Fris Alive and kicking! 75 years of Fris Edam
In January 1947, the N.V. Keramische Industrie Fris factory opened on the Baandervesting in Edam. Due to the craftsmanship of the employees, the modern and functional designs of designer Willem Hendrik de Vries and the emphasis on quality, Fris quickly became a leader in the production of tableware and vases. Now, 75 years later, Fris is still very much alive. From 21st October 2021 to 20th March 2022, Museum is organizing the major retrospective exhibition Fris Alive and kicking! 75 years of Fris Edam, along with a book Fris Edam, Keramiek 1947-1969.
Fris Edam
Get started – start with Fris! That was the Fris motto, with which the post-war Dutch, looking to the future, were encouraged to purchase ceramics from the factory in Edam. The collection that Fris launched on the market immediately stood out because of its functionality, attractive shape and fresh colours. N.V. Keramische Industrie Fris has made an important contribution to the development of practical Dutch ceramics, as a prelude to the world-famous Dutch Design. Fris products are to be found in the collections of various national and international museums such as the Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden; Van Eesterenmuseum, Amsterdam; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Exhibition
Thanks to a phenomenal donation at the beginning of 2020 from Mr Wil Schagen, the Edams Museum has an almost complete collection of Fresh ceramics. This collection is displayed on the first floor of the City Hall and in shop windows of former retail properties in Edam. Interior designer and art director Marijke Schipper, who lives in Edam, is responsible for the design and furnishing of the exhibition in collaboration with students from the De Triade school community and the many volunteers from the Edams Museum.
Book and videos
The book Fris Edam, Keramiek 1947-1969 published by the Edam based publisher LM Publishers presents the entire collection and sheds new light on the history of Fris. Former Fris employees and their children tell the Fris story along with previously unseen photos and brochures from the Fris archive and from private collections. We use the Fris company film from the nineteen fifties to bring the traditional production processes for Fris ceramics back to life.
More information about 75 years of Fris Edam, the book and the exhibition can also be found here: frisedam.nl
The history of Fris Edam and an overview of the Fris collection is available at zuiderzeecollectie.nl
EuroArt/ Art Month: Edam Museum as a backdrop for artists; then and now
Euroart/ Art Month: Edam Museum as a backdrop for artists; then and now
At the end of the 19th and early 20th century, artists from the Netherlands and abroad discovered Volendam where they painted ‘en-plein-air’ and to record Volendam people in their typical costumes. These painters often stayed in Hotel Spaander or Pension Frits Veldhuizen. Artists explored the area, including Edam, where they visited the Museum, which opened in 1895. The ground floor was converted into a model room for the City Drawing School. “The characteristics of the ground floor, in particular, are attractive for the painters who often reside here, as in Volendam,” wrote the first director of the Edams Museum, Councillor W.J. Tuyn. An artist, sometimes accompanied by painter’s models, was occasionally granted access.
Nicolaas van der Waay (1855-1936), professor at the State Academy of Art in Amsterdam, visited Edam Museum between 1906 to 1911. Van der Waay completed a ‘study’ in the Museum and may have met fellow artist Nico Jungman (1872-1935) there in 1907.
Nico Jungman (1872-1935) first stayed in Hotel Spaander in 1897, and again in 1899, 1900, 1910, 1919 and 1927. Jungman became friends with Edam-based artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp (1874-1950), whom he also visited on his studio ship De Zwerver.
The following works of art by these two artists are being shown during art month, specifically for EuroArt
Nicolaas van der Waay, Slecht Gehumeurd [bad tempered], ca. 1906-1911, olieverf op doek, 80,2 x 60,4 cm., Collection Mr. Dierdorp, Edam
Nico Jungman, Portrait of W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, aquarel en gouache op papier, 47 x 31 cm., Collection W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp Foundation, On long term loan to Edam Museum
An article about these and other artists who used the Edams Museum as a backdrop for their drawings and paintings is available for perusal at the Edams Museum and can be reproduced for a small fee.
Art month : Artist in Residence Sanne Noordhof
Art Month: Artist & Scholar in Residence
- Two individuals
- Two works of art
- A framework
- One exhibition space
- Endless inspiration
During Art Month, the painting ‘Bad tempered’ by Nicolaas van der Waay is being displayed in the Garden Room in the Coopmanshuys, Edam Museum, along with examples of typical Volendam costumes for women and children.
The backdrop to the painting is the rear facade of the museum. In this way one almost steps into the painting; a painting that is more than 100 years old comes to life!
This combination of painting, clothing and location will be a source of inspiration for the ‘Artist in Residence’ and ‘Scholar in Residence’ projects. The young artist Sanne Noordhof, a graduate of the Willem de Koning Academy and a student of Don Bosco College, Volendam, will immerse herself in the museum for a week. The result will be a work of art to be displayed in the museum’s garden.
• Artist in Residence: Sanne Noordhof
My artistic direction: “Making nothing out of something”
My work examines the relationship that people have built with nature. The concept that the human condition can be read and studied through the way we relate to animals is a fundamental thread running through my work. The animal is a tool here, a catalyst that leads you to your emotions. Using my conceptual method – Nurturing & Killing – I do fieldwork to make nothing from something and where this sense of absence becomes presence. I strive for the means of examining absences, withdrawals and disengagements. My work is a mix of performance, poetry and video. Using this confluence of disciplines, I experiment with narration, studying its nature and boundaries.
• Scholar in Residence
‘The Unveiling’ is an interdisciplinary art education project about Edam-Volendam as an Artists’ Community, the experience of art and of inspired authenticity. This workshop-based project was devised by visual artist Rob Cerneus Jr. and musician and lyricist Frank Bond to bring students of Don Bosco College, Volendam in contact with the cultural, artistic and historical relevance of the district in various ways.
In the programme, 25 students are stimulated by the history of Artist, photographer, filmmaker and philosopher Adalbert Kohlsaat (1918-2005) to delve into the past. Gradually, in pairs, they choose a work of art from the Spaander collection or the painting ‘Bad tempered’ by Nicolaas van der Waay, currently in Edam Museum, which they will use as inspiration for their own work. Under the guidance of Rob Cerneus and Frank Bond, the students will create visual work or use words and music.