celebrations.

13:30 – Opening Speeches
Talks will be held in English, with a short segment in Dutch.

14:00 – 16:00 – Treat Time!
Free Ice Cream Bar
Cool down with delicious ice cream available at the Education Space.

15:00 – Guided Tour
with marjolijn kok (in English)
A special walk-through of 35 Years of Minds and Matter.

16:00 – 17:00 – Sonic Session
with Listening at Pungwe

17:00 – Pub Quiz @MELLY
Put your knowledge to the test and win exclusive Melly merch!

18:00 – Wrap-up
Closing remarks and final cheers!