Frisian Museum collaborates with the UG on two research projects

The Frisian Museum will collaborate with the University of Groningen (UG) on two research projects. The Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO)) is funding the projects from the research programme: Museum Grants. This programme enables museums to conduct short-term research in collaboration with scientists affiliated with a university. The results of the research will be made publicly available in the coming years in exhibitions and publications.

Views on landscapes

The research proposal by Judith Spijksma, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Frysian Museum and Professor Ann-Sophie Lehmann of the UG, concerns updating an important theme within the Frysian Museum's collection of modern and contemporary art: views on landscape, environment, and space. The research focuses on artists working with stories, knowledge, and materials of different landscapes in light of the current climate crisis. The work of these artists is not only examined from a theoretical perspective, but also placed in the context of museum practice and the issues surrounding sustainability and ecology at play therein. The project ties in with the Department of Art History and Landscape History at the University of Groningen. The project will result in, among other things, an exhibition in 2025 and a publication. Additionally, the Frisian Museum and the University of Groningen are organizing a kick-off event at the Frisian Museum on 24 November 2023. On friesmuseum.nl/onderzoek, the museum will report on this project.

Weapons and armour in Frisia

The Frisian Museum's second research proposal is led by their curator of Middle Ages and Terp Culture, Diana Spiekhout. The study examines the significance of weapons and armour in Frisia from 350 to 800 AD. The archaeological remains of weapons are important in the study of political (in)stability in northern and central Europe during the early Middle Ages. While previous studies on this subject concerning Frisia did not provide a complete overview of these objects, this new research aims to inventory all weapons and armour across Frisia. Thereby we gain more insight into the power development of this area. These insights are then placed within the international discussions on the meaning of weapons, the position of Frisia in the time of the Great Migration and the early Middle Ages, and the development of kingship. The results of this research will be featured in the exhibition with the working title Redbad, which will open at the Frisian Museum in 2026. The accompanying researchers are Dr Johan Nicolay of the UG and Dr Han Nijdam of the Fryske Akademy.

Museum Grants

The research programme Museum Grants provides the opportunity to conduct short-term research in one of the more than 400 museums in the Netherlands. The research is in the hands of a museum expert and takes place in collaboration with university researchers. The results are published in an article. The intended purpose of the Museum Grants is to deepen and clarify the ideas, materials, and objects in the museum collection.