Discover the Art of Parquet Flooring by Creating a Beautiful Mosaic Floor.
ROC Midden Nederland is the only school in the Netherlands offering the Interior Specialist Parquet Flooring program.
Are you passionate about wood, enjoy working with your hands, and full of creativity? Then the craft of a parquet installer is made for you. A parquet installer, also known as a parquet layer, works with luxurious wooden floors ranging from classic herringbone patterns to modern designs. You don’t just install new floors but also repair and renovate them, ensuring they last for many years. Patience, precision, and an eye for detail are essential qualities that make your work unique every day.
The training (levels 2 and 3) takes place at ROC Midden Nederland in Nieuwegein. This is the place where you learn the craft. You’ll not only master the techniques but also learn how to design patterns, communicate with clients, and manage colleagues. The level 2 program lasts two years, while level 3 takes three years.
These are BBL programs (work-based learning): you work four days a week at a recognized training company and earn a salary right away. One day a week you attend school, where you learn practical trade-specific skills, vocational theory, and general subjects like Dutch, math, and citizenship.
Craftsmanship is making a comeback, and skilled tradespeople are in high demand.
Are you ready to build a future in woodworking? Then you’re choosing a craft full of depth, beauty, and security.
Want to know more? Visit us at the Ambacht in Beeld Festival or check out our website.
Boektotaal is a bookbinding and restoration studio located in the Bookbinding Centre in Echten (Drenthe).
Boektotaal specializes in offering various bookbinding-related workshops and courses (also on location). In addition, they sell everything related to hand bookbinding, such as tools, decorative paper, bone folders, bookbinding glue, and linen for covering books.
The love for books and bookbinding was instilled in Aaldert de Lange from a young age. At the age of eleven, he was already helping his parents sell books in their antiquarian bookshop. When his father used Bison kit to repair books, making them impossible to open, Aaldert decided to learn bookbinding himself. Alongside giving workshops and selling bookbinding materials and tools, he also restores books at the Bookbinding Centre in Echten.
For over 20 years, Tanja Rakic has been giving courses and workshops in bookbinding. She also enjoys organizing bookbinding-related events and trips, such as a workshop at the Abbey of Berne and the Bookbinding Fare in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium).
During the festival, Boektotaal will offer several workshops. You can, for example, learn to make a booklet using Japanese bookbinding or a handmade book with a woven paper cover.
Nieuwenhuijs & Peetoom will give live demonstrations of traditional windmill construction.
They will be working on a mill sail and gear wheels, and if you’re feeling inspired, you’re welcome to try it yourself!
Bart Nieuwenhuijs began collecting antique items from Zaan-region windmills and houses as a child and was an active member of the model-building club at Molen Het Pink in Koog aan de Zaan. This early interest sparked his lifelong passion for windmills, Zaan timber construction, and traditional craftsmanship. After completing a carpentry program at a vocational school (LTS), Bart continued his training through the SPB apprenticeship system and worked at De Zeug, a Zaan restoration company specializing in historic wooden interiors. He later completed specialized training in restoration carpentry and a night course in construction management, and in 2002, he founded his own business.
Together with his partner Giel Peetoom, Bart now proudly runs the renowned restoration company Nieuwenhuijs & Peetoom.
They also offer apprenticeships and trainee placements for young people interested in becoming future craftspeople.
Giel Peetoom also discovered the craft at a young age, joining the same model-building club at just ten years old. “Giel started as my apprentice and has now become my business partner. How beautiful is that!” Bart says proudly.
In addition to live demonstrations, Bart Nieuwenhuijs will also give a lecture about a remarkable restoration project.
Giel Peetoom and Bart Nieuwenhuijs. Photo Danielle Lakeman
In this interactive performance, artist Alya Hessy invites you to step into a giant knitted structure and make connections visible.
The work comes to life through the movement of your arms and a woolen thread. You can talk, laugh, or remain silent. Your presence gives meaning to the artwork, which is created together. Participants from previous performances have described the experience as calming and meditative.
An Invitation
I want to slow down.
I want to take the time to observe how something is made.
I want to touch the material with my hands,
to stroke it,
to become aware of my sense of touch.
I want to feel that I am here.
I want to feel that you are here.
I want to get to know you.
I want to get to know myself.
Loneliness…
Do you feel it too?
Let’s make something together.
Alya Hessy is an artist and yoga teacher. She uses textiles as a medium to uncover deep human experiences and give them form. She graduated from the Rietveld Academy and ArtEZ. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including the Fries Museum and the Van Abbemuseum. Alya lives and works in Uithoorn.
Bouwerskontakt regularly offers workshops on the maintenance and repair of string instruments, harpsichords, and barrel organs.
String players can learn how to straighten a bridge, loosen stiff pegs, properly fit a string, and receive tips on how to keep their instrument in good condition.
