Newsletter in Danish

Frirummet, the museum’s creative workshop experiences a large increase in the number of young people applying for a place in the workshop.

5-8 young people approach weekly for one of the sought after places in Frirummet. “A lot of the young people fear reactions from the surrounding towards their diagnoses and they feel completely alone. At the same time, they are unsure if they are sick enough to be considered at place at the workshop”, Maria, leader of Frirummet explains. A doubt controls them even though they are mentally challenged and arise because today you have to be extremely ill to be taken seriously by the health care system and be eligible for a place at the workshop.

” That Frirummet is something quite special is confirmed daily by the users of the workshop,” says Director of Museum Ovartaci, Mia Lejsted, and continues, “but it also happens regularly that we welcome visitors from other museums in Denmark and abroad who are curious to know more about how and what we do.” Last week, representatives from the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands visited us to learn more about how to work with art, creativity and mental well-being as a museum.”

Unfortunately, the previously announced after-work-talk on 10. April with Jacob Fabricius, curator and director of Art Hub Copenhagen has been cancelled.

However, you can still visit the exhibition ‘Anslagets konst – att sätta tonen för en udställing’ at Malmö Konstmuseum curated by Jacob Fabricius. 7 works of Ovartaci are included in the group exhibition together with 28 other artists.

As a visitor at Museum Ovartaci you will get a 50% discount on your ticket to Malmö Konstmuseum when showing your ticket from Museum Ovartaci or a membership card from Friends Of Ovartaci.

📅 Saturday 12 April 2025

🕖 Guided tour for children aged 6-9 years at 12.00

🕖 Guided tour for children aged 10-12 years at 13.30

🔗Participation fee: Free for one adult accompanying a child

In collaboration with three art history students at Aarhus University we invite you to Children’s day on 12 April from 12:00-15:00. Two exciting, guided tours will take the children through our permanent exhibition from a child’s point of view. At three selected stations the children get the possibility to immerse themselves in the works of art together with the art history students. Afterwards it will be possible for the children to unfold their own creativity in the museum’s creative workshop by working with an activity book based on the museum's works, history and the guided tour.

Programme: 

At 12.00: Guided tour for children aged 6-9 years – duration app. 30 minutes 

At 12.30: Possibility of creative activities for children aged 6-9 years 

At 13.30: Guided tour for children aged 10-12 years – duration app. 30 minutes

At 14.00: Possibility of creative activities for children aged 10-12 years 

For each guided tour there are 20 places filled on a first come, first served basis. The adults are free to join the guided tour. Registration via text message to 4185 6290 stating the name and age of the child/children.

Friday 2 May at 15-17 we mark the launch of Trine Omø’s novel Er Arne i Danmark? (Is Arne in Denmark?) – and you are invited to join the event.

Er Arne i Danmark? is an auto fictional novel about life with ADHD told by 37-year-old Liva, who is diagnosed with ADHD at a late age. The novel is a celebration of love, friendship and living in the world in a different way.

About the novel:

“Post-its, Google, marshmallows and ADHD medication help Liva control her thoughts and her numerous ideas. But why are these strategies necessary? Why can’t Liva be like everybody else? And will she find answers on a course in “your own diagnosis”? It doesn’t look promising when she meets the other participants for the first time. What does she have in common with Dynejakken, Rødstrømpen, Politimanden and the rest?

Perhaps more than she thinks…..

Trine Omø will read extracts from the novel at 16:00, and you can buy your own signed copy of “Er Arne I Danmark?”

11 May we celebrate Mother’s Day with a special guided tour of the museum – an excellent chance for you to share a unique experience with your mother. Our skilled tour guides will guide you through the exhibition and teach you more about the person, the patient and the artist Ovartaci. 

Ovartaci’s story also gives you an insight into life as a patient at the Psychiatric Hospital in Risskov and the ideas behind the hospital established in the 1850s as the first of its kind outside the capital.

The tour lasts approximately one hour, and we recommend that you set aside time to immerse yourselves in the exhibitions afterwards.

Join us for a pleasant and thoughtful day at Museum Ovartaci.

Spring is around the corner and Museum Ovartaci in Aarhus Nord is looking for a garden enthusiast who will help us make our museum garden well-maintained and even more pretty.

Furthermore, we would like you to look after our house plants and the area around our upcoming exhibition pavilion next to the museum.

If you can spare 2-3 hours once or twice a week you may be the one, we are looking for.

We offer you:

To be part of our team of more than 50 volunteers
We provide garden tools and what else you need to carry out the task
A contact person who in collaboration with you decides what needs to be done
Free access to the museum, discounts on purchase in the museum shop and coffee and tea

You are:

Enthusiastic about gardening and plants and contribute with new ideas on how to rethink the area around the museum.

Smiling, good sense of humour and have an energy and will help presenting a beautiful garden.

Does this sound like you? – don’t hesitate to contact one of our volunteer coordinators

Elsebeth Johansen: elsebeth.n.johansen@ovartaci.dk

or

Niels Erik Andersen: niels_erik@ovartaci.dk

We look foreward to seeing you at Museum Ovartaci.

The Friends of Museum Ovartaci will hold their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Museum Ovartaci, Olof Palmes Allé 11, 8200 Aarhus N, in the Glass Hall at Kulturhus Bunkeren.

Agenda

1. Election of a chairperson for the meeting
2. Formalities
3. Presentation of the annual report by the chairperson
4. Presentation and approval of the annual financial statement by the treasurer, including auditor's endorsement
5. Determination of membership fee for the upcoming year
6. Incoming proposals
7. Election to the board in accordance with § 6
8. Election of deputy board member
9. Election of financial auditor and alternate
10. Other matters

Everyone is welcome!

Make a difference for art and Museum Ovartaci and become a member of ’Friends of Ovartaci’.

‘Friends of Ovartaci’ was founded in 2016 and helps to ensure that the museum can continue creating exciting exhibitions, develop and preserve the museum’s unique collection and continue the work for removing prejudice towards mental illness through art and art history.

Your support makes a difference.

A membership gives you the following benefits:

Free entry to the museum
Invitation to exhibition openings
Invitation to various events
Special membership price on selected events
Free entry cardholders and one companion if you have a ’Membership + one’

The price of a yearly membership:

225 DKK for a personal membership
325 DKK for a ‘Membership + one’