Discover the MESS in Harderwijk, a unique cultural hub that organizes art projects, events, workshops, and lectures. A place for every creative person.
Cultural Incubator de MESS in Harderwijk is a unique place where the magic of a monumental building and lush countryside come together. It is a green, creative community supported by the independent cultural organization Stichting Underground Harderwijk.
What does the MESS do?
The MESS is a dynamic place that develops diverse activities:
- Organizes and supports art projects.
- Organizes and supports events on and off the MESS grounds.
- Realizes art programs with social value.
- Spreads knowledge through workshops and lectures.
- Builds a food stage that nourishes spiritually and physically.
- Serves as a testing ground for innovative entrepreneurs.
- Stimulates collaboration and cultural entrepreneurship.
Through art and culture, the MESS provides tools to a broad audience in Harderwijk for creating a green society for everyone.
History and Future
Since 2009, the MESS, a former officers' mess on Oranjelaan, has been used by the Underground Harderwijk Foundation. What began as a workshop and storage space has grown into a multicultural breeding ground. Musical, theatrical, and artistic gatherings are regularly organized here for residents of Harderwijk and the surrounding area.
The aim is to continue the current function as a multicultural incubator and to regulate this legally and spatially, so that the MESS can remain a center for creative and cultural activity in the coming years.
More than just a breeding ground
A Cultural Incubator offers space to diverse creative and cultural expressions, such as visual arts, theater, graphic design, architecture, urban planning, new media, and start-up entrepreneurs. The mix of disciplines in one place fosters unexpected collaborations and innovations.
The MESS offers an inspiring ambiance that stimulates creativity, with space for meeting, discussion, and platforms for art and culture. Supporting hospitality facilities ensure vibrancy and increase the likelihood of interaction between the economic and cultural sectors, essential for stimulating the creative economy in Harderwijk.
MESS Cultural Incubator: Driving force, organizer, and landlord
The MESS rents out indoor and outdoor spaces for cultural and social activities and organizations. In addition, it encourages and supports initiatives of a social and/or cultural nature and organizes various events itself. These include courses, workshops, lectures, rehearsals, jam sessions, the Cultural Café with an open mic, music, theater, film, and private parties.
The rental income is used to support initiatives with a social character and to offer opportunities for development within the MESS, which strengthens the socio-cultural character of the incubator.
