Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Creativity and Innovation Meet the Arts in Dublin
A fresh chapter begins at Dublin Arts Council as we welcome Merijn van der Heijden as our new Executive Director. With a distinguished career spanning continents—from her native Netherlands to various leadership roles at Denison University, University of Florida, and 20 years at The Ohio State University—Merijn brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision for Dublin's artistic future.
What makes Dublin's art scene special? As Merijn explains, it's our "strong citywide commitment to public art and accessibility" that sets us apart in the Central Ohio region. Our community has created a unique balance between honoring historic works like Field of Corn (or 'Malcolm's Corn' as she affectionately calls it) while embracing innovation and new perspectives. This integration of art into public spaces and natural settings makes creativity part of our daily experience rather than something confined to gallery walls.
Looking forward, Merijn envisions Dublin as a creative hub for regional collaboration, with focus on deepening community connections through lifelong learning and embracing technology. Exciting upcoming events include Sundays at Scioto concert series starting September 14th, Chilean artist Alejandro "Mono" González's mural project at Riverside Crossing Park in October, and an exhibition by Japanese potter Masayuki Miyajima from our sister city Mashiko. At the heart of all these initiatives is Merijn's belief that art never exists in isolation; it thrives on engagement, creates spaces for meaningful conversation, and builds empathy and belonging through creativity. We invite you to join us in this journey by attending events, volunteering, sharing your ideas, and being part of Dublin's vibrant artistic community.
Hello and welcome to Link Ahead. The City of Dublin podcast. Today's episode is both a celebration and welcome. An exciting new chapter begins at the Dublin Arts Council with the announcement of a new executive director, marijn van der Heijden. Marijn, welcome to Link Ahead.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:You have an extensive resume in the arts which we'll get to. But first, right out of the gate, what attracted you to this job and really Dublin in general.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You know, I've been for a long time very excited about Dublin's very vibrant community. Things are growing, changing here and on top top of that, it's significant commitment to public art. I'm really interested in terms of focus and engagement, legacy and innovation. Right, we are talking innovation here all the time. That's really at the top of the agenda, and so I really see Dublin as a place to build connections through creative collaborations past, present, future. That was really kind of part of my thinking.
Speaker 3:So you already touched on this a little bit, but how would you describe our city's public arts scene and the overall vibe?
Speaker 2:I think it's a really unique blend of historic charm and thoughtful, intentional energy, you know, going into the future, I think, you know, in terms of art, art can spark so much conversation, not just observation. So that's really, I think, a critical element for where I sit, and so thinking about tradition meaning innovation and arts being integrated in all aspects of daily life.
Speaker 1:So I know I'm kind of going off script here, but when you saw the Field of Corn for the first time, what was your reaction?
Speaker 2:You know what? I've known field of corn for a really long time. So my one of my mentors back when I still lived in the Netherlands, malcolm Cochran I actually met Malcolm when I still lived in the Netherlands and so, um, so I've I've known field of corn for a really long time. When my kids were little I would take them to see it and we would call it Malcolm's Corn.
Speaker 3:Amazing.
Speaker 1:What makes Dublin's art scene so unique in the central Ohio region?
Speaker 2:Dublin is really one of the very few places really the only place that I can think of, that has such a strong citywide commitment to public art and accessibility. Its public art program is quite well known and celebrated and you have so many pieces across the city, you know, with art being integrated into public spaces and nature, not just in galleries, not just in galleries, and so I think the whole idea of it really kind of balances this history with openness and a connection to new ideas and voices.
Speaker 3:Now let's turn to your vision for the Arts Council as you begin your first year. What goals or initiatives are among your priorities? Absolutely.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I'm very excited about is deepening community connections. So, going straight back to Dublin Arts Council's mission, focusing, of course, on lifelong learning, but also, as I mentioned earlier, honoring legacy works while also embracing technology and new projects. You know, I think it's really key for us as we transition from the present into the future, as, of course, we always do. But we have this commitment to being and staying innovative, and technology, you know, is such a critical element, I think, to our lives at this point. I also, you know I'm thinking about Dublin as a creative hub for regional and creative collaboration. It's headquarters to, you know, so many big companies. I'm thinking about, you know, just from a symbolic point of view, link Bridge. There are so many beautiful things happening here that I think we have a wonderful opportunity working with Absolutely so.
