Volkshortus Selwerd
A greenhouse in Selwerd for everyone!
Come and garden, plant along, or come and watch!
Volkshortus
After two successful seasons, Volkshortus has found a new location at the courtyard located between Gelderse Roosstraat and Hazelaarstraat. 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.
Starting in the spring of 2026, you can once again enjoy the greenery at the Volkshortus and be inspired by the various plants. From then on, you can grow your own plants for free at the Volkshortus and indicate which plants you would like to see. Workshops will also be given for and by local residents.
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. Keep an eye on this page for an overview of activities this season.
🍀 Plant Chats
🗓️ Saturday 19 September
🕚 11:00 a.m. – 14:00 p.m.
Memories, scents, flavours and rituals: these are the ingredients that make the stories associated with a plant. On Saturday 19 September, the VELD collective is organising an afternoon to get together and chat about the stories that plants can tell.
Do pop in, take a seat, and tell us about a plant that means something to you! VELD will provide coffee, tea and a slice of cake.
Plant Chats forms part of natural relations, an event in Groningen centred on the work and ideas of visual artist herman de vries, who turned 95 this year. You can find all the information about it here.
🍀 Harvest Festival & End-of-Season Celebration
🗓️ Saturday 26 September
🕐 From 1:00 p.m.
Last year, too, the Volkshortus was once again brimming with flowers, vegetables, fruit and herbs from all corners of the world. During the Harvest Festival, you can discover everything that has grown and flourished, and – on Nationale Burendag (National Neighbours’ Day)! – we’ll bring a wonderful Volkshortus season to a close together with local residents, volunteers and anyone else who’s interested. We’ll be doing this with a lovely afternoon full of delicious food, workshops and music. Everyone’s welcome!
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 at the courtyard located between Gelderse Roosstraat and Hazelaarstraat.
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.