Would you like to learn more about art and discover distinctive pieces from travel destinations while taking a cruise? Are you interested in access to live art demonstrations, workshops and tours during your trip?
With the arrival of World Art Day on April 15, 2018, Holland America Line has announced the development of a special art experience on board its ships and on shore during cruises. Launching this summer through partner ArtLink, the new program will deliver a unique art experience throughout the fleet.
Guests will have the opportunity to:
- Participate in several interactive art events
- Delve deeper into the cultures they visit by being introduced to a region’s unique art and craft work
- Take home a genuine memento of their experience
The program will be centered in an on-board gallery space exhibiting works by emerging artists curated from the destinations visited by the ships.
During the launch period, the galleries will feature works by a select group of emerging international artists. The general collection will gradually be replaced by changing exhibitions curated to reflect the regions of the world as the ships sail the globe. An ever-changing selection of photographs, sculptures, crafts, paintings and drawings will ensure that the collections remain fresh and relevant, revealing stories as they are portrayed by artists of the destinations visited. The works showcased in ArtLink galleries will be offered exclusively to Holland America Line guests.
ArtLink Art Concierge and Art Specialists
An ArtLink Art Concierge and Art Specialists will be on-hand to provide guests with information and background on the works and the artists. They will lead them through the acquisition process, and guests will be invited to view the pieces at cocktail parties, attend special talks, meet visiting artists and simply enjoy the galleries independently.
Future plans with the ArtLink partnership include an onboard residency program where guests will have the opportunity to attend live demonstrations and hands-on workshops with the visiting artists and curators as well as the development of art-themed EXC Tours (shore excursions) that visit emerging artists in their workshops and galleries ashore.
Select Emerging Artists Featured in New ArtLink Program
ArtLink already has selected some of the first international artists who will be featured on board:
- Photographer Oleg Oprisco comes from Western Ukraine. To ensure his idea translates from start to finish, Oprisco often conducts extensive research and crafts the various elements used in his photographs.
- Copenhagen-based photographer Nikolaj Lund began his studies focusing on classical music and then segued into photography. Fusing his two passions, he photographs musicians interacting with their instruments in a quest to create a visual narrative based on the emotional bond between musician and instrument.
- Based in Rhode Island, Kate Blacklock works within the cutting- edge realm of 3D art printing, photography and painting. Her 3D ceramic works explore the power of new technology to print clay and reinstate the long tradition of technology explored by art.
- Photographer Kevin Best, originally from New Zealand, reinterprets still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age using items from that era such as 300-year-old bronze candlesticks, antique silverware, German jugs and “Kraak” porcelain. Referencing many historical paintings, he creates images in 21st-century technology, like singing a rap piece in ancient Latin.
The new Holland America Line art experience will be rolled out by fall 2018 on all ships except Prinsendam. For more information, contact a travel professional, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.