Speaker 1:what are you most excited about as you look toward the future of the Dublin Arts Council?
Speaker 2:I'm excited for growth and innovation. So, going back to public arts, thinking about new outdoor installations, of course, you know, continuing our commitment around public arts in accessible places in the community. I'm excited for school partnerships. I'm excited for collaboration with other community groups and voices and creating really interactive and participatory arts experiences as a tool, ultimately, for dialogue and community building.
Speaker 3:Well, what do you see as the biggest opportunities, and maybe challenges, facing arts organizations today, both nationally and here in Dublin?
Speaker 2:This might sound like, oh yeah, she's going to talk about sustainability. Of course, we're always talking about funding. You know, in general, I think it's always a challenge and, on top of that, I think, you know, finding relevance for the arts in our busy day-to-day lives, right, we're always going here, there, places, work, you know who has time for anything? So I think that's going to be really key. You know, in terms of opportunities, I think I always think about coin sites, right, like, if there's one site, then there's another site too, and so, ultimately, the fact that we, you know, affords us with the opportunity to really think about, like, what do we need to do for ourselves to create connections and to honor that across our community and across generations? You know, what can we do with innovation? How can we think about innovation and how can we further any community partnerships that we already have to strengthen connection?
Speaker 1:So what's your approach to engaging young people that are new to the art scene or new residents to Dublin's creative landscape?
Speaker 2:I think. Mainly I think about making sure that they have a voice in shaping the arts. So, again going back to technology, you know the kids are so well-versed in technology, which is really amazing. So thinking about, you know, creative and interactive digital public platforms that allow for those voices to be heard as well. Of course, that would include collaborating with schools, community groups, businesses. Right, it's kind of the familiar refrain, but yeah, that's really key, I think.
Speaker 1:Well, in Dublin that's what we do. I mean, we have such great relationships with all those entities, so we're all singing from the same hymnal there.
Speaker 3:Right Earlier we talked a little bit about the field of corn. Dublin is home to other iconic public arts, like leather lips. How do you balance honoring those legacy works with introducing new expressions?
Speaker 2:You know, of course, legacy works tell the city's story right, but new works keep it evolving. You know, I was at city council meeting last night. Of course we are thinking about sustainability, connectedness, resilience, right. So those are all themes that we have to keep in mind and that we have to keep building on. You know, another piece is also thinking about creating dialogue between past and present and building on history to make sure that we always invite fresh perspectives. You know, our story changes, right. We build new stories all the time and we have to make sure we make space for that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and the community really does embrace that, and I'm thinking about the orange snails and those were sustainable pieces and you think, wow, these don't really, you know, fit in with the art scene, but they were absolutely embraced and beloved and you know, people really gravitated toward them and love to say where are they going next?
Speaker 2:So true, and watch, because they'll be going places.
Speaker 1:So and Lindsay touches on a great point Art can also be subjective. So when you have somebody that sees a snail and they're like, oh, I love the snail, and you got somebody that says I don't love this snail, Like how do you handle criticism or not criticism of the arts, but a conversation about the arts?
Speaker 2:I love that you bring that back to conversation, because you know, in the end. I think the arts are perfectly positioned to have, you know, for people to have conversations right, Sometimes difficult conversations, because we all approach things from different angles.
Speaker 2:Yet you know, for people to have conversations right, sometimes difficult conversations because we all approach things from different angles. Yet you know, if we have a common idea or shape or, you know, set of installations in front of us that can help us guide those conversations, I think they can evolve, you know, and I think you know thinking about field of corn, right, we talked about that earlier right I think there was a lot of controversy around that, certainly early on, but now I think you know community at least my sense is that folks are really proud of it, right that
Speaker 3:it's something that's really inherently part of dublin and that communicates part of dublin's history, legacy and message well, it always lands us on some interesting lists top 10 cities with weird off-site attractions and things like that, so that's a lot of fun. Well, one time-honored tradition that really brings people together is Sundays at Scioto, and it's perfect timing to talk about this year's lineup, as it kicks off on September 14th. Can you tell us just a little bit about what's in store?
Speaker 2:So we have four free concerts. They start on Sunday, september 14th and they'll go all the way through Sunday, october 5th, from 5 to 7 pm. They're free and open to the public and, yeah, I hope we have a large audience coming to celebrate with us music, culture connection in a very relaxed outdoor setting in Scioto Park.