Owners of barrel organs can learn what types of maintenance can be done on various parts of the instrument. You can also discuss any problems you’re experiencing with your instrument. Harpsichordists receive instruction on regular maintenance and minor repairs, such as replacing and voicing a string or plectrum.
At the Repair Shop, you can bring your own string instrument for minor repairs. In short: come by, get advice, and find out what you can do yourself!
Bouwerskontakt is part of Huismuziek, the association for music and instrument making. Huismuziek aims to share, provide, expand, and disseminate knowledge and experience related to musical instrument making. Bouwerskontakt currently has around 350 members, including many hobbyists as well as semi-professional and professional instrument makers. Individually or through courses, they build historical and modern instruments such as guitars, violins, harpsichords, organs, barrel organs, transverse flutes, and recorders. Most activities take place at Houtclub-Ede.
The exhibition Made in China features the work of Chinese artist Yang Yongliang. From a distance, his artwork looks like a traditional Chinese shanshui (“mountains and water”) landscape painting done with ink on paper. But when you look closer, you don’t see mountains — instead, you see a photo collage of skyscrapers! And what appear to be trees from afar are actually construction cranes.
During the workshop, you’ll be inspired by this artwork and create your own landscape using stamps on a roll of paper.
You’ll go home with your very own handmade scroll painting.
Made in China is on display from October 17 at the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam. The Wereldmuseum uses China as a case study for a fresh perspective on craftsmanship. The exhibition presents China’s making culture—a tradition that is both centuries old and vibrantly alive—through a mix of objects, art, fashion, photographs, and videos. It also explores the diverse meanings of “making” among contemporary artists and designers such as Cao Fei, Susan Fang, Jing He, Ma Ke, and Yang Yongliang.
Practical information:
For centuries, thousands of people around the world have enjoyed the art of paper cutting. It’s fun and relaxing, and both young and old create the most beautiful artworks with it. As many cutters as there are, there are just as many variations. It’s no coincidence that this special craft is included in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Netherlands.
Everyone has cut into a sheet of paper with scissors at some point, but in this workshop, you’ll take it a step further. After a short introduction, you’ll learn the basic techniques from experienced paper cutters. Then, you’ll apply these skills yourself in a simple project. At the end, you’ll go home with one or two cut-out artworks. Success guaranteed.
The workshop leaders are members of the Dutch Association for Paper Art, a meeting place for both hobbyists and professional artists. They are specially trained to teach enthusiasts the tricks of the trade. Most of them regularly exhibit their work.
Together with a team of enthusiastic carpenters, both women and men, you will get to work with wood, hammers, and drills to build a real tiny house (in miniature, of course)!
Perfect for anyone who wants to saw, drill, screw, hammer, or simply enjoy working with their hands.
The workshop is led by a group of skilled craftspeople who are passionate about sharing their love for wood and building with the next generation of makers.
For young and older children who are excited to create something wonderful!
The team includes Claudia Glazener, Basile Marée, Remy Becker, Daan van de Gender, Boris Bus, Eva de Boer, Brandaan Hofman, and Lika Kortmann.
Young children must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Parents/guardians are always fully responsible for their child. The festival accepts no liability.
At Vakschool Schoonhoven you will discover the power of your craft.
Creating beautiful things and meaningful moments that enrich life requires skill and creativity. That’s why we encourage you to develop your own talent and seize the opportunities that come your way.
Explore how to bring craftsmanship to life in your own unique way. As a Gold- or Silversmith, you will create your own designs. As a Jeweller, you will craft pieces that evoke emotion. As a Watchmaker, you will work with precision and technical finesse. You will discover it all in an inspiring environment where you can truly be yourself.
It is no surprise that we have been a renowned institution since 1895. We would love to tell you more during the Ambacht in Beeld Festival!
To pass on the love of making to children, the Ambachtenbus (Crafts Bus) offers fun workshops for kids aged 8 and up, led with great enthusiasm by Bram Korte.
Crafts are becoming less visible in today’s society. By creating something themselves, children experience the joy of making and discover that it’s not always as easy as it looks.
Offering children this hands-on experience aligns with one of the core goals of Ambachtelijk Vakmanschap Nederland: to pass on the love of craftsmanship and bring (renewed) appreciation for traditional skills back into the spotlight.
The bus is equipped with hand tools, workstations, and leftover materials, allowing children aged 8 and up to get creative under Bram Korte’s inspiring guidance.
Offered by the platform Ambachtelijk Vakmanschap Nederland.
Festival address:
NDSM Loods
NDSM-Plein 85
1033 WC Amsterdam
Postal address:
Stichting Ambacht in Beeld
Kalf 158
1509AH Zaandam
The Netherlands
