museum Archives - CLEVERcreating

4 Modern Art Museums in Valencia that Are Very Worthwhile Exploring

March 10, 2023March 9, 2023 by Hannie Mommers

Several Modern Art museums in Valencia are so worthwhile to visit.

Valencia is one of my favourite cities for a midweek trip. It is only 3 hours by car from my village and offers a huge variety of art, culture, and nature. The latter, in the beautiful botanical garden or in the immediate vicinity with beaches and marshes.

There are all kinds of museums in Valencia, plenty of choices. However, we like modern art the most, so those are the museums we visit more than once.

Until now we went for architecture and art, but a chance conversation with a compatriot during our visit to Bombas Gens has made us aware of the opera and dance culture that can also be experienced in Valencia.

3 Spectacular Buildings and Modern Art in Bilbao, Spain

January 24, 2023October 20, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

We dislike the crowds in the big cities more and more, yet, if we want to see beautiful things we will have to go there. Our solution is to spend the night in small towns during the holidays and take a day trip to a city.

On one of those holidays, we wanted to see the modern art in Bilbao and we saw and experienced 3 amazing places. All 3 within walking distance of each other, unless you are not able to walk well.

There is definitely more to see in the city, but we went for modern art; architecture, paintings, and 3D work.

Discovering 3 Fascinating Cultural Hotspots in Tilburg, the Netherlands

September 9, 2022September 9, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

In the 70s I studied and lived in Tilburg. It was hardly a bustling city then. Empty factories and unstructured plans for the town and its inhabitants. A grey impression.

Later I worked as a graphic designer for the municipality of Tilburg and saw the efforts being made to improve the town. Often together with the residents in seminars and workshops.

Nowadays, there is much to experience in the city, especially in the cultural field. Factories and other empty buildings have been refurbished and given a cultural destination.

Zollverein Essen and More Industrial Heritage in the Crammed Ruhr Area

July 25, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

Despite the industrialization of the area my favourite place to go was the Ruhr area in Germany. When I still lived in the Netherlands, it was a car journey of 1,5 hours from our house.

The area became the “European Capital of Culture” in 2010. This meant a facelift for a region that had been a dirty, neglected orphan since the mines and steel industry slowly came to a halt.

There are a lot of interesting places nowadays, but my favourites are Insel Hombroich and Zollverein Essen.

Insel Hombroich, a Stunning Place of Art, Architecture and Nature

July 11, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

When I still lived in the Netherlands, Insel Hombroich was a car journey of 1,5 hours from our house. I have visited the location often with friends and family and it was a favourite day out for my staff and me.

An average museum visit lasts between one and two hours. Visiting Insel Hombroich can easily take up a whole day. One of the reasons why it is perfect for a short getaway.

The area is a breathtaking landscape full of little buildings, beautiful vegetation, and most of all a lot of art in all disciplines and genres.

Fantastic Outdoor Land Art on the Estate of Winery Chateau la Coste

July 8, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

A landscape is often beautiful in itself. Nevertheless, a conscious addition by an artist can be of great added value. It contributes to a different experience of the environment.

My travels have already taken me to several places with landscape art on display or as part of the collection, such as Insel Hombroich in Germany, Museum Kröller-Müller in the Netherlands, and the Beaufort event in Belgium.

In this article, I will tell you about another great location that is well worth visiting: the organic winery Chateau la Coste.

Museum LUMA in Arles, a Lively Creative Breeding Ground

July 1, 2022July 1, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

A Lively Creative Breeding Ground: Museum LUMA in Arles

After 2 years of lockdowns and restrictions, we were able to take a trip abroad in June 2022. Our first visit was to Arles. Tom and I had seen a documentary* about the LUMA experimental cultural centre on the European TV channel Arte and were very excited about it.

*Unfortunately, the documentary is no longer available.

We live in a culture-poor area. This is why we took every opportunity to experience art during our holiday. Fortunately, we were often also able to combine this with another activity we cherish so much: nature walks.

30 Tips to Spend Free Time Finding Inspiration for Creative Projects

April 23, 2022March 26, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

At most of the exhibitions where I showed my work, I tried to be present to talk to the visitors. The most frequently asked question always was: where do you find the inspiration for your subjects? To which my answer was that I had some tricks for that.

Developing inspiration is a conscious process. Or at least it could be. It also depends on our individual character what our favourite method is.

In this article, I give you 30 tips to spend free time in a creative way that gives you inspiration. It is a random list of all kinds of things I occasionally do. Get inspired.

What Styles or Subjects Inspired Visual Artists in the 1960s?

March 27, 2022February 26, 2022 by Hannie Mommers

In the last quarter of 1969, aged 16, I went to Art school to become a teacher in visual arts and crafts. At that time I did not read any national or international newspapers, my parents were subscribed to the local newspaper.

The turbulent 1968 and the artistic expressions of that time had passed me by completely unnoticed. The academy became a pressure cooker of historical insight and political awareness.

I was lucky that my art history and art appreciation teachers were very enthusiastic and were really good at transferring their enthusiasm to their students. Not just on visual artists in the 1960s of course, but on art history in general.