Speaker 3:It's always very well attended and I know there were some improvements at the park this year, Bruce.
Speaker 1:Right. They put a new, they revamped the stage, so now there's something protecting the artists that are on stage instead of them baking in the sun or getting caught in the elements. So it's pretty cool. I think it's exciting. So what other upcoming events, exhibits, programs are you really excited about to share with the rest of the community?
Speaker 2:I'm really excited. So later in the fall in September, october we are bringing Chilean artist Alejandro Mono González he goes by Mono. He's going to be in Columbus for a brief residency with Dublin Arts Council from October 9 through 18. And together with Columbus-based artist Adam Hernandez, they are going to be working on a mural in Riverside Crossing Park. Oh cool, so it's going to be working on a mural in Riverside.
Speaker 1:Crossing Park oh cool.
Speaker 2:So it's going to be really spectacular. There will be an exhibition as well of his work at Dublin Arts Centre, so really inviting folks to come and check that out. In addition to that kind of a time-honoured tradition, we're also welcoming Masayuki Miyajima from November 15 through December 19. Japanese Potter from Mashiko, japan, our sister city.
Speaker 3:Lindsay's been there, I have.
Speaker 2:And so you know, those are some incredible opportunities for interactive, family friendly programs for folks to create alongside these incredible professional artists. So I'm very, very excited about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that'll be fantastic and we want to really dive into your distinguished resume because we're so lucky to have you here in Dublin. You worked in the Netherlands in the 90s, came to Denison University as gallery director, then to the University of Florida for five years, but back to Central Ohio. You came serving in various roles at the Ohio State University for 20 years from three different higher education institutions. How has our education in college changed over the last couple of decades?
Speaker 2:That's a great question, Lindsay. I'm glad you asked that too. I think we're thinking more interdisciplinary today, more collaborative, more socially engaged. So that's, I think, all really key, and I think those are the shifts we have seen. In addition to that, of course, focus on technology, community connection we can't have art without people to visit and to connect with. Right Art never exists in isolation. So I think those are all critical elements.
Speaker 1:So you were also director of the urban art space in Columbus for nearly eight years. Give us a little bit about that experience.
Speaker 2:It was really kind of designed as an experimental gallery space of sorts, so an extension of the curriculum, so to speak, you know, as part of a university setting, so it was an opportunity for artists and students to come together. I had the exciting honor to be there during pandemic times, and pandemic times, you know, as we can all probably remember still, it forced us to be very much on our toes, to think about, you know, what to do and how to do it, and really wade through uncharted territory. So that was really a critical element of my time there. And, you know, I think what was important with my work there is to spark dialogue and engage the community through ongoing partnerships, and that's something that I'm really hoping to bring to Dublin Arts Council as well Awesome.
Speaker 3:I want to ask a question similar to a chef who decides to open a restaurant. You have very different skill sets there from chef to owner and that demand for having the eye on business acumen. And did you have to learn similar lessons as you took your love of art to various leadership and director roles?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say it's a journey, right. You learn things as you go along the way and I think leadership requires all kinds of acumen. You know you have to fall and stumble and hurt yourself a little bit, and then you know pick up and be more wise, I guess. So you know I think about things like budgeting and stewardship and funding, and you know how to build partnerships and how to think about relationships and build relationships right. I think that's one of the really key aspects of being a leader is to build and create and maintain relationships.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's going to be kind of a you know both sides of the brain type conversation because you love art and then you also have to come up with a budget.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's always a little bit of both, right, Because you know we have to be sustainable along the way, right? If we want to do things, we also have to make sure that we have the right pieces in place. So it's always a journey.
Speaker 1:How can community members get involved in support of the arts here in Dublin?
Speaker 2:Probably the best way is to attend events, to participate, right Volunteer, you know, come and play with us. If you have extra dollars, you know, you can always donate, of course, but I think those first elements are really key Show up, share your ideas. You know, I think, as I mentioned earlier, art really thrives on engagement. We couldn't do it without that. So your voices and your participation is really key to everything you do Well.
Speaker 3:you mentioned community quite a bit and I want to know what does community through art mean to you?
