About VHDG

VHDG (formerly known as Voorheen de Gemeente) is an art initiative in the heart of Leeuwarden, dedicated to experimentation and talent development in contemporary art. After 25 years of roaming through the city, we have found a permanent home at Naauw. Here, we present an engaging program of exhibitions, performances, and workshops for all ages—always free and accessible to everyone.

Our mission remains unchanged: through a strongly experimental local art program, we create space for unique perspectives and stories. In our artist residency and studio at Haniahof, we invite dedicated artists from diverse (cultural) backgrounds and practices to create new artworks. In this way, we bring new voices and stories to Friesland or introduce the world to the talent of Frisian artists.

VHDG’s art program invites you to see the world from a different perspective—something essential in a complex, ever-changing society. Our art is contemporary, encourages reflection on the present, speculates about the future, or tells unheard stories from the past. Our unofficial motto is Be passionate, inspired by a work by Frisian artist Machiel Braaksma. Idealism and social engagement are our driving forces.