Volkshortus Selwerd
A greenhouse in Selwerd for everyone!
Come and garden, plant along, or come and watch!
Opening hours (from March 15): Thursday to Saturday | 1-5 p.m.
Volkshortus
Since March 15, Volkshortus Selwerd will be open again! After two successful seasons, Volkshortus has found a new location behind Mispellaan 74-82. The Volkshortus was created by artists George Korsmit and Saskia Janssen.
It is a greenhouse for plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs. In short, for everything that grows and blooms! The plants in the greenhouse are chosen by local residents and represent the more than 80 nationalities in the Selwerd district.
Come and enjoy the greenery in the Volkshortus and be inspired by the different plants. In the Volkshortus you can grow your own plants for free and indicate which plants you would like to see. There are also workshops for and by local residents.
Due to the greenhouse being a great success, it will remain in Selwerd until October 2024
Saskia Janssen en George Korsmit
The Amsterdam artist duo Saskia Janssen and George Korsmit often create social artworks using different media. The identity of the place and its inhabitants is the starting point. The duo recently won the Amsterdam Prize for Art with The Rainbow Soul club, an art studio in an Amsterdam shelter for the homeless and long-term drug users. The jury judged that the collective ‘breaks the boundaries between the artistic and social domain’. Volkshortus Selwerd is their first work in Groningen.
Inspired by Siep van den Berg
An interesting detail is the design of the tables in the greenhouse. It is based on the patterns and elements in the art of the Groningen artist Siep van den Berg. He made wall art throughout the neighborhood in the 1960s. View the work he made in Groningen here.
Activities
Volkshortus Selwerd regularly hosts activities for and by local residents.
This summer, for example, there will be green craft mornings again! Everyone who enjoys being creative is welcome in the greenhouse (behind Mispellaan 74-82).
What will we be doing?:
- Monday, July 14, 10:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
Stamping fruit and vegetables on a small fabric bag - Monday, July 21, 10:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
A cheerful cardboard bird - Monday, July 28, 10:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
A mosaic of corn, beans, and seeds in all sorts of colors
🎟️ Admission is free.
🧑🎨 15 people can participate at a time.
🪑 Registration is not required; if the space is full, you may have to wait for a spot to become available.
Come and join!
We’ll be also present at the Midsummer Festival on July 30th! You can choose from various craft activities:
• Paint flower pots
• Make a sparkling bead spiral
• Decorate cotton bags with vegetable stamps
🌞 Midsummer Festival | 🎟️ Free
🗓️ Wednesday, July 30th | 🕑 2-5 p.m.
📍 Community Center TuinPad | Bessemoerstraat 4
ℹ️ The Midsummer Festival is one of the activities that WIJ Groningen (Selwerd/Paddepoel/Tuinwijk) is organizing this summer. More information about these summer activities, including the Midsummer Festival, can be found here 👉 Selwerd, Paddepoel & Tuinwijk.
Education
The educational program in the Volkshortus greenhouse for students from local primary schools has come to an end! We welcomed a total of 357 students from De Pendinghe, De Wegwijzer, and the Bekenkampschool. After a discussion about the ins and outs of the greenhouse, they drew plants of all shapes and sizes and then—this year in the greenhouse!—made a leaf shape from red clay, which they then decorated with white engobe and a skewer. The pieces were fired at Kamerlingh Onnes College and distributed to the schools last week. Students from the KOC will visit the greenhouse after the summer holidays and will work on a visual project.
LOCATION AND OPENING HOURS
The greenhouse is located in the courtyard behind Mispellaan 74-82.
Opening hours:
- Thursday 1-5 p.m.
- Friday 1-5 p.m.
- Saturday 1-5 p.m.
CONTACT
Do you have questions or do you have ideas for plants you want to grow? Or do you want to sign up as a volunteer?
Please contact the artists at volksshortusselwerd@gmail.com
Volkshortus Selwerd was commissioned by Kunstpunt Groningen in collaboration with the Municipality of Groningen and Nijestee.