Speaker 2:Creating, shared spaces, spaces for conversation and connection. I think that's really the theme here Building empathy and belonging, ultimately through creativity. We talked about, you know, conversations and how art can facilitate difficult conversations or conversations in general, and I think you know it's that kind of thing, right? Those elements are really critical. Everybody, typically or most people can find themselves in that space at some point or another, and you know, I'm interested in making sure that people feel included in those conversations.
Speaker 3:Wow, you fit in so well here in Dublin. As you mentioned City Council's vision of being the most connected community, and belonging and community engagement are such a big part of that. So welcome to Dublin. We're so excited for this chapter of Dublin Arts Council. We end every episode with rapid-fire questions, so we're going to dive in. So you are our first, merine. Can you share the origin story of your beautiful name?
Speaker 2:You bet it's a Dutch name. It's a very Dutch name. It actually comes from Latin from mare, which means sea, as in ocean or of the sea, and as such, it reflects my heritage. The Netherlands, or Holland, is surrounded by a lot of water and you've probably heard or seen stories, and so, as such, you know it's a name that reflects that heritage and I've always liked it very much.
Speaker 1:It's very special what I will say.
Speaker 2:What's also special about it is that it can be for any gender. That's cool. I like that.
Speaker 1:Besides Dublin, of course, your favorite art city in America.
Speaker 2:That's a tough one right. Oh my gosh, I guess I'm going to be kind of in the box as in. Like you know, new York is an amazing place, right. There's so much to see there. I also love Philadelphia for its public art commitment to public art. More recently, I've started looking at Bentonville, arkansas. I don't know if you know this, but the Walmart family built this incredible Crystal Bridges Museum there, and they are really really involved in some of the more cutting edge aspects of contemporary art, so it's a really amazing place.
Speaker 3:All right. What is your favorite arts city in the world?
Speaker 2:Hmm, you know, and that's, I haven't traveled enough to be able to answer that, so maybe I'll just be provincial and say Amsterdam.
Speaker 3:Can't go wrong with that.
Speaker 1:No, all right. Favorite art to create yourself.
Speaker 2:I love site-specific work. That is my personal practice from way back Mixed media work as well and large scale installations, so typically work that takes into account site specificity.
Speaker 3:What is an art you wished you could create yourself.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, you know it's probably around the same lines, right? Yeah, so I've always admired artists who work with the land or work with natural elements in such a way that they really transform the way we see All right, first piece of art that made a lasting impression on you.
Speaker 2:That's a good one. Actually, I'll mention an artist. So James Turrell works with light and space. It's a piece that I saw in my hometown in the Netherlands. It's called Wedgework and James Turrell calls himself a perceptionist. In the Netherlands, it's called Wedgwork and James Terrell calls himself a perceptionist in the sense that he works with light and space, as I already mentioned, and he channels light in a really incredible way. And he also thinks about art, as art is everywhere. Right. He tries to incorporate all the elements that we are already familiar with and then tries to get us to see them differently.
Speaker 3:Wow, along those lines, what is a public space in Dublin that you are excited to spend more time in?
Speaker 2:You know I'm exploring the grounds around Dublin Arts Centre, so that's been really fun.
Speaker 3:Beautiful, beautiful space.
Speaker 2:It's gorgeous, and we have a couple of river boxes on the property and an art box, and then, of course, now that they're building the path I'm venturing out to bridge park as well and then link bridge, you know, downtown. So it's been really amazing just to explore all the park-like spaces in the city have you done all of the river boxes yet?
Speaker 3:no, that'll be a good fall um adventure for you, like spaces in the city. Have you done all of the river boxes yet?
Speaker 1:Not, yet, that'll be a good fall adventure for you All. Right, tricky one here. Favorite color Can I say green? Yes, that is the right answer and more specifically, what shade? Just kidding, just kidding, all right. Finish this sentence.
Speaker 2:Extraordinary public art is. I think it is engaging, challenging, connecting and invites participation.
Speaker 1:Great answer. All right, Marijn. Thank you for joining us on Link Ahead.
Speaker 2:Thank you both. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3:What a pleasure. And to our listeners, thank you as well for taking time to connect with your city. Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many personalities and experiences that make Dublin a thriving place to live, work and grow. Hey.
Speaker 1:Hey, hey, thank you.