A combination of hostel, bar, restaurant, studios, exhibition spaces and workshops. Where art is the heart of the experience.
The concept
A stay at SOKUCU is a unique experience focused on art and on supporting the cultural sector: guests are immersed in the creative spirit of the maker.
During their stay, visitors get to follow the process of the makers and craftspeople. They can watch and join in as the communal spaces are built up into a full-fledged art installation.
Alongside a restaurant and café there are several exhibition spaces. Here makers can show and sell their work and visitors find inspiration. This creates a healthy climate in which both guests and makers flourish.
The project also makes room for workshops, lectures, concerts and performances. These draw the public and offer further development for members and audience alike through the exchange of culture and experience.
With every visit, SOKUCU’s guests directly support the project and its members, and contribute to the art and culture sector of the Netherlands.
Help the makers
Today there is a large group of makers who find no place within the art and culture sector. Jobs are scarce and many makers lack the financial means to start on their own.
The problems
Many subsidies have been cut over the past fifteen years; the risks and costs keep rising for starting makers. SOKUCU focuses on these makers-to-be and offers them the chance to begin.
How we help the maker
Makers work on an overarching project or on their own work. For this we provide member-accessible workshops in the building.
We work with permanent makers and a rotating group. This widens our reach and supports more makers, while constantly adding new ideas and knowledge and preserving continuity.
Makers are directly involved in decision-making. Through voting and discussion, projects are chosen and carried out by the whole group as much as possible, creating a bond between makers and projects.
The symbiosis of exchange, co-determination and shared projects helps makers create and develop themselves and helps the foundation grow into an initiative that supports the cultural sector in Nijmegen and across Europe.
Community
SOKUCU consists of the people who work, stay, and contribute there. Creators, visitors, interns, volunteers, and partners all actively participate in the project.
Working together creates an environment where ideas develop and plans become reality. A shared goal lets people carry and encourage one another; challenges are solved together.
This creates support for projects that no individual could achieve alone. SOKUCU also develops a working environment for older artists, where they can remain active in their field and pass on their knowledge to the next generation of makers.
Social impact
SOKUCU wants to bring about positive social change through services and initiatives in sustainability, education and research, and care and wellbeing.
Where possible we work with reused materials and circular building methods, visible and part of the learning process. The restaurant uses local produce; SOKUCU possibly runs its own vegetable, tea and picking gardens and a mushroom farm, open to makers, visitors and neighbours.
SOKUCU offers internships in hospitality, green spaces and crafts, and seeks partnerships with art academies, trade schools, colleges and universities. Research — from the effect of handwork on the brain to material properties — becomes directly visible here.
There is room for rest, recovery and continuity. Visual art is used for processing, development and mental health. The Jan Bart Söhne Institute for Visual Therapy leads the way, with attention, time and personal guidance.
Phases and development
SOKUCU is built up in phases. The project keeps developing and adapting based on what works, in short cycles with evaluation and, where needed, quick course corrections.
A sketch
I had such a busy job, deadline after deadline, I needed to get away. On the SOKUCU website I saw a spot was an open on the painting retreat. A whole weekend of painting, everything taken care of: sleeping, food, drinks and good company.
The day began with checking in at the hostel, coffee and a treat, and a rough run-through of the plan: a mix of painting, meditation, reflection and relaxation. We started with a meditation and were guided in choosing a subject. After that we could work undisturbed until lunch in the restaurant.
There was time to wander through SOKUCU and look into all the studios and workshops. In the exhibition space stood a collective project: hundreds of variations of birds merged into one aerodynamic whole. It was wonderful to see the craftspeople at work - though we were clearly told to leave them be when they were focused.
In the evening a short evaluation and a group activity, then free time: keep working on your own, or relax in the bar. I picked up a book in the lounge. The next day started with morning yoga.
All in all a lovely weekend. Everything taken care of, my routine let go. The meditations really helped me focus on my art, and the guidance of a real artist gave me new techniques I now apply to my own work.