Drents Museum

In mid-2023, the Drents Museum will open a brand new presentation of its own collection in the museum's historic building complex (former provincial government building). Archaeology, art and history will come together in a surprising mix. The European tender procedure for this extensive project was won by interior architects Bruns and NorthernLight and software company Yipp. Together, these parties are responsible for the design, production, installation and multimedia of the new collection presentation.

The Drents Museum has a rich collection with masterpieces such as the Girl of Yde, the Canoe of Pesse and the painting The peat barge by Vincent van Gogh. Harry Tupan, general director: "With the new collection presentation we shall present our own collection in a spectacular way to new target groups such as families, but also for visitors with disabilities. We want to be inclusive and diverse, and we shall do this by showing our fantastic collections of archaeology, history and art in an unorthodox way through iconic highlights.”

Tender
The tender procedure took place last summer. The realization of the collection presentation consisted of two lots. Lot 1 was won by Bruns (Bergeijk) who, together with NorthernLight, is responsible for the development and realization of the interior, furniture, lighting and the exhibits. Yipp (Amsterdam) won lot 2 and is responsible for the development, production and installation of the AV/multimedia. Bruns, among other things, has been involved in the construction of Naturalis in Leiden (European Museum of the Year 2021). The selected parties have extensive experience and have worked together in the past. Maarten Taborsky, project leader Bruns: “Together with NorthernLight and Yipp, we are very pleased to be able to work with the Drents Museum in the further development, design and realization of their new permanent collection. ‘Curiosity’ is what drives our team. We want to offer the visitor a suitable, multiform and rich experience. We challenge ourselves to take this further together with the Drents Museum, so that it becomes a great experience for all target groups, ‘unforgettable'."

Selection procedure and planning
At the request of the Drents Museum, the European selection procedure for the exhibition designer and producer was supervised by abcnova (Assen). Abcnova drew up the necessary project frameworks for this, including the budget and the scope book. The scope book was created on the basis of the detailed program of requirements, investment overviews and schedules. Suzan Makkink, project manager at abcnova: “During the public procedure, various parties elaborated their visions for the collection presentation. We could see and notice that the tendering parties had put a lot of energy into this. With the selected designers, I’m sure we’re going to create something really beautiful!”

The various parties are currently working on the Final Design. Construction will start in mid-2022. Together with the construction of the new collection presentation, the province of Drenthe, owner of the museum complex, will make a number of building modifications in the areas of safety, sustainability and accessibility. The new collection presentation is expected to open to the public in mid-2023.

The new collection presentation has been made possible thanks to the municipality of Assen, the province of Drenthe, VriendenLoterij, Mondriaan fonds, Stichting Dioraphte, BPD Cultuurfonds en Stichting Steunfonds Drents Museum.