During the Kuyper Year, events, lectures, books, and exhibitions drew attention to the enduring significance of the most important VU founder, Abraham Kuyper. But the broader history of the VU was also discussed. The idea behind the exhibition 'VU objects and their stories' is to use the preserved heritage to present the history of the Vrije Universiteit for the entire period and as broadly as possible, thus creating a kaleidoscopic picture of VU history.
From the university's heritage collections, an object was chosen for each lustrum in history that is characteristic of that time or is related to an important event that took place at the time. Guest authors reflect on the significance of the object for today. This makes the heritage a bridge between past and present and it also raises the question of how we should relate to this past today.
The exhibition shows a selection of objects and quotes from the online columns published on GeheugenvandeVU.nl since September 2020. The book is published by Clue+: Research Institute for Culture, Cognition, History and Heritage at VU University; it is richly illustrated and contains an adaptation of all stories from the exhibition, preceded by an introduction. The exhibition and the book were curated by university historian Ab Flipse and curator of academic heritage Liselotte Neervoort. Thanks to all guest authors and the following organizations: the Kuyper Year steering committee, VU Association, Dr. Abraham Kuyper Fund Foundation; CLUE+ and VU Heritage & Collections.
The book can be read digitally via this link (Dutch). If you are a VU employee or student interested in a physical copy of the book, please contact the University Library.
For other interested parties the book is for sale. The price is € 20.00 including shipping and handling costs. You can order by sending an e-mail with address details to Ab Flipse and transferring the amount to NL68 INGB 0006 8454 44 in the name of Stichting Batavia Academica in Amsterdam, quoting 'VU objects and their stories'.
View the online exhibition here.
Book info (Dutch)
VU-voorwerpen en hun verhalen. 140 jaar erfgoed van de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
(Amsterdam: Clue+, 2021)
Auteurs: Ab Flipse, Liselotte Neervoort
ISBN: 978-90-831368-1-3; 118 pages.